Speaking to Dylann Roof in court, she said: "I just want everybody to know, to you, I forgive you. You took something very precious away from me. I will never talk to her ever again. I will never be able to hold her again but I forgive you. And have mercy on your soul. You hurt me, you hurt a lot of people, but God forgive you, and I forgive you.
"Depayne Doctor was my sister. And I too thank you [the judge], on the behalf of my family, for not allowing hate to win. For me, I'm a work in progress, and I acknowledge that I am very angry but one thing Depayne ...taught me [is that] we are the family that love built. We have no room for hate so we have to forgive. I pray God on your soul and I thank God that I won't be around when your judgement day comes with him. May God bless you."
Gun control will take weapons out of peoples hands, and yet again the USA will agonise but do nothing. Only this God-given ability to love, to forgive and show grace will bring and end to violence. These are truly incredible responses - I'm sure my natural reaction would be revenge and anger, but my brothers and sisters in Charleston remind me that Jesus' people can do better than that.
The only problem with gun control in the USA is that is unachievable. Firearms are so pervasive in society and the right to bear arms so inculturated (it is part of the constitution after all so you would need an amendment to the constitution to remove the right to bear arms) that short of going in with force to remove every rifle and pistol, you cannot take weapons off the street. Gun control in the USA (beyond better discipline in retail) is never going to happen.
ReplyDeleteCompare that to a non-weaponised culture like the UK where the notion that you could bear arms is so alien to us that it would be opposed en masse.
Two different cultures, two different historical contexts, two different equilibra.