Mercy for Sex Offenders...

• Murderer


• Rapist


• Thief


• Sex Offender


• Adulterer
  

Now...rank them. What's the worse crime?:

5.


4.


3.


2.


1.

Several years ago, I received an email from a long-time friend that contained a link to the state website indicating the current residences of all known sex-offenders...

I clicked on the link because of nothing more than morbid curiosity...I didn't stay long...

I navigated away quickly with a sickness bubbling from deep within me...

...but not due to what you might think?

My temporary sickness was not brought on by my disgust of those known convicted of sex crimes residing nearby. But instead, the utter absurdity of having such an on-line resource.

I am fully convinced of this: what divides us as people more than anything is an unwillingness for empathy and forgiveness. We declare war, scream across congressional aisles, sign divorce decrees, leave our children, discriminate against people of different skin tone...all in the name of self-righteousness and a need to be and feel superior.

I recently received a piece of campaign literature from a local politician campaigning for re-election. Amongst the common bullet-list of why this individual should be given a certain additional amount of time representing constituents, there was a list of recent pieces of legislation written or proposed by this politician.

The one that stood out the most was a piece of law proposed that would prevent convicted sex offenders from patronizing local swimming pools (as well as schools). I was very confused by this. I mean honestly where does this end? If we are to prevent this small minority of law-breakers from entering public areas where persons under the age of 18 MAY frequent...where is the end?

Theme parks?


Stadiums and Ballparks?


Sidewalks?


McDonald's? (maybe they should stay out of there for other reasons--you know it's not really food, right?)

Check out this scenario:

Mark (age 18); a senior in high school is dating a sophomore (15) named Christy. They have consensual sex. Christy's parents bring charges against Mark and he is convicted of statutory rape, and is now forever registered as a "sex offender". Twenty years go by...Mark is now married and has been for 12 years. Mark has three young children. But Mark can't go swimming with his wife and kids...

...huh...?

People should no doubt face the consequences of their actions and if the consequence of a certain crime (according to our justice system) is jail, probation, etc; then by all means, the offender must "pay" for the offense. But when does one reach forgiveness? When do we say, "you made a mistake, you faced the consequence, you've been forgiven (by the law) and it's time to move on"?

We all have demons, temptations, make choices that may seem unusual or even deviant. Haven't we all faced the idea that if someone found out I was doing such and such, I'd be in a lot of hot water? One might argue that we have to suppress such temptations.

I haven't found this to work, either. We all have a tendency to fall...ALL of us! What's best...?

Faith? A good shrink? A better wine? ...

For me it's the former...I choose to follow a Man who chose to find forgiveness & mercy in the worst of the worst. I follow this Man because he once walked in the shoes of the less-fortunate, the deviant, the scorned, the forgotten...the sex offenders.

Those who vote to separate people out who've made mistakes with the proverbial "Scarlett Letter"; forever to pay over and over for their crimes must have not been extended forgiveness in their own lives. For this, I do have pity. I know what it feels like to have someone close refuse forgiveness. I hope those of you out there will someday find peace...

But please let's not separate more than we already do...