November 29, 2011
November 29, 2011
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon commends Governor Kitzhaber for execution stay
By Oregon Ecumenical Minsitries
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) joins people of faith and conscience across Oregon in thanking Governor Kitzhaber for staying the execution of Gary Haugen. The complexity, expense, inconsistent application and profound moral ambiguity of the death penalty system in Oregon demands intelligent and courageous leadership in response. Governor Kitzhaber has shown this leadership.
“Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has consistently called for an end to capital punishment, a practice that does not deter crime or bring closure, but diminishes us as a people and a civilization,” said EMO Executive Director David Leslie.
“As we commend the Governor’s brave decision, we join the call for a renewed conversation on this enormously important issue for our state,” Leslie stated. “Let us bring together all sectors of society and people of good conscience on all sides of the issue, for discussion that involves Oregon in a true and deep examination of the death penalty and its place in our state.”
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has consistently called for an end to capital punishment, a practice that does not deter crime or bring closure, but diminishes us as a people and a civilization.
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is a statewide association of Christian denominations—including Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox bodies—congregations, ecumenical organizations and interfaith partners working together to improve the lives of Oregonians through community ministry programs, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, environmental ministry and public policy advocacy.
CONTACT: David Leslie, EMO Executive Director
Copyright © 2012, OregonReport. All Rights Reserved. | Terms of Use - Copyright - Legal Policy | Contact Oregon Report
Stay up to date with the latest political news and commentary from Oregon Faith Report through weekly email updates:
Prefer another subscription option? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, become a fan on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.
Of course, Ecumenical Ministries is the backbone for the flagging and failing liberal “Christian” churches in this state. But if you ask people that are part of the conservative Christian church, you will find a very different reaction. The law is the law, voted on and approved by the citizens of this state, this despite our governor’s insistence that “we didn’t know what we were voting on” when he made that law null and void by his insistence in superceding the law with his own person preferences in negating any further executions on his watch. If this once-again governor is foolish enough to try and run for an additional term, we all need to remember his comments about us and his refusal to uphold the law he said he would uphold at his inauguration and vote him out, once and for all.