The vile, inhumane acts of John Allen Mohammad, the D.C. area sniper who killed 10 people in cold blood, will long be remembered. His emotional control of a young man to pull many of the triggers is simply incomprehensible. Mohammad was himself put to death today by the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is not possible for any of us to truly comprehend the magnitude of the pain he caused and the lives he destroyed. So many children to weep in pain.

At this time, when emotions are so raw, we should not make philosophical or theoretical arguments about what drove Mohammad to act with such ruthless rage. The pain of the families is too real. I can only shiver in anxiety as the father of four young children and a husband thinking about the destruction of so many families.

Still, there are implications for our society beyond Mohammad’s awful act. When the death penalty is used in our country, it is an appropriate time to raise the question of whether Washington should have the death penalty.

The Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty makes the case against the death penalty. There are few people who do not have an opinion. My own view is no more noble or insightful or dignified than anyone else’s perspective. I would never judge another person’s view on this issue. No one holds a righteous answer.

I do hope in the years to come that we choose to abolish the death penalty in our state and ensure life in prison without the possibility of parole is implemented. I have written about this before here. Doing so is about money, justice and deterrence. But it’s also about our sense of moral grounding. Do we as a community and a society gain from implementing the death penalty? I’m not so sure we do.

My heart goes out to all of the victims of John Allen Mohammad. Including his own family.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 teaches:

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life…by loving the Eternal your God, heeding God’s commands, and holding fast to God.”

Your partner in service,

Reuven.