Absolutely everyone is posting on this mess, the shooting of Dr. Tiller, so I have little to add - who needs more commentary on what happened anyway - it was evil all around.
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But the shooter's background should come as no surprise whatsoever - he appears to have been a member of a group Homeland Security most likely identifies as right-wing extremists. Obviously some of these people can be dangerous. And people close to him must have known that.
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"I know that he (Scott P. Roeder) believed in justifiable homicide," said Regina Dinwiddie, a Kansas City abortion opponent who made headlines in 1995 when she was ordered by a federal judge to stop using a bullhorn within 500 feet of any abortion clinic. "I know he very strongly believed that abortion was murder and that you ought to defend the little ones, both born and unborn." - Source
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Sadly, all of us who are pro-life and anti-abortion, are going to stand accused along with this guy. I've worked with people like Roeder - but these unstable types do not represent the Roman Catholic Church or the pro-life movement, no matter how sincere their convictions.
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All I have to say is, we shouldn't worry too much about the backlash, of all people, Christians should remain calm and at peace. "Do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring in your midst. It is a test for you but it should not catch you off guard. Happy are you when you are insulted for the sake of Christ, for then God's Spirit in its glory has come to rest on you. See to it that none of you suffers for being a murderer, a thief, a malefactor, or a destroyer of another's rights. If anyone suffers for being a Christian however, he ought not to be ashamed. He should rather glorify God in virtue of that name." - 1 Peter 4: 12-19
With all of the rhetoric that gets hurled over this and the issue that must not be named, it's no wonder some unstable person took it to heart. Look at the UU shooting earlier this year. The guy ingested a steady diet of Coulter and Fox who told him that liberals are evil, so in his poor, twisted mind, he followed the case through to its logical end.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, finally, some civil discourse may be had. Hysteria leads us here.
May God have mercy on George Tiller, and on us all.
I can't believe I'm commenting on this blog again. It seems I never learn my lesson.
Well, I'm happy you do. I apologize sincerely for having offended you.
ReplyDeleteCulture War SCORESHEET
ReplyDeleteMedia space devoted to reporting, opining, and commenting on the tragic killing of American abortionist George Tiller will be largely used to condemn pro-human-rights persons as violent and dangerous.
Being familiar with a bit of hard data might be useful to your discussions over the next little while. I would not use the data to defend acts of violence, but it is valid to be able to counter the mis-characterization of Pro-Human Rights advocates as violent, specifically if characterized as having acted "more" violent than the Anti-Human Rights/Pro-Death side has.
Human Rights Culture War Violence Scoresheet
Violence Committed by Pro-Human-Rights "Extremists" or "Vigilantes" http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_viol.htm
Violence Committed by Anti-Human-Rights "Extremists" or "Vigilantes"
http://abortionviolence.com/
Deadly Violence by Anti-Human-Rights Mainstream Functionaries
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/wrjp339.html
Executions by Abortion 1920 - 2008 (Low estimate): ≈ 1,000,000,000
Worldwide Wars, Genocides, Famines, Ritual Suicides. Human Sacrifices
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_and_disasters_by_death_toll
Combined Total (High Estimate): 438,000,000
I'm not addressing it on my blog. I prayed for God's mercy - that's enough.
ReplyDeleteTerry,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. You are on the mark, especially in regards to not getting worried about the backlash or being tied in with an (isolated and rare) incident like this, notwithstanding its tragedy.
My days of getting anxious over things like this are over. Efforts are best placed in prayer for his soul and for the soul of his murderer.