There is No Closure

Today is the 10th anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, and this morning we are thinking of the many victims of that tragedy, and their families. The internet is full of articles and commemorations; one blog that I particularly want to direct you to is this one, by the mother of 15-year-old Daniel Mauser, who was one of the students killed ten years ago.

Several years ago, Daniel Mauser's father, Tom, spoke out against the death penalty with these words:

“Prior to Columbine, I considered myself a mild supporter of the death penalty. Now I am opposed. I have come to learn that, even with the death of my son’s killer, even with the pressure of those in society who rush us to ‘reach closure,’ there is no closure when you lose a child. I believe that a death sentence is merely an attempt to gain revenge, not closure. I believe that a barbaric, violent act of revenge is not a way to honor the life of our loved one.”