Dramatic post-crime transformations suggest to some that repentance
should stay the executioner's hand.
Both the Bible and Jewish law affirm that repentance ameliorates
divine judgment. The prophet Ezekiel writes: "But if the wicked will
turn from all the sins which he has committed, and keep all my
statutes ... he shall surely live, and shall not die ... Have I any
pleasure at all that the wicked should die? Says the Lord God; and
not rather that he should return from his ways and live?"
The Talmud confirms the power of repentance to blot out one's sins
before God.
This, though, refers only to the divine court and not human
reckoning. The Jewish tradition is clear that a person sentenced to
capital punishment is to be punished by death, regardless of
repentance. The human response cannot mirror God's granting clemency
to repentant criminals.
If a person has returned to God through repentance, then he will
be forgiven by God for his sins. In human courts, though, justice is
grounded exclusively on past actions; repentance cannot undo what has
already been done. Further, Judaism insists that repentance cannot be
achieved until the injured party has forgiven the criminal for his
sin. It is impossible for a murderer to fully repent because he
cannot gain forgiveness from the victim. That option has been removed
with the person's death. Therefore, there can be no forgiveness for
the murderer since there is nothing to be done to right the wrong. He
cannot take the murder back, and there is no forgiveness from the
grave.
Additionally, Judaism cautions that allowing repentant murderers
to escape capital punishment would fill death row with wholesale
claims of repentance. Every inmate would seize this mechanism to
escape the ultimate punishment. Also, it is beyond the scope of human
knowledge to verify whether the criminal has truly repented. The
death row inmate has understandable motivation to appear repentant to
avoid execution. Only God knows the human heart, and therefore only
God can accept repentance.
Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols asked for
forgiveness and offered to help victims' families with the healing
process.
"My heart truly goes out to all the victims and survivors and to
everyone who was affected by the Oklahoma City bombing," Nichols
said. "Words cannot adequately express the sorrow I have felt over
the years for the grief they have all suffered."
To be honest, I care far less about Mr. Nichols' sympathetic heart
