Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

>	``I think she's great. All the times that I was going through the
>court hearings, if I had a gun, I probably would have done the same
>thing. She did what I thought of doing,'' said Janet Bingham, mother of
>another alleged victim.
>	Supporters rallied outside the courthouse, chanting, ``Set her free!
>Let her go!,'' as motorists driving by the demonstration honked their
>horns in support, and a legal defense fund was established.

    It is really scary to see Americans supporting a cold blooded vigilante
    murder of someone who was being charged with a crime.

    I am reminded of an episode of one of those tabloid television shows
    ("Hard Copy", "Inside Edition"--I don't know which, I was just channel
    surfing at the time.)  I forget the details now, but it involved a
    teenaged passenger dying in a car accident in which the driver, a
    fellow teen, had been drinking.  As I recall, the mother of the
    deceased teenager had reconciled herself with the girl who had done the
    driving, and had reached out to her in forgiveness, and as a result she
    was reviled by some of the other teenagers of the community.  "How can
    you do that when she killed your child?" they screamed at her.

    Hatred, and the mentality of revenge, even to the point of violence as
    occured in California, seems to be taking hold in ever greater numbers
    in our society, even celebrated as a virtue.  It certainly stands in
    such stark contrast to the values that Jesus espoused.  I fear that
    things are getting worse.  Now that our society has commemorated the
    twenty fifth anniversary of the Martin Luther King assassination, the
    contrast between the values of loving your enemy, nonviolence, and
    reconciliation that Jesus taught and that King put into practice, seem
    so much at odds with the direction that our nation is taking.

    -- Mike

    So I wonder if this will set back the anti child abuse efforts? Sure
    does reflect badly on the people who are fighting child abuse doesn't
    it.
    
    			Alfred

Re:  .2

A consciousness-raising thought. Thank you, Alfred

Collis

Re:  .0

I definately have sympathy for the mother.  However, it is
quite wrong for an individual to usurp the authority of
government and make herself judge, jury and executioner.

Collis

    I wish I knew the answer to this.  There's a side of me which says that
    violence, in any shape, manner, form .. has never solved any problems. 
    I would hope that as a human race we could some day rise above violence
    as a perceived solution to any problem.

    Then, where children are concerned I readily and freely admit to the
    simple fact that were I faced with an individual who had done harm to a
    child .. I fear for what I would do.

    Bubba

    Re: .5
    
    I hear ya Bubba.  There would certainly be a battle within; trying to 
    restrain myself from what I feel would be righteous indignation.
    
    As heartless as our legal system appears (and I believe some lawyers
    with wrong motives contribute to this), the procedures of legal
    jurisprudence must be uniform in all cases.  We must not lose the
    notion of innocent until proven guilty.  Vigilantes can potentially
    cause the wrong person to be executed before her trial.
    
    -Jack  

    I sure can understand the mother's actions. I really don't know
    how I would have reacted.
    
    I know that its wrong....but...so many times the innocent suffer,
    while criminals have a reduced/light sentence for the most hineous
    of crimes.
    
    Marc H.

    Hi Marc:
    
    This is why capital punishment is not a deterant.  I guarentee that if
    people were sentenced and executed within months of the conviction,
    people would think twice before committing capital crimes!
    
    -Jack

    .8
    
    Do you mean *is* a deterrent?
    
    Richard 

    I think he was suggesting that it is not a deterrent now, but could be
    if the system of justice were swifter and more certain.
    
    In any case, capital punishment has generally not been shown to be a
    deterrent.  Of course, the fact that it is barbaric and immoral is
    another factor that we might want to consider.  :-)
    
    -- Mike

    Mike:
    
    Just out of curiosity, what is your feelings of capital punishment
    under the Mosaic law?  This may lead to the old argument of, God's
    standards in the bible are God's unless capital punishment is involved.
    It is then added to the bible but not inspired by God since a loving
    God wouldn't command it.  
    
    I was reading in Numbers I believe where a man was stoned to death for
    chopping firewood on the Sabbath.  Evidentally, he was doing this in
    defiance toward God, i.e. shaking his fist at God!
    
    By my standard this is harsh but what about under God's standard?
    
    -Jack

    .11
    
    This is yet another problem with taking the Bible at face value.
    Billy Graham, in an interview with David Frost I saw on PBS last
    Sunday, said that he saw a growing problem with people "worshiping
    the Bible."
    
    Richard

Re:  .11

   >This is yet another problem with taking the Bible at face value.
   >Billy Graham, in an interview with David Frost I saw on PBS last
   >Sunday, said that he saw a growing problem with people "worshiping
   >the Bible."
    
I hardly think that Billy Graham equated taking the Bible at face
value (it means what it says) with "worshipping the Bible"
especially since Billy Graham takes the Bible at "face value".

Which does not mean that "worshipping the Bible" is not a problem.
Anything that takes our eyes off Jesus can be a problem.  Fortunately,
those who read and believe the Bible tend to focus their eyes on
Jesus, not off of Him.

Collis
  

    Do you and Billy Graham agree on what the Bible is?
    
    What do you (or Billy Graham) mean by "face value" or by "worshipping
    the Bible"?

    .14
    
    See 613.84 for my answer.  See Billy for his.
    
    Peace,
    Richard

    
    Perhaps if justice was truly just, there wouldn't be these 
    activities in our country.  I think that our judicial system
    is a failure.  Crimes go free and the innocent suffer.  Not 
    that there are some parts worth keeping, but I'd say it needs 
    revamping.  
    
    Jill