Like so many others, I was shocked and angered at the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse this past Friday. I was equally upset with the behavior of the judge, who seemed to be overwhelming prejudiced in favor of Rittenhouse. The bottom line remains, this seventeen year old kid, crossed State lines with an AR-15 semiautomatic weapon, open fired on three unarmed men, killing two of them, and severely injuring the third. Regardless of the position of the judge, who refused to allow the prosecution to call the men Rittenhouse shot and killed, “victims”, it is clear that the deceased and Mr Grosskerutz ARE victims of extreme violence. For Rittenhouse to walk away without any repercussions for his actions is a gross miscarriage of justice. For Rittenhouse to be praised and lauded by the “gun gods” of our nation as an example of American justice, including members of Congress, is not only vile, disgusting and scandalous, but it is extremely dangerous.
SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS
America’s Idolatry of Gun and Violence
The worship of guns in our nation is very disturbing. It is one thing to own a shotgun or a deer rifle for hunting, it is another thing to own weapons that have no other purpose than to destroy human life. The relaxation of gun laws in our nation has effectively declared “an open hunting season” on all human life. The proliferation of military grade weapons with white outrage, white privilege and vigilantism, and the belief that in owning a such a destructive weapon the owner elevates his testosterone to compensate for an apparent lack of male sexual deficiency (remember the old military axiom, “This is my rifle, this is my gun. This is for shooting, this is for fun.”), we have the perfect storm for an increase of death and destruction in our nation, in our states, in our communities, and in our neighborhoods.
Owning and Firing Gun as a False Rite of Passage.
Rittenhouse, an immature, 17 year old overly indulgent adolescent (some might call a brat) with an over-inflated ego and bravado, believed that in his wielding a AK-15, he would, single-handedly, restore justice in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He also falsely believed that in hanging this dangerous weapon around his neck and parading through the streets of Kenosha, he would somehow undergo some “rite of passage” that would transform him from being a little boy into becoming a “man”. His own testimony on the witness stand illustrated far too clearly how false this “rite of passage” was. When confronted with the crime he committed and finally cognizant of the possibility of a long prison term he could face, he broke down and “cried like a baby”, revealing to the world that he remains a very vulnerable, scared, little boy.
The Elevation of Rittenhouse as a Gun “Patriot”.
More disturbing and destructive for Rittenhouse is in being acquitted of the crime he committed, he remains clueless as to the tremendous harm his irresponsible act of stupidity and bravado has caused, not only destroying the lives of his victims and their families, but, also, how destructive his acquittal is to justice being accomplished in the United States. This is made significantly worse in his being elevated, lauded, and worshipped by the gun lobby, and those in Congress who have sold their souls to the gun lobby; paraded about as some kind of patriotic gun god who embodies the soul of the United States. If Rittenhouse is foolish enough to believe the chum bait these enemies of justice are flinging at him, he will only sink lower as human being, never maturing into becoming a just, responsible, adult male.
RELIGIOUS RESPONSE TO SENSELESS ACTS OF VIOLENCE AND INJUSTICE
What is the Christian response to all this gun violence that is ripping apart not only the bodies of those killed and injured, but ripping apart the lives of the victims’ families, and our communities?
Reciprocal Justice and Hammurabi’s Code
I acknowledge within myself, and all of humanity, a visceral response of anger to injustice. When someone commits a crime, we all feel this urge to “get even” for the wrongs committed by the one we perceive as guilty. Our response of reciprocity is best expressed by the television police detective, Barreta, who was fond of saying, “When you do the crime, you gotta to do the time.” This visceral response goes back as far back as ancient Ur (the city from which Abraham came), in a code of law issued by the Sumerian ruler Ur-Nammu, who in the twenty-first century B.C.E., first established a law of retribution for criminal acts. This was later codified by Hammurabi two centuries later as an “Eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” and, later adopted and codified into Hebrew law (Exodus 21:22-24 and Leviticus 24:19-21). Literally, this code of law said that if one plucks out the eye of another, the injured party has the right to pluck out the eye of his attacker.
