Redemption of murder-when appropriate

[jacorian]

I'd like some pastoral ministers of different faiths chime in on the problem of evil in society, specifically I have found that the Van Houten case is worthy of redemption because the person showed remorse, exhibited personal growth, & served a good amount of time in prison. I do not believe her to be a threat to society at 73. There have been a few others across history but few. It's not everyone gets a trophy. In the meantime we keep piling up the incarcerees & in general our rehab record is poor. So I look back to the Bible for similar situations. We learn that Moses killed a man & St. Paul participated in the stoning of St. Stephen. So what is the bar? Why is evil allowed to this extent? What does the Creator make of murderers or despots or genocide crusaders? Perosonally I think God reserves hell for those who seek to usurp his power-aka a Putin, a Stalin, an Amin, a Hitler, etc. I.e. those who truly think they are capable of being above God, then clearly they walk in darkness.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

The separation of who gives the law is the difference.

God's commandments state, "thou shalt not kill." However, secular law says
that a person found guilty of murder shall be given a sentence according to
the secular law, in this case, for life. In the US, that rarely happens with a person
who is shown to have a good prison record.

Should they be let out of prison? That's up to the law.
Should they be forgiven if they are remorse? That's up to God,
as only he knows what's in the person's heart.