Two days ago I saw an article about the sentencing of Bill Cosby. While I find the whole matter to be unbearably sad, the worst part about it for me was hearing about the horde of protesters shouting outside the courthouse. I always feel sorry for criminals; they are still human beings and must have some deep ailment of the heart and mind to do such atrocious things as they have done.
Bill Cosby has already been dragged through the mud, and the mud isn't going anywhere. His reputation is shot through and his career is over. We should be feeling sadness, not anger. Sadness that this talented man, who portrayed such an upstanding character, is so sick in the head as to have hurt so many women. I am not angry with Bill Cosby. I'm just sad and feel betrayed.
I believe wholeheartedly that we should love our enemies and do good to those who hurt us. I'm not saying that Cosby's sentence should be lightened or that he should be above the law in any way. I simply feel that shouting angrily at the man is uncalled for and does nothing but fuel more negativity in our own hearts. Cosby has already been convicted. And now he has been sentenced. Originally he was going to be sentenced with 30 years in prison, but the judge condensed the counts into one and the final outcome is 10 years.
Bill Cosby is 81 years old. He probably doesn't have 10 years left, and will spend the rest of his life in jail, unless he lives to be 92. That should be enough to satisfy these rabid protesters. Justice has been done, there is nothing left to protest.
Instead we should be praying for him, and others like him such as Judge Brett Kavanaugh, that their hearts and minds be transformed and healed so that they stop hurting people and lying about it. There is no doubt in my mind that Kavanaugh is guilty. His behavior at the Senate committee hearing yesterday was a dead giveaway. He would not answer questions directly and kept turning questions back onto those asking the questions.
It hurts to admit that Bill Cosby is guilty. I maintained for a long time that he is innocent, mostly because I wanted to hang on to the image of the wholesome, friendly, father figure that he was. There is still a small part of me that thinks he may be innocent, but too many women have come forward to testify against him. It's just too many. It breaks my heart.
I am not convinced that every public figure who has been accused of sexual assault is guilty. I believe that there are women out there who want attention and money for being "victims," and are jumping on the #MeToo movement bandwagon. I don't want to believe that such a multitude of men are predators. I have never encountered any untoward sexual behavior from a man. I am concerned that this tide of accusations is doing harm to men in general, and putting too much power in the hands of women. I could go on about how I feel about feminism, but I've already written about that.
For now, my prayers will be with everyone involved in these cases, victims and perpetrators alike. For it is possible for anyone to be redeemed, no matter what they have done. And healing is possible for everyone. Love thy neighbor, even if he is a criminal.
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