God as a God of Retribution
This, sadly, is also reflective in how God is perceived as a God of retribution. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the behavior of God toward those in opposition was very retributive. When the Hebrew Prophet, Miriam, who was Moses’ sister, objected to her brother Moses’ seemingly lack of concern for the welfare of the Israelites, God punished her severely by inflicting upon her a disease that disfigured her and ostracized her from the Israelite community. Moses was similarly treated with harsh retribution by God in striking the Rock at Meribah, instead of just speaking to the Rock. For this seemingly minor breach of behavior, Moses was condemned by God to die and never enter the Promised Land.
The Pentateuch is filled with stories of a very vengeful God of retribution, from the fiery destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Great Flood that drowned all but Noah and his family and those animals he rescued, asps sent to bite and kill people who opposed God, and so on.
God as a terrible Judge
Our human perception of God as a terrible judge of retribution has carried over to Christianity. All one has to do is read the text of the hymn, “Dies Irae”, from the old Catholic Requiem Masses, to experience the very human belief of a God who demands fierce retribution from those who are in opposition to God, regardless as to how minor or major an offense is committed.
Here is a portion of the long text of this hymn once sung at the end of a funeral Mass.
Day of wrath! O day of mourning!
Heaven and earth in ashes burning!
oh, what fear man’s bosom rendeth,
When from heaven the Judge descendeth,
On whose sentence all dependeth.
All before the throne it bringeth.
All creation is awaking,
To its Judge an answer making.
Worthless are my prayers and sighing,
Yet, good Lord, in grace complying,
Rescue me from fires undying. …
With Thy sheep a place provide me,
From the goats afar divide me,
To Thy right hand do Thou guide me.
When the wicked are confounded,
Doomed to flames of woe unbounded,
Call me with Thy saints surrounded.
Low I kneel, with heart’s submission,
See, like ashes, my contrition,
Help me in my last condition.
Needless to say, this is the stuff of horrific nightmares for Catholic kids, such as I, 60 years ago, who had to sing these verses at Latin Requiem Masses (of course, we sang Requiem Masses to get out of school). If one thinks this is just isolated to Catholicism, one is gravely mistaken. The “righteous retribution of God” is the stuff of much “Hell fire and damnation” sermons spouted at the services of ALL Christian denominations.
Is it any wonder that with a human visceral response of retribution combined with a religious understanding of God as a bloodthirsty God of Vengeance for wrong acts, that Christianity has been as viciously cruel in its response to perceived human grievances? People burned at the stake on the part of ALL Christian denominations, executions by being hung, drawn, and quartered, the torturous devices of Medieval Europe (e.g. the Iron Maiden), the torture of the Spanish Inquisition and so on, is only reflective of a widely accepted perception of the nature of God as a God of Wrath, and God as a Terrible Judge.
Perceived Righteous Reciprocity in our Entertainments
Of course, this human idea of vengeful reciprocity is not just isolated to religion but is very much present in our entertainments. Do not audiences cheer when Rambo eviscerates the “bad guys” with bursts of machine gun fire, Dirty Harry practices his own vigilante justice toward a serial killer with his 45 caliber weapon at close range, and the good, old boys from Lethal Weapon movies shoot, strangle and blow up their enemies. Violent reciprocation for injustice is not only accepted but lauded by many as Divinely instituted. Yet, in the midst of the horror and carnage of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was very cautious as to the Union’s relationship to God. When someone once confidently proclaimed that God was on the side of the Union, Lincoln responded, “It’s not a question of whether God is on our side, but, rather if we are on the side of God.”
Exposing violent retribution for what it truly is rare in our modern entertainments.
WHAT DOES JESUS TEACH US
In the four canonical Gospels, Jesus erases the Hebrew Scriptures image of God as a God of retribution and violence. Rather, Jesus reveals God as a God of love, a God in love with ALL creation. Following the Beatitudes in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus abdicates the Mosaic law with a new commandment.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. (Mt 5:38-42, NAB)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Mt 5:43-48, NAB)
Upon being crucified, Jesus did not call on God to destroy those who were torturing him and executing him. Rather, Jesus calls out to God from the cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34, NAB) As we read here, Jesus calls upon God to love and to forgive the very people who plotted his death, betrayed him, and executed him.
Clearly, the portrayal of the vengeful, angry God in the Hebrew Scriptures is revealed to be an inaccurate portrayal by the teachings of Jesus, who we, as Christians, believe is the Logos, the Word of God, and the Son of God.
