Here on earth, we must demand retribution

Kurt Schlichter has a piece at Townhall.com today entitled Civilization Cannot Exist Without Righteous Retribution. Kurt is spot on here. You can not forgive criminals, who don't want it anyway, without exacting a price. Somethimes, that price is execution. 

The only thing about the fact that a jury found that the degenerate scumbag who murdered seventeen people should not be executed is that it was just one nimrod juror who held out not to give the vermin the death he deserves. Statistically, even in a red state like Florida, it’s difficult to find a group of twelve people without a moral illiterate or two. In blue venues, it’s hard to find any moral literates at all.

Here's the thing – a civilization that cannot come up with the moral testicularity to execute a creature who murders over a dozen of its children is a civilization in serious trouble. The minimum standard for any culture that intends on surviving – and surviving means dealing with the barbarians within and without – is to take its own side in the fight for survival. Eventually, there will be a backlash. The only question is how ugly it will be.

...snip...

And then there is the spectacle of family members of murder victims “forgiving” the criminals as if forgiveness was a simple act and not a process that demands action by the person being forgiven. This bizarre misunderstanding of Christianity is mixed with what seems to be a desire to front to the world as somehow enlightened – “I want to announce that I forgive the barbarians who raped and murdered my daughter. They did not repent, they did not seek forgiveness, and they have not yet been punished, but I’ll do it now anyway. Look at me.” Not that you want to take theological hints from a guy who grew up a Californian Methodist, but the forgiveness of God does not just manifest out of the blue; the one receiving grace needs to take steps to obtain it. These moral posers – and it is posing, sad and horrifying, but posing nonetheless – demand nothing to obtain forgiveness, so the forgiveness they offer is meaningless narcissism.

Schlichter is absolutely correct. Jesus offers forgiveness, but there are conditions. One doesn't just willy nilly forgive. That is not Christianity; it is as Schlichter says, narcissism. Forgiveness depends on the one being forgiven realizing what he has done is wrong, and repenting. He must feel and show remorse and shame. Only then can he ask for forgiveness. Sometimes, he must then do something to make it right, to the extent that he can. For example, if he stole from someone, he must pay it back, or at least make a good faith effort to do so. Perhaps if he can not pay it back, pay it forward to some worthy cause. Murdering 17 children would seem to require that one should offer up his life.

Here on earth, we are not yet in the Kingdom of God.  We fight a constant battle against the Evil One.  God can forgive even the most evil thing, if one does what is necessary, but society for now must demand retribution.  It is what we have until Christ comes again in glory to bring justice.