34 N. C. Religious Leaders Call on General Assembly to Vote on Moratorium Bill
Posted: July 06, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 6, 2004
CONTACT
David Neal, NC Coalition for a Moratorium, (919) 680-2986; (919) 824-1814 (cell) dneal@ncmoratorium.org
John Strange, (919) 933-7567; jstrange@ncmn.org
34 N.C. Religious Leaders Call on General Assembly to Vote on Moratorium Bill
RALEIGH — Nearly three dozen of North Carolina’s senior religious leaders today are calling on the General Assembly to pass the bill for a two-year suspension of executions while the legislature studies the state’s death penalty system.
The heads of major Christian denominations in the state, rabbis, and leaders of Islamic mosques endorsed a letter which says that legislators are morally obligated to pass the bill. The leaders come from all corners of the state and represent more than one million North Carolinians.
“North Carolina, do the right thing. Do the moral thing. Pass a moratorium on executions,” reads the letter.
North Carolina “cannot afford to be impatient and imprudent when it comes to the lives of men and women on death row,” the leaders said. “Morally, we must act with care and caution in the practice of the death penalty.”
The bill passed the N.C. Senate last spring. A statewide poll shows that North Carolinians support a temporary halt to executions by more than two-to-one.
The text of the letter and a list of the endorsers follows.
July 6, 2004
NC House of Representatives
Dear Representative,
The common principles of our faith traditions compel us to speak with one voice and with urgency to our lawmakers. As leaders of North Carolina’s faith traditions, we call on the NC House of Representatives to pass the moratorium on executions. Allow the citizens of North Carolina just two years for their death penalty system to be studied. In fairness and concern for innocents on death row, do not execute anyone during this study.
North Carolina’s death penalty has never been formally examined. Something of this import must be studied with wisdom and care. Allow us to be certain that no one is killed in our names who is innocent. Allow us to be certain that no one is killed in our names who is sentenced unfairly and without competent counsel. We must be sure that the state executes no one because of racial bias, or because of prosecutorial misconduct.
North Carolina is a great state blessed with great faith. It cannot afford to be impatient and imprudent when it comes to the lives of men and women on death row. People’s lives are at stake. Morally, we must act with care and caution in the practice of the death penalty.
North Carolina, do the right thing. Do the moral thing. Pass a moratorium on executions.
Bishop George E. Battle, Jr., Presiding Prelate, Eastern North Carolina Episcopal District, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Bishop Cecil Bishop, Jr., Presiding Prelate, Piedmont Episcopal District, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Leonard Bolick, Bishop, Synod of North Carolina, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Bishop Daniel Boston, Eastern North Carolina and Virginia Assembly, Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ)
The Rev. Charles Bullock, President, General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina
The Rev. Stephen W. Camp, Conference Minister, Southern Conference, United Church of Christ
Vice-Bishop William T. Collins, Sr., Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ), Eastern North Carolina and Virginia Assembly
The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina
The Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel, III, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina
Barbara Campbell Davis, Executive Presbyter/Stated Clerk, Presbytery of New Hope, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Rev. Dr. John R. Goodman, Executive Presbyter/Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Coastal Carolina, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Most Rev. F. Joseph Gossman, Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Raleigh
Imam Khalid Fattah Griggs, Community Mosque of Winston-Salem
Rabbi Fred Guttman, Temple Emmanuel, Greensboro
Bishop Charles Helton, Seventh Episcopal District, Carolina Conference, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
The Rt. Rev. Robert H. Johnson, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina
Rabbi Raachel Jurovics, Temple Beth Or, Raleigh
The Most Rev. Peter J. Jugis, Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
The Rev. Dr. Tommy Justus, Pastor, Mars Hill Baptist Church, Mars Hill
Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Resident Bishop, Western North Carolina Conference, United Methodist Church
The Rev. Ira K. Kennerly, General Presbyter, Presbytery of Salem, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Min. Duane Muhammad, Muhammad Study Group, Hickory
The Rev. Dr. Nancy E. Petty, Pastor, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh
The Rev. James Pike, Pastor, Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church, Chapel Hill
John P. Porter, Superintendent, North Carolina Yearly Meeting of Friends, Religious Society of Friends
Rabbi Robert Ratner, Congregation Beth Ha Tephila, Asheville
The Rev. George Reed, Executive Director, NC Council of Churches
The Rev. John M. Richardson, Regional Minister, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in North Carolina
The Rev. Sam Roberson, General Presbyter/Stated Clerk, Prebytery of Charlotte, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Rabbi Judy Schindler, Temple Beth El, Charlotte
Rev. Elder Gillian Storey, Regional Elder, Region Seven, Metropolitan Community Churches
The Rev. J. William Taber, Executive Presbyter/Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Western North Carolina, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Rev. Charles Wiessner, Pastor, First Reformed Church of Cary, Regional Synod of New York
The Rev. Melvin Williams, Pastor, Watts St. Baptist Church, Durham
###
July 6, 2004
CONTACT
David Neal, NC Coalition for a Moratorium, (919) 680-2986; (919) 824-1814 (cell) dneal@ncmoratorium.org
John Strange, (919) 933-7567; jstrange@ncmn.org
34 N.C. Religious Leaders Call on General Assembly to Vote on Moratorium Bill
RALEIGH — Nearly three dozen of North Carolina’s senior religious leaders today are calling on the General Assembly to pass the bill for a two-year suspension of executions while the legislature studies the state’s death penalty system.
