wfn.org | Statement supporting abolition of death penalty read during PCT 55th General Assembly Meeting

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3033 Edition

>April 12~18, 2010

Statement supporting abolition of death penalty read during PCT  55th General 
Assembly Meeting

>Reported by Lin Yi-ying

>Written by Lydia Ma

Just as 80% of Taiwanese people called on the government to  proceed with the 
executions of 44 inmates currently on

death row, PCT General Assembly issued a public statement  supporting the 
abolition of the death penalty. It was read

by General Assembly Moderator Leonard Lin on April 6 during PCT  55th General 
Assembly Meeting held in Chang

Jung Girls’ Senior High School in Tainan city.

The statement declared that human beings were created in  God’s image and were 
given immeasurable dignity and

value. It went on to state that even murderers deserve human  rights and should 
be allowed to live so that they might

accept Christ, repent of their sins, and use the rest of their  lives to 
reconcile with victims’ families and pay restitution.

Rev. Lin cited the story of Cain and Abel found in the book of  Genesis as 
example. After Cain murdered his brother

Abel in a fit of rage and jealousy, he realized that people would  find out 
about his crime and seek to take his life.

However, God put a mark on Cain and warned that whoever killed him  would 
suffer vengeance seven times over

>(Genesis 4:15).

Rev. Lin said this story recorded in the Bible demonstrates that  God hadn’t 
given any human being the right to sentence

another human being to death. Cain became a restless wanderer for  the rest of 
his life, hidden from God’s presence.

However, this punishment was perhaps more terrible than anything  else.

The statement read by Rev. Lin begins with an apology on behalf of  all PCT 
churches for not doing enough in sharing the

gospel, which may have led some people into committing crimes. It  also 
apologizes on behalf of PCT churches for

falling short in terms of reaching out to the families of victims,  and failing 
to protect the integrity of the judiciary.

Though every crime must be punished, the death penalty is the only  punishment 
that cannot be reversed or salvaged

once it has been carried out. In view of recent controversies that  have 
tarnished the credibility and integrity of the

judiciary, shattering people’s confidence in this  institution, PCT is 
convinced that proceeding with the death penalty may

>inflict further damage to social justice.

The statement also claims that based on Christian teachings, no  one can take 
away another human being’s life. Instead,

humanity is called to seek forgiveness and reconciliation, bring  even 
murderers to repentance and salvation through

>Christ, and help criminals make restitution.

This PCT statement supporting the abolition of the death penalty  also quoted 
Mathew 5:7-9 at the end and bore the

signatures of both General Assembly Moderator Leonard Lin and  General 
Secretary Andrew Chang.

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