Faithbook: Proximity and Principle, Life and Death

Proximity and Principle, Life and Death

When all is said and done, what happened to the Petit family of Cheshire, Connecticut may look like a contemporary “In Cold Blood.” The brutal murders of Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and her daughters Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, would give any community reason to pause.

But as this piece points out, the Petits were stalwart members of a staunchly anti-death penalty church, Cheshire United Methodist. Which raises one gut-wrenching question now that prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty against the Petit’s two alleged murderers: What should the congregation, which two years ago held a vigil outside a prison where Connecticut executed its first criminal in 45 years, say or do regarding the proceedings against the two suspects in the murder of three of their own?

About a month ago I was having a discussion with a friend of mine when she said that she would like to see some of the most impoverished parts of Africa. I challenged her a bit, asking why Misery Tourism was something to be desired. She rejoined that seeing it would ingrain the need to help the people more than reading or hearing about it.

I understand the feeling, but I balked at it then and didn’t quite know why. Reading about the Petits, I think I understand my initial trepidation.

I want to maintain that as an empathetic, earnest and rational person (with no Big Guy Upstairs calling my shots), I would be able to access the suffering of others without having to experience it. Am I honestly a concerned, empathetic person if I can’t internalize the imperative to act without a visceral experience compelling me onward? In other words, if I can only help when I have lost any sort of claim on my “innocence,” what kind of an actor am I?

According to the Times article, the congregants are understandably treading lightly around Dr. Petit and on the subject in general – it would be inhuman to press on principle when a beloved member of your community is gravely wounded. But the matter at hand cuts too close to the heart of conviction to let go in the long run.

If opposition to the death penalty had previously been about the church acting “as a catalyst encouraging individual and community participation in responsible stewardship and social concern…” then it must remain so, if delayed temporally for a time in order to focus on healing the wounded.

As John Howard Yoder said, “Be the church.” Don’t return evil for evil and let the light of God illuminate through the holiness of His believers. If we are to stand for anything in this world, we must stand for it when it concerns others but we must especially stand for it when it cuts at ourselves. If our principles bend to proximity, what does that say about our conviction?

Post Script: The Times piece speculates on Mrs. Petit's alleged signing of a "Declaration of Life," affirming the wishes of the signing party to disavow the death penalty in case they are violently killed. You can find the text here.

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