Thursday, September 22, 2011

Final Thoughts

Last night was tough.

Bruce and I sat on the couch watching TV and getting updates on the case online.  We didn't say much to one another.  What could we say?

Eventually Bruce went to bed.  I turned on Anderson Cooper.  I watched his team of journalists try to hold it together.  I cried.  I texted my friends in Atlanta who I attended vigils/protests for Troy with when I was in seminary and told them that I missed them.

Devastating.

But I woke up this morning and knew I had to pull it together.  I needed to make a hospital visit, do some long-term worship prep, reply to an inbox full of emails, etc. etc.

Life goes on.  But that doesn't mean that it has to be the same.

Calvin asked me on twitter last night if I could give my thoughts on the entire Troy Davis case as both as pastor and a blogger and I am happy to at least try.

Here is the thing about me and politics.  I generally try to stay off of them, especially when it comes to public platforms like the public and my blog.  The reality is that I serve a diverse congregation with very diverse opinions and I do not think that it is my job to tell people what to believe or to speak on behalf of them - it is my job to guide them along their own journey.  I generally refuse to speak publicly about sticky political issues - the death penalty is one of them.

That being said - how could I not speak out against this?  This wasn't a death penalty case.  This was a case where the system broke down and a person died because of it.  A man was put to death because of a trial based almost solely on eye witness testimony. 

Eye witness testimonies that have been pulled by eye witnesses that said they were coerced into saying and signing what they did.

I don't know what happened that day in Savannah.  But I do know that - in the end - there was not enough evidence to execute Troy Davis.  There was - as everyone kept on saying - too much doubt. The state of Georgia did something last night that they cannot take back.

And that devastates me.

And that is why I felt like I needed to say something.

As a pastor, I will say that we live in an imperfect world.  The systems that exist within our world are man made and have faults.  I think that every day it is both our right and our responsibility as human beings to try to make a positive impact on this world.

We will never achieve perfection.  But we can always strive for something better.

As a blogger, I was blown away by the impact that social media had on the Troy Davis case.  This case opened 20 years ago - long before computers, high speed internet, smart phones, Facebook, Twitter and blogging.

And yet - Troy's case would not have gone global without all of those things.  Unbelievable to think about.

As we move forward, I think it is important for all of us to remember that we have such a powerful tool in our hands.  Our voices can be heard louder than ever before.

Let's use that tool to strive for something better.

Let's use that tool to be united.

Let's use that tool to do great things.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you Sarah! I just posted a post and you were a very heavy influence on it. Your thoughts bring a certain peace to this whole situation which has been angering, frustrating, sad and disappointing. But yet after reading this I feel a hope that I did not last night at the same time. Thank you so much. Here's my post. I hope you're right and that we can reach a lot of people through the power of social networking. Thank you again for your awesome post and taking my request. http://theorangemask.com/2011/09/23/troy-davis/

    ReplyDelete

Hello and thanks for commenting! Unless I have your email address, I respond to all questions directly in the comment form. Check back if you've asked one! xo, Sarah

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