Is it wrong to have these thoughts?

[Dennis_Nedry]

Greetings all!

I wasn’t too sure if I should have posted this or not , but here we go. As I’m sure we all know Boston has gone through a very emotional week last week. But upon learning about it I hadn’t realy thought too much about it, but as I had been around people who were very upset and had wanted to do harm against the bombers, I had began to get such feelings. I don’t usually want to do harm to people, but upon learning this I had began to start thinking kill him, stone him, torture him, and I feel terrible thinking this. But I’ve been wondering if it’s wrong to have such thoughts. Just so people know I don’t usually support the death penalty but sometimes I just get riled up in some cases. Also let us pray for the victims so they may make a full recovery, and for those who have moved on let up pray for there souls. Thanks in advance!

Dennis_Nedry

 

[aspirant]

as I had been around people who were very upset and had wanted to do harm against the bombers, I had began to get such feelings. I don’t usually want to do harm to people, but upon learning this I had began to start thinking kill him, stone him, torture him, and I feel terrible thinking this. But I’ve been wondering if it’s wrong to have such thoughts.

Such feelings are understandable. We do not entirely control our feelings, yet it can be very beneficial to explicitly acknowledge and identify them to ourselves-- it may help prevent us committing sins our feelings may tempt us to commit.

Some of our anger is righteous: we rightly despise wrongdoing. We may not, however, will evil, we may not choose evil, even to an evildoer. We must love even the evildoer, and this means wanting what will be good for him, even when we do not have good feelings towards him. Love would most definitely exclude intrinsically evil acts such as torture or revenge.

Loving our enemies is a very difficult thing to do, no question. But when God asks this of us, we must remember that he does not ask of us something he has not done himself. It is exactly what he does on our behalf: while we were still sinners, while we were God’s enemies, our loving Father sent Christ to die and rise for us, for our good.

May God have mercy on us and teach us to do likewise.

 

[RPRPsych]

Greetings all!

I wasn’t too sure if I should have posted this or not , but here we go. As I’m sure we all know Boston has gone through a very emotional week last week. But upon learning about it I hadn’t realy thought too much about it, but as I had been around people who were very upset and had wanted to do harm against the bombers, I had began to get such feelings. I don’t usually want to do harm to people, but upon learning this I had began to start thinking kill him, stone him, torture him, and I feel terrible thinking this. But I’ve been wondering if it’s wrong to have such thoughts. Just so people know I don’t usually support the death penalty but sometimes I just get riled up in some cases. Also let us pray for the victims so they may make a full recovery, and for those who have moved on let up pray for there souls. Thanks in advance!

Dennis_Nedry

Such reactions are natural, and they’re a part of human nature. Learning to tame them is a difficult and life-long process, which requires the grace of God. I don’t think you’ve actually committed a major sin, because you were (or so it seems from your post) driven by a desire for justice, and not one for unnecessary bloodshed or vengeance. (For example, if you’d thought “kill ALL immigrants” or “stone ALL Muslims”, that would have been “being angry without just cause”, which would be more problematic.) We all struggle with such feelings sometimes, but rising above them is what makes us Christians.

 

[LightFromLight]

Greetings all!

I wasn’t too sure if I should have posted this or not , but here we go. As I’m sure we all know Boston has gone through a very emotional week last week. But upon learning about it I hadn’t realy thought too much about it, but as I had been around people who were very upset and had wanted to do harm against the bombers, I had began to get such feelings. I don’t usually want to do harm to people, but upon learning this I had began to start thinking kill him, stone him, torture him, and I feel terrible thinking this. But I’ve been wondering if it’s wrong to have such thoughts. Just so people know I don’t usually support the death penalty but sometimes I just get riled up in some cases. Also let us pray for the victims so they may make a full recovery, and for those who have moved on let up pray for there souls. Thanks in advance!

Dennis_Nedry

The bombers were young men. One is already dead, the other is a teenager who has been shot multiple times (he was unarmed by the way), even in the throat so he can’t speak. What torture is there left to do?

As Christians we don’t just pray for the victims, we must also pray for the young men who commited this crime. God have mercy on their souls.

Eternal Father, I offer You The Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and for those of the whole world.

Amen

 

[CompSciGuy]

Greetings all!

I wasn’t too sure if I should have posted this or not , but here we go. As I’m sure we all know Boston has gone through a very emotional week last week. But upon learning about it I hadn’t realy thought too much about it, but as I had been around people who were very upset and had wanted to do harm against the bombers, I had began to get such feelings. I don’t usually want to do harm to people, but upon learning this I had began to start thinking kill him, stone him, torture him, and I feel terrible thinking this. But I’ve been wondering if it’s wrong to have such thoughts. Just so people know I don’t usually support the death penalty but sometimes I just get riled up in some cases. Also let us pray for the victims so they may make a full recovery, and for those who have moved on let up pray for there souls. Thanks in advance!

Dennis_Nedry

Yes I would say it is wrong. It is understandable and justifiable to be angry. But hate is never right under any circumstance. I was disturbed by the talk around the office about how to properly “punish” the man. I am not an angry person by nature so I actually have felt some degree of sympathy for the man, although in no way do I think he is justified for what he did nor should he be spared punishment… but my only reaction is that I hope he repents.

 

[Chantal25]

It is human to have those thoughts but Jesus came to teach us and by example to raise above our humanity.

We are to forgive if we want to be forgiven ours-self! It is our duty to pray for others. When i saw this young man that could be my own child, you bet that i prayed for him to repent and for God to keep him safe until he does. Not all of his culture believe in killing, there are wonderful and beautiful Muslim. My best friend is Muslim and she cried for the victims that died and got severely injured in Boston.

One priest in this area said , we are to be reverence and not about revenge. Nothing good come about wanted to get even, nothing. It isn’t the one that begin but the one that have enough courage not to continue or to stop. The longer we wait, the harder it is to stop.

I pray for you and anyone feeling this way. Most of all, i pray for the good Muslim to have the courage to speak up and condemn these adults that brain wash the young to do such a thing.

Blessing and love!

 

[RPRPsych]

I pray for you and anyone feeling this way. Most of all, i pray for the good Muslim to have the courage to speak up and condemn these adults that brain wash the young to do such a thing.

Blessing and love!

Great post. While I have a lot of issues with Islam myself (hence my sympathy with our boardmate from Jurassic Park), I’ve known plenty of good Muslims, and they seriously need to work on reforming their faith from within.