File this under WTF? Church Forgives Youth Pastor for Slaying

[walldude]

The youth minister who confessed to a 1994 killing is being widely forgiven by members of his former congregation, who say they admire his courage in finally surrendering to police.

Calvin Wayne Inman, 29, remains jailed without bail since he was charged Wednesday with capital murder in the stabbing death of a convenience store clerk during a robbery. He was 16 at the time.... *snip*

...."He's a hero, really," said Kelley Graham, 24. "I don't know how many people would do what he did. The Bible says you just need to confess to God. Calvin took an extra step.... *snip*

"The debt he's paying to our society is teaching our young people to do the right thing," said Cheryl Ellis, a member of the church's youth staff. "To lock him away someplace and say he owes it to society is robbing the next generation of a mentor.

Are there even words to describe the hypocrisy at play here? Pro-Life? Anti-Gay? Pro-Homicide? Gee, I can't imagine why I won't set foot in a church.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jNwm7wlyQ3Blz8Pee5PtFmQQNvgwD8USPH2G0

[lapfog_1]

1. And I bet they all cheered when Karla Faye Tucker was executed

because, you see, she made the mistake of getting caught THEN turning to ministry.

If she had only stayed out of jail and turned to ministry! For 14 years! She would have paid her "debt to society".

:puke:

I just really hate hypocrites.

[gollygee]

2. They said he's a hero?

That word is sure thrown around lightly.

[lpbk2713]

3. Lemmee put my tinfoil hat on here ...

I just wonder if this will suggest to some young admirer that if he goes out and kills someone and then confesses that he will be regarded as a hero.


Admittedly it is a big stretch, but I guess it could happen.

:shrug:

[MindPilot]

4. Why I am not a Christian, reason number 1632.

Do whatever the hell you want; god will forgive you. Armed robbery? Murder? It's all OK when you follow the bible.

[MediaBabe]

5. I wonder if the victim's family thinks this 'hero' should remain free to mentor.

"The debt he's paying to our society is teaching our young people to do the right thing," Maybe the next youth pastor they get can concentrate his mentoring on "not doing the wrong thing." Life's more fun that way.

But no matter. I see it's Texas. Texas isn't as forgiving as the Good Lord is.

[varkam]

6. It's good that he surrendered.

And that is the right thing to do, and indeed it is the courageous thing to do. I'm not sure if "hero" is an appropriate term for him, though. If all heroics amounts to these days is agreeing to pay the price for the things that you've done, then I think that the bar is set pretty low.

[walldude]

7. "I'm not sure if "hero" is an appropriate term for him"

The guy stabbed a 61 year old convenience store clerk to death after he got carded trying to buy cigarettes. I'm "positive" that hero isn't an appropriate term for him. I can think of lots of terms to describe this guy, none that don't include the word scum somewhere.

[varkam]

13. I guess I more or less subscribe to the idea...

the one should hate the sin and love the sinner, so to speak.

[walldude]

16. But when the sin involves a victim who speaks for him? n/t

[varkam]

17. I'm not saying love the sin.

Nor am I saying that this individual shouldn't be punished for what he did. In this instance, at least, the criminal justice system will speak for the victim.

ETA I guess what I'm trying to say is that the trick, for me anyway, is learning how to be compassionate to both the perpetrator of a crime and his/her victim. Being compassionate, though, is not equal to forgiveness. Forgiveness, at least in my opinion, should be earned. On the other hand, compassion should automatically be extended by virtue of being human.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. WTF is right!

These 'christians' are insane.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. It's called redemption and is fundamental to...

Christianity. But, don't let that get in the way of insulting a church and its believers just because they actually take some of the better words in the Bible seriously.

This "forgiveness" they speak of has nothing to do with whether or not he should pay a price for this crime. It is a spiritual thing that recognizes that people can change and that change should be recognized.

But, hey, it's easier to feign outrage and make stuff up than to understand.

[alarimer]

11. It's utter bullshit

It is a license to whatever you want.

I hope that guy rots in jail for a good long time. It is the least that he deserves. In this case, maybe what is called for is "an eye for an eye". That is in the bible, is it not? Should he not get the death penalty? Forgiven or not?

[TreasonousBastard]

14. Just because you have absolutely no idea what you're..

talking about doesn't make it bullshit.

[walldude]

15. Yeah well when I see a murderer called a "hero"

by a group of people who claim that Gay's are an "abomination" I tend to see hypocrisy. Let me quote you:

"This "forgiveness" they speak of has nothing to do with whether or not he should pay a price for this crime"

Really? From the article:

"The debt he's paying to our society is teaching our young people to do the right thing," said Cheryl Ellis, a member of the church's youth staff. "To lock him away someplace and say he owes it to society is robbing the next generation of a mentor."

Sounds to me like they think his payment for the murder of an innocent should be to mentor young people.

[NMMNG]

10. WTF indeed

Any crime is OK so long as you confess and "repent". Steal, rape, murder, molest or whatever, so long as you confess and repent. You can be right with your congregation and your Lord.

That's why being gay is such a heinous sin to them, because if you don't repress what you are and live a loveless life of celibacy ,you can never be "right" with them. Screw that.

[madmom]

12. this kind of hypocracy is exactly why I don't do the "god" thing..when I was a mere child

of about 12/13 My two best friends were from devote catholic families, I observed then with amazement how the parents of said children acted during the week (drank, swore, partied like there was no tomorrow) but every thing was ok because they went to mass and confessed and on Monday they started all over. Thanks to them I had my eyes opened at an early age and didn't give them a chance to indoctrinate me.:nopity:

[RC]

18. At least he hadn't been caught committing sex.

Not much in forgiveness for that.

[Hekate]

19. "Idiot compassion" is how Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche would describe this....

There's compassion that's helpful and then there's codependency, which is self-indulgent. (CTR is a scholar-monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.)

Then there's me, going "Oy, what are they thinking?"

Hekate