Even terrorists have the right to repent

On August 10, British authorities foiled a plot to blow up American planes flying from England to the United States. When I heard about this, I thought first of friends who were scheduled to return from the UK. Then I remembered my daughter was flying within the United States that day. For a moment I felt fear—and hatred for those who planned so ruthlessly to kill.

Immediately I realized that this was not helpful; I was in essence returning evil thinking for evil thinking. So I began to pray. What came to me was something I hadn't thought of before. Those plotters of evil deeds have the right of repentance—to “rethink,” which is part of the definition of repentance.

My next question was: how can my prayer help this rethinking?

My prayers for terrorists are not to free them from punishment, but to lead them to the cleansing that restores their original spiritual innocence. A repentant state of thought purifies and lifts away the kind of thinking that would make hate appealing. It also gives both humility and strength. These redeeming qualities will sustain each individual to face whatever penalty a just society would pronounce on those found guilty of such heinous crimes.

Rethinking involves correction—getting rid of the wrong thoughts or behavior and turning to something better. Mary Baker Eddy described how to accomplish this in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: "The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour in truth through flood-tides of Love."

In prayer, I reached out for the God who is both Love and Truth. I knew that Love would eliminate any temptation on my part to hate the terrorists. Relying on Truth to reveal to me their spiritual nature, I could see them as undestructive and good, never inclined toward evil.

As I understood God to be Mind, the source of all true knowledge and of my thinking, I felt less gripped by the awfulness of the situation, and more grateful for the investigative work that had saved the terrorists from carrying out their acts. I was thankful that many innocent lives had been protected.

Suddenly the “flood-tides of Love” came into my thought and heart. I could see that the perpetrators of crimes against humanity are those who have lost their way, who need to be redirected, to recognize the evil of what they have done, to feel remorse. They need repentance. And this right—this ability to rethink their convictions and actions—cannot be taken from them.

The most challenging obstacle on the road to repentance may be the conviction that the cause is a righteous one, its goals worthy and reachable by any means. The fallacy of such reasoning is exposed when we consider that the only truly righteous "end," and the means for achieving it, are one: God is the author of the right idea and supplies everything needed for its fulfillment. But God, universal and impartial Love, never harms one in order to bless another.

Perhaps bitterness over lack of opportunity and progress, the deliberate twisting of religious teaching, or the cowardly influence of others prompt terrorists to undertake erroneous and evil acts. Repentance—rethinking—is fully able to erase such false reasoning, and to redirect such individuals into more productive pursuits. Our prayers are a powerful support to that process.

Right now, someone caught in the web of a terrorist conspiracy can experience repentance. That person can see the evil of plans to harm others, and turn from them. He or she may actually help to thwart a terrorist plan. Though details were not given, news stories disclosed that inside information enabled the British to uncover this most recent terrorist plot, and perhaps we can conclude that someone who knew of the plan was willing to “rethink” what he or she was about to do. Such repentance—if that’s what it was—can only bless that individual and has already benefited all who may have been in the target aircraft.

While evidence of repentance may be too rare in today's world, where beliefs often seem polarized and extreme, everyone must someday come to see that evil is not power. Evil ways must be abandoned, because they can never lead to good. In a way, the hope of repentance is the hope of the world.

The Biblical injunction "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" is both a command and a promise. No one can be deprived of the practical repentance—the rethinking that reveals more of God's goodness on earth.

Whether it's the discovery of a terrorist plot or the uncovering of error in our own thinking, we can take encouragement in these words written by Mary Baker Eddy: "The knowledge of evil that brings on repentance is the most hopeful stage of mortal mentality" (Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896 p. 109 ).

Prayer that opens the terrorists’ eyes to the futility of evil and the importance of rethinking is their hope—and ours.

Flood-tides of Love:

Science and Health

King James Bible