Gavel Gamut
By Jim Redwine
(Week of 29 June 2015)
ACTIONS AND REACTIONS
Dylan Roof attended a prayer meeting at the Charleston AME Church. He brought a gun. Twenty-one year old Caucasian Roof murdered nine praying African Americans. In the white heat of their grief, the victims’ families forgave Roof and prayed for his soul. The national media were shocked.
Twenty men died committing the murders of 9/11. The national media fanned the flames of revenge against unknown someones.
Reverend Clementa Pinkney, who was also an elected state representative, laid in state in the rotunda of the South Carolina State House. The church held worship services in which comfort for all and forgiveness for Roof were broadcast to the world. The church is universally admired for staying true to its charter. It is stronger now than it was before the killings. The church relied on its greatest strength, its philosophy.
America spent a year after 9/11 looking for someone to blame for our pain. Even though the killers had also killed themselves, the national media cried out for more. Our government responded with a war against Iraq and Saddam Hussein, neither of whom had any connection to 9/11. We have expended thousands of lives and killed thousands more while spending trillions of dollars creating implacable enemies for ourselves.
We did these acts in violation of our charter, i.e., The United States Constitution, which calls for justice, equality and due process, not random abuses of power.
The Charleston AME Church’s reaction reminded me of the lessons I learned as a child in my home church. Our church had a deacon and choir member who served as church treasurer. His wife and two children and he were long-time members. He embezzled church funds. My father and mother served with this person on the church board. The board voted to forgive the man and allow the whole family to remain in our church. Our church healed, grew and prospered. It is still strong today.
Churches and countries that violate their foundations are in peril. Perhaps we should look to the wisdom of the Charleston AME Church and into our national soul for our international relations.
Judge, much here to agree with. Forgiveness is often far more powerful than revenge, although both have purpose if measured by the restraint.
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