How can I respond to such a terrible story? It is certainly natural to feel outraged at the perpetrator of such a crime and to demand justice. But unfortunately, only God can provide that to this child. The death penalty, life in prison, or any other punishment is insufficient. Neither penalty adequately deters such crimes (plus there is considerable debate about whether the death penalty actually results in more deterrence), neither will bring true peace to family members baby Jane leaves behind, and neither will undo the horrible crime that was committed. I have another story for you. One that I just so happened to teach a lesson on in church last Sunday:
In the beautiful hills of Pennsylvania, a devout group of Christian people live a simple life without automobiles, electricity, or modern machinery. They work hard and live quiet, peaceful lives separate from the world. Most of their food comes from their own farms. The women sew and knit and weave their clothing, which is modest and plain. They are known as the Amish people.
A 32-year-old milk truck driver lived with his family in their Nickel Mines community. He was not Amish, but his pickup route took him to many Amish dairy farms, where he became known as the quiet milkman. Last October he suddenly lost all reason and control. In his tormented mind he blamed God for the death of his first child and some unsubstantiated memories. He stormed into the Amish school without any provocation, released the boys and adults, and tied up the 10 girls. He shot the girls, killing five and wounding five. Then he took his own life.
This shocking violence caused great anguish among the Amish but no anger. There was hurt but no hate. Their forgiveness was immediate. Collectively they began to reach out to the milkman's suffering family. As the milkman's family gathered in his home the day after the shootings, an Amish neighbor came over, wrapped his arms around the father of the dead gunman, and said, "We will forgive you."1 Amish leaders visited the milkman's wife and children to extend their sympathy, their forgiveness, their help, and their love. About half of the mourners at the milkman's funeral were Amish. In turn, the Amish invited the milkman's family to attend the funeral services of the girls who had been killed. A remarkable peace settled on the Amish as their faith sustained them during this crisis.
One local resident very eloquently summed up the aftermath of this tragedy when he said, "We were all speaking the same language, and not just English, but a language of caring, a language of community, [and] a language of service. And, yes, a language of forgiveness."2 It was an amazing outpouring of their complete faith in the Lord's teachings in the Sermon on the Mount: "Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you."3
The family of the milkman who killed the five girls released the following statement to the public:
"To our Amish friends, neighbors, and local community:
"Our family wants each of you to know that we are overwhelmed by the forgiveness, grace, and mercy that you've extended to us. Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. The prayers, flowers, cards, and gifts you've given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you.
"Please know that our hearts have been broken by all that has happened. We are filled with sorrow for all of our Amish neighbors whom we have loved and continue to love. We know that there are many hard days ahead for all the families who lost loved ones, and so we will continue to put our hope and trust in the God of all comfort, as we all seek to rebuild our lives."4
How could the whole Amish group manifest such an expression of forgiveness? It was because of their faith in God and trust in His word, which is part of their inner beings. They see themselves as disciples of Christ and want to follow His example.
-James E. Faust, The Healing Power of Forgiveness. The entire talk can be found here.
Now to be clear, I am not saying that James E. Faust or any other leader of the LDS church is against the death penalty. To my knowledge there is no official church position on that subject. And as Faust himself says in this talk: "Of course, society needs to be protected from hardened criminals, because mercy cannot rob justice . . .'Forgiveness is a source of power. But it does not relieve us of consequences.' When tragedy strikes, we should not respond by seeking personal revenge but rather let justice take its course and then let go."
What I am arguing is that to me personally the death penalty is contrary to the spirit of forgiveness, and should not be part of a Christian society. If we can lock these people up for the rest of their lives without parole, then there is no need to kill them. In my mind, the power of life and death is sacred. I am uncomfortable with a random jury loosely wielding that power as they routinely do in states like Texas. For every baby Jane, there is a much closer case where the death penalty may not be so obviously justified. There are also serious problems with racial bias in sentencing and with wrongful convictions. But most importantly this issue speaks to the ultimate question of what kind of a people do we want to be? I don't believe we should be a vengeful and unforgiving society. Nor do I believe we should give a free pass to criminals. Life without parole to me strikes a better balance between justice and mercy. The death penalty in is an old testament eye for an eye type policy, while a punishment like life in prison is more in tune with the higher law of the new testament. It embodies the remarkable attitude demonstrated by the Amish. And it reflects our "faith in God and trust in His word. Such faith 'enables people to withstand the worst of humanity. It also enables people to look beyond themselves. More importantly, it enables them to forgive.'"
Donkey
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