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‘God commands us not to kill’: Faith leaders protest 50 years of executions

July 2, 2026 · 1 min read

WASHINGTON (RNS) — In her first years attending a fast marking the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that resumed the modern-day death penalty in the United States, SueZann Bosler was still on medication to treat the effects of being stabbed in the head by the same man who murdered her father, the Rev. Bill Bosler, in 1986.

To honor the wishes of her father — a Church of the Brethren minister in Florida who was against the death penalty — Bosler worked for a decade to commute the death sentence of the man who killed her father and injured her, despite initially struggling to forgive him. “ It saved my life, forgiveness,” she said.

On Thursday (July 2), the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Gregg v. Georgia decision that reignited the modern era of the death penalty in the country, Bosler is on her fourth day of fasting. She has been taking shifts as part of the “Starvin’ for Justice” anti-capital punishment protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court to try to convince passersby to join her in opposition as temperatures climb above 100 degrees.

But the solidarity of about 85 protesters involved makes the time joyful, Bosler told RNS, because she’s often the sole person…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (9) 🌐 Show original

Полина Иванова

Thank you for sharing the story of a missionary father from the United Faith Church. It is a pity that in our Church we so rarely hear about those who, like Suzanne, not only forgive, but also work for years to replace death with life - as in the Holy Scripture: “God commanded not to kill.”

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თეა აბაშიძე

Do you remember our Paris teacher Giorgi's "martyrdom for beauty" and Khachapuri ice creams in the real exam of Kutaisi. Why don't we do the same in Kutaisi?

Екатерина Иванова

I agree, our Church actually more often turns to topics where forgiveness and life have defeated death, but we should not forget about the patriarchal message of 1997 - it directly states that the death penalty is against Christian ethics. Why do you think messages like this don't reach parishioners as often as Suzanne's story?

Ирина Голубева

You are right, Catherine, the patriarchal decree of 1997 definitely speaks against the death penalty. But last year in our parish the priest quoted him at Liturgy, and after the service a grandmother from Sadovaya Street asked: “Why then do they still talk about death row judges on TV?” We probably need to discuss this more often in family conversations.

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ქეთევან კაპანაძე

Tea, Khachapuri ice creams do not go down during the holiday season, teacher Giorgi knew that. So how did he pass the exam?

Gregory Mitchell

Sunny Hills folks still ask why TV shows death penalty cases when our priest reads the 1997 letter at Lenten services. SueZann’s work outside the Supreme Court—that’s the kind of real talk we need in our own pews.

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ნანა კვარაცხელია

Ketevan, it is interesting that you switched to Khachapuri ice cream - I think that it is such small, concrete details that people remember more than big words. Teacher Giorgi used to tell us all that there are exams in life and you should prepare for them. How do you remember him?

Сергей Петров

Polina, thank you for reminding us about Bosler’s story - her father was from the Church of the Brethren, not the United Faith, but the essence is the same: forgiveness is not in words. In our parish in Tula we recently read a passage from the Epistle to the Romans about “do not take revenge,” and one man said that after that he stopped supporting executions. What do you think, what helps such stories reach the heart, and not just remain in articles?

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ლევან ჯავახიშვილი

Thea, I remember the story of Giorgi the teacher, but in order to do such an action in Kutaisi, we must gather the local congregation first, so that it is not just a photo shoot. What would you do as a first step?