How do we, as Christians, hold people accountable for their crimes?
The Christian response to crime and grievances, is not retribution. Rather, the Christian response to crime and grievances is restorative justice.
Rittenhouse tried for the crime of firing upon and killing these men was found not guilty. He did not receive a jail sentence for the horrific violence he perpetuated upon citizens of Kenosha. Would the reciprocal justice of Rittenhouse serving 10, 15, 20 years of jail time alter the behavior of Rittenhouse? We will never know. However, Rittenhouse walking away from his crime, without being held accountable for his behavior, guarantees that he will not alter his behavior. What is needed and what was lacking at the trial of Rittenhouse was “restorative justice.”
In the biographical movie of Ron Kovic, “Born on the Fourth of July”, we see a form of restorative justice. Ron Kovic enlists in the Marines and does two tours of duty in Vietnam. He is involved in a kind of Mi Lai massacre, and retreats with his unit following the massacre. During the retreat, Kovic accidentally kills Wilson, a member of his own platoon. He reports to his commanding officer that he was responsible for the death of Wilson. He is told by his commanding officer to cover it up and forget about it. Shortly after, Kovic is critically wounded in a firefight, ending up paralyzed from the chest down. What follows for Kovic is a long tale of redemption, and culminates when he goes to the grave site of Wilson, the man he had accidentally killed. Following this visit to the gravesite, he goes and confesses his guilt in the death of Wilson to Wilson’s parents and widow. While Wilson’s widow is unable to forgive Kovic, Wilson’s parents do forgive him.
In the movie, “Schindler’s List”, we also see a form of restorative justice when Schindler, a war profiteer, sells all of his possession to save the lives of the Jews who work as prison labor in his factory. And while not guilty of any crime, in the movie, “Forrest Gump”, we see Forrest, suddenly very wealthy as a shrimper, take half of his wealth he has gained and gives it to the family of his best friend, Bubba, who had been killed in Vietnam. It was Bubba who suggested to Forrest that they go in the shrimping business.
Probably one of the most striking stories of restorative justice, is one of Mahatma Gandhi’s words to an Indian Hindu man. At a time of great violent fighting between Muslim and Hindu factions in India, a Hindu man came to Gandhi crying and feeling hopeless. He told Gandhi that he killed a Muslim boy. When Gandhi asked him why he did such a deed, the man responded by saying it was because Muslims killed his little son. Gandhi said to him, that in order to heal his soul, the man must go and find a boy whose parents had been killed. He was to raise the boy as his own son. He told the Hindu man, “Make sure you find a Muslim boy and raise him as a Muslim! Then your soul will live again.”
Restorative Justice for Kyle Rittenhouse
Redemption for Kyle Rittenhouse can be found only in an act of restorative justice. If Rittenhouse truly wants to undergo a rite of passage into manhood, he needs to do the following acts of restorative justice.
First, he must throw away his guns and a life style that believes that gun violence and gun justice is the only way to achieve justice in the United States.
Secondly, and most importantly, he must make restitution to the families of the two men he slayed, and to the man and his family who he critically wounded. The restitution can begin by his falling to his knees and asking forgiveness of the families of the victims he killed and wounded.
This must be followed by a lifelong promise and commitment to serve the families of those he killed and critically wounded. Using the Code of Hammurabi as a metaphor, instead of “sacrificing his eyes” for the eyes he plucked out, restoratively, he must become the eyes and serve those whose eyes he plucked out. The lives of those he slew cannot be restored. However, he can serve the families of those he slew in their absence.
The purpose of Rittenhouse’s life changed when he shot and killed these men. His life can no longer be spent in serving his own selfish interests. He sacrificed that when he pulled the trigger that killed and wounded these men. His purpose in life must now be devoted to the survivors of those he killed and injured. It is in doing this that Rittenhouse will make his rite of passage into true manhood.
Since the judge and the jury refused to hold Rittenhouse accountable for his crime, Rittenhouse must now hold himself accountable, for that will be the only way that he will be able to heal his soul. The path for a just life for Rittenhouse is clear. If he refuses to do this, he will never be free from the ghosts of those he slew. They will follow him and haunt him for the rest of his life.