The heads of major Christian denominations in the state, rabbis, and leaders of Islamic mosques endorsed a letter which says that legislators are morally obligated to pass the bill. The leaders come from all corners of the state and represent more than one million North Carolinians.
“North Carolina, do the right thing. Do the moral thing. Pass a moratorium on executions,” reads the letter.
North Carolina “cannot afford to be impatient and imprudent when it comes to the lives of men and women on death row,” the leaders said. “Morally, we must act with care and caution in the practice of the death penalty.”
The bill passed the N.C. Senate last spring. A statewide poll shows that North Carolinians support a temporary halt to executions by more than two-to-one.
The text of the letter and a list of the endorsers follows.
July 6, 2004
NC House of Representatives
Dear Representative,
The common principles of our faith traditions compel us to speak with one voice and with urgency to our lawmakers. As leaders of North Carolina’s faith traditions, we call on the NC House of Representatives to pass the moratorium on executions. Allow the citizens of North Carolina just two years for their death penalty system to be studied. In fairness and concern for innocents on death row, do not execute anyone during this study.
North Carolina’s death penalty has never been formally examined. Something of this import must be studied with wisdom and care. Allow us to be certain that no one is killed in our names who is innocent. Allow us to be certain that no one is killed in our names who is sentenced unfairly and without competent counsel. We must be sure that the state executes no one because of racial bias, or because of prosecutorial misconduct.
North Carolina is a great state blessed with great faith. It cannot afford to be impatient and imprudent when it comes to the lives of men and women on death row. People’s lives are at stake. Morally, we must act with care and caution in the practice of the death penalty.
North Carolina, do the right thing. Do the moral thing. Pass a moratorium on executions.
Bishop George E. Battle, Jr., Presiding Prelate, Eastern North Carolina Episcopal District, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Bishop Cecil Bishop, Jr., Presiding Prelate, Piedmont Episcopal District, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Leonard Bolick, Bishop, Synod of North Carolina, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Bishop Daniel Boston, Eastern North Carolina and Virginia Assembly, Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ)
The Rev. Charles Bullock, President, General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina
The Rev. Stephen W. Camp, Conference Minister, Southern Conference, United Church of Christ
Vice-Bishop William T. Collins, Sr., Church of Christ (Disciples of Christ), Eastern North Carolina and Virginia Assembly
The Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina
The Rt. Rev. Clifton Daniel, III, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina
Barbara Campbell Davis, Executive Presbyter/Stated Clerk, Presbytery of New Hope, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Rev. Dr. John R. Goodman, Executive Presbyter/Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Coastal Carolina, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Most Rev. F. Joseph Gossman, Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Raleigh
Imam Khalid Fattah Griggs, Community Mosque of Winston-Salem
Rabbi Fred Guttman, Temple Emmanuel, Greensboro
Bishop Charles Helton, Seventh Episcopal District, Carolina Conference, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
The Rt. Rev. Robert H. Johnson, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina
Rabbi Raachel Jurovics, Temple Beth Or, Raleigh
The Most Rev. Peter J. Jugis, Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
The Rev. Dr. Tommy Justus, Pastor, Mars Hill Baptist Church, Mars Hill
Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Resident Bishop, Western North Carolina Conference, United Methodist Church
The Rev. Ira K. Kennerly, General Presbyter, Presbytery of Salem, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Min. Duane Muhammad, Muhammad Study Group, Hickory
The Rev. Dr. Nancy E. Petty, Pastor, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh
The Rev. James Pike, Pastor, Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church, Chapel Hill
John P. Porter, Superintendent, North Carolina Yearly Meeting of Friends, Religious Society of Friends
Rabbi Robert Ratner, Congregation Beth Ha Tephila, Asheville
The Rev. George Reed, Executive Director, NC Council of Churches
The Rev. John M. Richardson, Regional Minister, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in North Carolina
The Rev. Sam Roberson, General Presbyter/Stated Clerk, Prebytery of Charlotte, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Rabbi Judy Schindler, Temple Beth El, Charlotte
Rev. Elder Gillian Storey, Regional Elder, Region Seven, Metropolitan Community Churches
The Rev. J. William Taber, Executive Presbyter/Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Western North Carolina, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Rev. Charles Wiessner, Pastor, First Reformed Church of Cary, Regional Synod of New York
The Rev. Melvin Williams, Pastor, Watts St. Baptist Church, Durham
###