| Newspaper headlines cried, "Protesters demand | | | | their fates according to the law. |
| forgiveness for killer." Article after article proclaimed | | | | In countries or states with capital punishment, |
| that citizens believe that criminals should be forgiven. | | | | murders know the penalty if caught, found guilty, and |
| One person quoted said, "As a society, we must | | | | given the death penalty. The family and friends of |
| forgive those who are sorry for their crimes. We are | | | | the victim do have the right, and maybe even the |
| taught to forgive." | | | | obligation, to forgive the killers; however, that |
| For years the above attitude concerned me, but I | | | | forgiveness does not mitigate the fact that the |
| wasn't able to give concrete reasons as to why I | | | | criminal deliberately took the life of another person |
| disagreed. However, I finally have the answer: Only | | | | and faces the consequences. Nor should forgiveness |
| people who are wronged can forgive the criminal, and | | | | by those harmed take away the blame and resulting |
| forgiveness and legal consequences are two different | | | | punishment. |
| things. | | | | The argument that a criminal repents is not a valid |
| If a reckless speeder hits me in front of my house, I | | | | excuse for his not facing the results of his actions. |
| can forgive the driver since I was the one hurt. | | | | As someone with a close relative who has spent |
| However, if the speeding car strikes my neighbor, I | | | | much of his adult life in prison, I know personally that |
| cannot forgive, nor not forgive, because I was not | | | | prisons and jails are filled with repentant inmates, and |
| the person harmed. Plus, if the person suffering from | | | | with many who claim they to be innocent. (On a side |
| the accident forgives the speeder, the driver must | | | | note, I realize that some innocent people do end up |
| still face the legal consequences of his or her actions. | | | | in prison, but the large majority of inmates are guilty |
| My "forgiving" the one who injures my neighbor is | | | | as charged.) I also know from first hand experience |
| not really forgiveness because I am a by-stander, | | | | that many that repent are sorry they were caught. |
| not anyone involved. | | | | Also for a large number, jail house religion soon |
| Jesus stated that the people of His time were to | | | | disappears after the prisoner is released. Therefore, |
| render under Caesar what is Caesar's (Caesar | | | | being sorry for one's actions or being forgiven by the |
| representing the government) and unto God what is | | | | victim or victims should not erase the consequences |
| God's (God being the moral, the righteous). In other | | | | of a crime. Legal consequences and moral |
| words, people are to follow the law and take the | | | | forgiveness are two different components of life. |
| consequences if they don't. | | | | I may forgive the man who murdered my niece, and |
| In our permissive world, we have mixed the two: | | | | I may forgive the relative whose actions brought |
| What is God's and what is the government's (the | | | | "shame" to my family, but I cannot and should not |
| law's) are intermingled in areas that they shouldn't be. | | | | change the legal rendering. We all need to render |
| Forgiveness by individuals or even the church leaders | | | | unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is |
| does not negate the penitents' obligation to face | | | | God's. |