Monday, December 12, 2005
Confession and Repentance - Or Why Tookie Williams Should Die
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.There's a conditional statement if ever I read one. It's a little probematic for a calivinist like myself, but I don't really want to talk theology per se, I want to talk death penalty - specifically Tookie Williams and the death penalty.
First of all, the case for or against the death penalty as Christians is largely the same as the case for or against pacificsm as far as I am concerned. It's pretty difficult to make a case against either from a Christian viewpoint. Last resort, yeah, with great caution, yeah, but not abolishment. The are some practical arguments against the death penalty, for example the difficulty of courtroom proof and the almost near arbitrary nature of juries, but given the benefit the penalty gives to society, I think those are outweighed.
But again, I don't really want to talk about this in the general, I want to in the specific. Tookie Williams is convicted of some extraordinarily heinous murders. Thanks to TenNapel.com, I can link you to pictures of his victims, post-mortem. These are not for the faint of heart, do not go here unprepared.
This is a political issue, but hardly a criminal one. Michelle Malkin has her usual great roundup of links and info, on all that is being said. But despite the threats of riots and other politcal actions, this is about a crime and a suitable punishment. If the suitable punishment is not meted out, based on political considerations, then justice has been denied. It's as simple as that.
Which takes me back to the scripture where I started all this. One of the bigger arguments for clemency is all the "good" that Williams has done, something claimed, but not demonstrably proven -- He's written books, which is great, but one would kind of like to see some evidence of the results of those writings. But let's grant for a moment that he has done all this "good" - how can it be claimed to atone for a crime which he has yet to admit to committing?
Logically, without confession, there is no atonement, because there is nothing to atone for. If Williams does not think he is guilty of anything, his action cannot be viewed as atoning; his reasons for his actions are simple altruism. Admirable to be sure, but not atoning. Thus, the law which has sentenced him to death must still be carried out.
There is a lesson here in our personal faith too. The journey begins with confession, for it is the method by which we access all the wonders that Christ has to offer. Acknowledgement of our need for Jesus is all the opportunity He needs to fix everything right up.
