thoughts on the tiller murder…
catholicinfilmschool on Jun 9th 2009 11:25 pm
I was at the Thread Show when it happened and was so busy with being unconscious and all I haven’t had the time to mention it…but there’s a couple of things I’d like to say publicly.
I absolutely condemn the murder of George Tiller and I hope the guilty party will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
I was angry when I first heard the news, because this murder will have huge consequences for the pro-life movement, whether the killer is connected to the movement or not.
Certain individuals of a certain ideology are convinced that Christians and pro-lifers are secretly glad he’s dead. I’m not glad George Tiller is dead. I’m certainly not surprised he’s dead, but I’m not glad either. Any person who relishes in this crime needs to reevaluate their respect for the dignity of life. Being pro-life indicates a respect and reverence for ALL human life, not matter how small, how large, or how “bad.”
And one more thing…I wouldn’t be surprised to see George Tiller in heaven. That’s right, I wouldn’t. Our God is infinitely merciful beyond the human imagination; I don’t believe in putting God’s mercy in a box.
That’s all folks.
Filed in Politics, Pro-Life | Comments (3)
You wouldn’t be surprised to see George Tiller in heaven???
I am not saying in any way that I would ever wish anybody to hell. But that being said, Tiller is responsible for the deaths/murders of hundreds, maybe thousands of innocent children. Their blood is on his hands, crying out to God…and don’t try to say he didn’t know what he was doing. All abortionists know they are taking a child’s life, especially those who perform late term abortions.
I certainly hope Tiller repented and asked for forgiveness before he died, but I honestly don’t understand why you are so confident that he did.
You answered your own question. The hope of salvation is not black and white. I have personally experienced the love of God in such ways that I still don’t understand them. If it isn’t impossible for me to receive absolution for my sins, it isn’t impossible for Tiller either.
You might want to read the Holy Father’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est to further understand what I’m talking about.
Let me further clarify what I mean—I’m a theology major and I love these kinds of discussions—
Your outrage at my statement comes from your instinct to the protect the innocent. Righteous anger is natural and dare I say many times a sign of holiness. But don’t misunderstand what I wrote—I’m not some sort of cheerleader for Tiller.
If there is anything I can be sure of, it’s that God loved George Tiller. Jesus said that if you love me, keep my commandments, (John 14) but that teaching was about our unfaithful and errant human love, not God’s everlasting unchanging love for us. Now, what exactly is “hell”?
CCC #1033 states: “Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren. To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “hell.”
Suffice to say that hell is the complete and total absence of the presence of God. I don’t know what exactly the state of Tiller’s soul was at the time of his death (he was murdered at a church after all) but what I do know FOR CERTAIN is that God dearly loved him, even though he may not have reciprocated that love. God’s love and mercy is so immense that He sacrificed His son for us. You ask me how I can be “confident” that Tiller repented. The truth is, I don’t know if Tiller repented or where in the spectrum of heaven-purgatory-hell he is at the moment. But again, I do know that God dearly loved him just as you or I, and I am not quick to be certain that he has been damned to hell.
God has surprised me numerous times before—and it wouldn’t shock me if He saved George Tiller, a soul that He truly loved. He came to save the wicked and the sinners did He not?