Black and white are not the only colors in this
world, there is also gray and further more different shades of gray. This makes
it harder to evaluate an absolute and fitting answer to every question and a
response to every situation. Many answers depend on the circumstances there are
to be found in and many responses depend on the time and motivation that stand
behind them.
In this case I do not know much about capital
punishment, the means that are used and the circumstances that bring people to
the gurney, the only thing I have to go on is parts of the movie we watched
yesterday (Into the Abyss) and the opinions that were presented there. Being
not very well informed can hinder a person and the opinion they form, but I
will do the best I can with what I have been given. This is why I have to agree
with the reverend that was featured in the beginning of the movie and admit, “I
don’t know”.
In this position, where I see the pain, sickness,
misery and people that do not know what their purpose in life is, I kind of feel
like Joseph, from the story about the rainbow-colored coat. Joseph had to
encounter many challenges, such as being sold in to slavery by his brothers,
serving the Potiphar and sitting in prison, so the only thing that was left for
him was to trust God. In the end he was rewarded and fulfilled a great purpose
the Lord had in mind for Joseph, that he
himself could not have imagined. So when I am in the position where I cannot
fathom the reason for the things that are happening around me, I place my faith
in God and hand over my anxiety, agony and acknowledge that I can do all things
only in Him.
The truth is that some things our mind cannot
understand and does not have the capacity to comprehend, for example God
allowing children to suffer and die of things such as cancer or ALS. I have had
my share of questions about the evil and pain that are in the world and I have
asked God, “Why?”, but I will not receive an answer to every question and will
not have a complete understanding of every issue in today’s world. I do not
know why God allows capital punishment, the New Testament does not teach anything on
the specific issue of capital punishment in modern day life, but it does teach that God loves the world; he is involved
in the lives of people and cares for them deeply, he wants a relationship with
each one of us through his son Jesus Christ in order to offer us forgiveness
and love, so this is what I hold on to, because this is what I know for
certain.
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