I’ve met five convicted murderers in my life. What was striking about these men was how ordinary they were. They weren’t anything like Michael Corleone, Hannibal Lecter or Norman Bates. They were real human beings, not creations designed to sell books or movies.
Made up murderers are usually serial killers, criminal geniuses or skilled assassins. Reporters and commentators can mislead us with their reckless use of terms like “psychopath” and “sociopath.” Prosecutors and defense attorneys further muddy the waters by painting the accused as an animal or a victim of circumstance.
We find comfort in these distortions. They help us believe that murderers (rapists, pedophiles, etc.) are a different kind of human being. They are Not Us.
Danger lurks here. It’s a short step from saying they’re Not Us to thinking they are worth less. Secretly, we believe that God loves us more than the men at Oahu Correctional. Therefore, we needn’t concern ourselves with their living conditions or long-term prospects. If we pray for prisoners at all, it’s at the end of a long list of more urgent requests.
This Not Us attitude weakens our evangelization efforts. Our Good News becomes, “God will someday love you, if you stay straight from here on out.” The staggering truth is that God loves us all right now and that he will forgive any sincere penitent, even a Charles Manson, Jerry Sandusky or Kim Jong Un.
Another danger is that Not Us lists tend to grow. We add more and more people for more and more reasons. Then, one day, we do something shameful. Since we’ve decided God couldn’t forgive anyone on our blacklist, we assume he won’t forgive us either. So, instead of repenting, we stop talking to God. We turn up the music, pour ourselves a double and block out any thoughts of the only one who can heal us.
Not Us blinds us to our own sinfulness. True, we’ve never killed someone in a bar fight, but some of us have driven while impaired, putting many other lives at risk. We’ve never forced a woman, but some of us pour over pornographic images that treat women like toys. We’ve never beaten our spouse or children, but some of us say things that are as cruel as a fist.
If criminals are Not Us, then we can’t learn from their experiences. They can’t teach us how dangerous it is to run with the wrong crowd. They can’t show us how quickly “recreational” drug use becomes addiction. They can’t remind us to keep close watch on our anger, lust or greed. We foolishly believe we’re immune to the temptations that trip up Not Us.
Oddly, Not Us can make us soft on crime. If every homicide is the result of a terrible childhood, a twisted mind or grinding poverty, then murderers aren’t responsible for their actions. Without the concept of sin, crime becomes a disability. In our own lives, we recognize the need to confess our sins, repent and try to make amends. Yet few of us offer that counsel and support to those whose mug shots adorn our newspapers.
Because these crimes feel so alien, we don’t do enough to prevent them. In the 1970s, we couldn’t believe that any teacher or priest — folks just like us — would ever sexually abuse a child. Therefore, our church had no plan for protecting children or identifying possible predators.
Murder, rape and child abuse are terrible crimes that sicken us. “Not Us” is a natural first response. After we’ve calmed down, though, we should probably whisper, “There, but for God’s grace, go I.”
Kathleen welcomes comments. Send them to Kathleen Choi, 1706 Waianuenue Ave., Hilo, HI 96720, or e-mail: kathchoi@hawaii.rr.com.
