Who has sinned, this prisoner or his parents?
So what’s
the big deal? Another prisoner
died. He was only a sex offender.
And that,
boys and girls, IS the big deal!
In my
previous blog, I pointed my finger at the State of Michigan. And rightly so. After all, Mr. M. went to a prison doctor in
2012 complaining about coughing up blood.
The doctor asked him if he was anxious, and he replied in the
affirmative, as would just about anyone coughing up blood. So, he sent the inmate to a
psychologist. Three years later, after
numerous requests, Mr. M. finally was given medical tests, only to learn that
he had lung cancer and less than two years to live!
I’m still
troubled over his death, and today I’m pointing the finger at you and me.
I hear it
time and again: He got what he had
coming to him. No, he didn’t! His cancer was not detected, and his cancer
worsened, because of poor medical care.
His punishment for the alleged offense (I say alleged because the man
claimed innocence) was incarceration.
We may not, nay, we must not
add to the punishment by denying appropriate medical care! The constitution says so.
For those of
us following Jesus, the issue is even more condemning. You’ll hear people of faith say, “the judge
didn’t give that man a death sentence, but God saw to it!” We completely forget that the Master debunked
that theory while he was still here on earth, when his disciples saw a blind
guy and asked him, “Who sinned? This
man, or his parents?”
The state
will only begin to show compassion when you and I, the registered voters of
Michigan, start showing compassion.
Maybe.
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