Moratorium Now
I oppose the death penalty. And I am one of the majority of Americans who in a recent nationwide poll are calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in this country. More than 1000 groups, including 27 local governments [Atlanta, GA, Baltimore, MD; Detroit, MI; Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco, CA; to name a few], have joined a movement called Moratorium Now and have ratified resolutions calling for a nationwide moratorium. So imagine my disappointment as a Christian when I checked nationally in the Summer/Fall 2000 issue of Moratorium News and found only a relative handful of churches involved in this effort. In the three states with the largest death row populations, only eight churches are listed as having passed moratorium resolutions as a part of the Moratorium Now movement.

As Christians we have to do better. We are the leaven called upon by God to mix with the world and transform our society into a better place. As the Body of Christ it is in our hands and it is our obligation to make a difference in this world of ours. Yes, every religious denomination has condemned the death penalty and supports the immediate moratorium on the use of capital punishment in this country. But why hasn't that filtered down to the individual congregations? Why hasn't that filtered down to your church?

I call on every reader of this letter to do two things. First, ask your local congregation to pass a resolution calling for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty, and send a copy of this resolution to Moratorium Now. For more information or for sample resolution forms call the Moratorium Now Project at [301] 699-0042, or visit the website at <www.quixote.org/ej>. Second, ask the members of your church to sign the Moratorium 2000 petition sponsored by Religious Organizing Against The Death Penalty. For more information, or for petition forms call [202] 588- 5489 or visit the website at <www.moratorium2000.org>.

Together we can make a difference. Please join us.
Patricia A. Guthrie
Peoria, IL

A Witness nudge
It's publications such as yours that keep me committed to Christianity. Your emphasis on tolerance, understanding and concern, combined with a call to action, occasionally nudges me out of my complacency and/or cynicism, and makes me aware that if good things are to replace the poverty, injustice and hatred so often encountered in my own small world, I have to be willing to do my part.
Patricia Heck
Sewanee, TN