I saw a post tonight by a friend applauding the abolition of the death penalty somewhere, and a rallying cry to everyone to keep fighting against death penalty laws.
I am of mixed feelings on this front. I do not believe that we as human beings have the right to take another human being's life, even in cases that "warrant" the death penalty. I also believe that "if you kill them, they can't learn nothin'" And, I believe in the words of Jesus of Nazareth when he said "Forgive them seventy times seven times." To a point...
When 3 immigrant workers entered my Ant and Uncle's produce stand in central Florida in the mid 80's, gunned down the friend-of-the-family clerk, and took my Aunt and Uncle in the back room and shot them execution style for the nominal amount of money in the register, my unforgiveness meter jumped straight to 491, and there it has sat for 30 years.
The clerk, by the grace of God and the benefit of being morbidly obese, survived five bullets to the torso, consequently, being able to positively identify the killers.
I do not know if those men have made it through the system to "the chair" yet. And I don't dare ask. All I can do, at moments like this when the maelstrom of rage starts its slow churning in my heart, is ask God for correct judgement on those men's behalf, and for forgiveness for my weakness.
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