American society has been absolutely inundated with the discussions of gun control, mental health and school safety in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre. Personally, I think conversations on all fronts are necessary and actual progress in all of these areas is even more urgently needed.
A couple of nights ago, S and I were watching a news segment that featured a round table panel of experts debating further elements of these issues. One of the experts made a comment that honestly made me feel sick. "One thing we know about these bad guys is the sooner the police close in on them, the sooner they turn the gun on themselves and take their own life. And the sooner that happens, the better."
When the Aurora shooting happened, obviously I was saddened by the loss of so many lives. I was relieved James Holmes had not killed himself. I have prayed that he will not face the death penalty. I was saddened to learn that Adam Lanza had taken his life and I have spent time praying for the repose of his soul.
James Holmes and Adam Lanza and others who have committed unspeakable acts of violence are no less human because of what they have done. They are still fundamentally people with immortal souls; people who were created by a loving God. As humans, we're are all capable of inflicting great pain on others, even when we don't have a "weapon" in our hands. We say and type deeply hurtful things to people we love and even total strangers. We make arguments, sometimes rehearsed and sometimes spontaneous, that are calculated and designed to cut people to the core. Some people don't confine their abuse of others to mere words. Some humans beat their spouses and children. Some humans commit all sorts of acts of violence on strangers, friends and family members. And we humans make all sorts of other really bad choices.
A couple of nights ago, S and I were watching a news segment that featured a round table panel of experts debating further elements of these issues. One of the experts made a comment that honestly made me feel sick. "One thing we know about these bad guys is the sooner the police close in on them, the sooner they turn the gun on themselves and take their own life. And the sooner that happens, the better."
When the Aurora shooting happened, obviously I was saddened by the loss of so many lives. I was relieved James Holmes had not killed himself. I have prayed that he will not face the death penalty. I was saddened to learn that Adam Lanza had taken his life and I have spent time praying for the repose of his soul.
James Holmes and Adam Lanza and others who have committed unspeakable acts of violence are no less human because of what they have done. They are still fundamentally people with immortal souls; people who were created by a loving God. As humans, we're are all capable of inflicting great pain on others, even when we don't have a "weapon" in our hands. We say and type deeply hurtful things to people we love and even total strangers. We make arguments, sometimes rehearsed and sometimes spontaneous, that are calculated and designed to cut people to the core. Some people don't confine their abuse of others to mere words. Some humans beat their spouses and children. Some humans commit all sorts of acts of violence on strangers, friends and family members. And we humans make all sorts of other really bad choices.
Part of my examination of conscience often involves reflecting on Christ's Agony in the Garden. Christ was agonized over the task that lay before him. He knew all of the sins we would commit, all the choices we would make. He knew the darkest, most unspeakable things we would think and do. Not that we were doomed to commit those sins, but in His omniscience, he could see the choices we would make stemming from our own free will. And, somehow, our Lord and Savior saw something redeemable in us. He saw how, despite our best efforts to drown it out, our souls cry out to Him to love us and to save us from ourselves. We yearn for forgiveness. Despite how cliche it is to say the contrary, we really do live with regrets. Somehow, even though we are all guilty, Christ still took our sins to the cross. He took the Aurora shooting to the cross. He took the Sandy Hook shooting to the cross. He took the suicides of Adam Lanza and all the others who have made that choice to the cross. No one deserves this kind of mercy.
It is mercy that Christ calls us to extend to others. We weren't saved by His blood because we had earned it or because we had put forth some sort of acceptable level of effort. We are offered salvation for no merit of our own; we are offered salvation because God is good and He is love.
It's not better for the perpetrators of such violence to take their own lives. It's one more layer of tragedy to the whole situation.
It is mercy that Christ calls us to extend to others. We weren't saved by His blood because we had earned it or because we had put forth some sort of acceptable level of effort. We are offered salvation for no merit of our own; we are offered salvation because God is good and He is love.
It's not better for the perpetrators of such violence to take their own lives. It's one more layer of tragedy to the whole situation.