NPR January 29, 2010
by Kathy Lohr

It took a Kansas jury on Friday just 37 minutes to find Scott Roeder guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the shooting of Dr. George Tiller.  The prosecution said all along that this was a clear-cut murder case, and the defendant even admitted to the crime. The defense wanted the jury to consider a voluntary manslaughter charge, which carries a much lighter sentence than murder. But the judge ruled against that. Roeder testified that he believed abortion was murder and he needed to stop it by killing Tiller, one of the few doctors who provided abortions later in pregnancy. Roeder did not deny any of the facts surrounding the May 31 shooting.

I hope that you agree. No matter how upset we are with someone's conduct, it is wrongful to take the law in your own hands. If you disagree with the Law of the land, use the legislative process to change it, but don't turn into a public vigilante to become a self-appointed death squad. Just imagine if everyone decided to shoot down those whom they perceived to be wrongdoers. There wouldn't be anyone left alive! But how did Scott Roeder get to this point? The same way any good citizen can mutate into a murderer. Unless the Self is built towards assertive goodness and love towards the enemy, it can easily degenerate into a gun-toting criminal.

Are you interested in building your Self? Get your copy of The Provocative Qur'an today and join this blog's discussion.