Judge Patrick Kelly, the judge who gained national attention during Operation Rescue's Summer of Mercy by sending federal marshals to arrest pro-lifers who blockaded Tiller the Killer's mill, died recently.
Judge Kelly is remembered for warning prolifers who would block Tiller's clinic entrance to "say farewell to their family and bring a toothbrush because they are going to jail"
Kelly, described as a devout Catholic, made it clear that he would not let his religious beliefs color his decisions regarding the protests and arrests. One has to wonder how he will answer to his Creator regarding his decision to ignore his faith, which teaches that unjust laws are not laws at all.
Only God knows his heart and if he truly repented, but if he didn't, may God have mercy on his soul.
My response to the comment below -
Who's gloating?
And what an ignorant comment..
Original comment:
funny, pro lifers are for the death penalty, for preemptive war, for torture, and now gloating over someones death.
sounds like the pro lifers are hypocritacal bloodthirsty killers, no better than the common terrorist or republican.
My response to Dawn's post.
>>It's not for us to presume to pass judgment
Well, by your comments, I think you have done this very action yourself. You presume I gloat over this man's death, and presume I pass judgment. You yourself judge me here...
This post wasn't about gloating and wasn't about making final points against a dead man. How you came to that conclusion is beyond me - nowhere in the post is this the focus.
I suppose if I was to gloat, I would say something to the effect of whether or not this man was enjoying the fires of hell etc, but notice I do nothing of the sort.
And underlying point of the post is that those who are in power but who uphold unjust laws will eventually have to account for their actions. But this is more of a warning for the living, not a condemnation of the dead.
I did state "Only God knows his heart and if he truly repented, but if he didn't, may God have mercy on his soul."
Yet, this is not actually a condemnation or judgment that he is in hell, but more of a plea and hope for mercy in the case that this mand did not repent.
(Surely we can hope that the Mercy of God is extended to those who die in sin, even if this hope may not be theologically correct.)
Dawn's comments:
One has to wonder how he will answer to his Creator regarding his decision to ignore his faith, which teaches that unjust laws are not laws at all.
Is that point really necessary? If you must make any negative comment about the deceased, it's enough to note that the judge who was notorious for jailing pro-lifers claimed to be Catholic, and recommend that readers pray for him.
This post is an example of what's wrong with the ease with which blogging gives one the opportunity to express oneself in public. Some thoughts are better left unvoiced. It's not for us to presume to pass judgment -- even with "if he didn't repent" qualifiers -- on the state of the soul of a dead man who is beyond our admonitions. Using a blog post to score some final debating points against him when his body's still warm in the casket is the worst kind of witness for pro-lifers.
If my tone offends you, I apologize. I myself am truly offended. If that bothers you, then please pray for me.