Are they holding Josh Powell's Body?

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I am guessing that his body will be quietly released at some point and he will be buried or cremated as quietly as possible. Although I really do wish he had left his body to science, you never know what might be gleaned from a brain such as his.
 
cluciano63 said:
I am guessing that his body will be quietly released at some point and he will be buried or cremated as quietly as possible. Although I really do wish he had left his body to science, you never know what might be gleaned from a brain such as his.
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Boiled/charred brains probably wouldn't glean much ...

imo
 
ThoughtFox said:
It's not a lack of compassion, I don't think, to say that Josh committed an act of evil. We have to look at the facts.

And there are no "rules" for miracles. The miracle would have been if he had decided not to kill his boys that day. But that's not what happened.

I don't really want to debate religion with you here, but as a Christian I can tell you that someone who planned out a murder suicide for his own children did not have a last-minute conversion, or he wouldn't have lit that match and blown himself up along with them. His last act on earth would be considered evil by most cultures on earth, religious or secular, since killing children in no way helps the human race.

ETA: Christians believe that evil exists and that people have to feel remorse in order to be washed clean of it. Josh has never shown any remorse about his missing wife, and his last act on earth was totally selfish and cruel, not just to his boys, but also their extended family and the social worker who watched them go up in flames. Josh made a clear choice to do something evil - that was his choice.
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BBM

No, Buddhist compassion does not require one to condone acts of harm or violence. It does mean that one finds a way to have compassion even for people who do great harm or violence.

What I am thinking about is a study that was done about 30 years ago. A researcher tracked down as many of the survivors of a jump off the Golden Gate bridge (he found around 40) and asked them if they could remember what they were thinking *after* they took the irrevocable action of jumping off the bridge before they hit the water. The fall is about 4 seconds, so there's time to have thoughts.

Every single one said something along the lines of "after I jumped, I wished I hadn't done it, I realised my problems weren't so bad and that this was the wrong thing to do."

There's a similar account from a survivor from 2000 here:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1197707,00.html

As I understand it, Abrahamic theology would approve of a service for Josh Powell based on the (very faint) possibility that he had a few seconds or moments of clarity and remorse after he lit that match.

And thus would be willing to conduct a funeral service for him, if requested.
 
mysteriew said:
JP will probably have a visitation and service as his family traditions dictate. If they ask a pastor, most likely the pastor would give a carefully worded service. The Christian religion is big on forgiveness, on the fact that judgement is Our Father's business not ours. And there is also the care and comfort of the other family members to consider.

I have no guesses on what the family will decide to do with service. Allegedly the SP now shunned religion. But JP had a pastor. So could be a funeral service, but most likely would be a memorial type service. Surely they won't have a "celebration of life." Most likely it will be a private service, invitation only. Maybe at the funeral home. I do look for burial to be in the same cemetary as the boys, even if he isn't placed next to them.
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Thank you, that clarifies things for me.
 
GrainneDhu,

I just wanted to say that I appreciate your well-thought-out posts.

One thing I'll say -- as a Christian -- is that we are, many times, uncomfortable when someone points out our unGodly behavior. lol

I thank you for putting a check (intentional or not) on the unfettered hatred and judgement that follows an extreme act of violence - especially on innocent children.

The bottom line is that nobody -- except God -- knows what was going on with JP.

Nobody -- except God -- knows what happened in the final moments.

We aren't called, as Christians, to judge where he'll end up ..
We are called, as Christians, to forgive ..

How do we do that? That's between us and God....

jmho

(Non-Christians can just disregard this post.)
 
Maybe his ashes should be scattered in the courtyard at the prison where he belonged?
 
GrainneDhu said:
BBM

I'm confused. I'm not a Christian and I was not raised in an Abrahamic religion, so points of doctrine often puzzle me.

I thought it was Christian doctrine to, well, be optimistic and hope that someone who has committed such an act had a moment of clarity just before death in which they repented of their sins and accepted Christ as their saviour, etc. And so a clergyman would give a service for someone like Josh Powell, just in case JP had such a conversion experience.

Maybe I'm over-simplifying out of unfamiliarity with the Abrahamic religions, though.
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I am not Christian, either. In my American Indian belief; we walk over onto a path that leads to the Milky Way. There we are met by a 'grandmother' type lady who speaks with us and asks us about our life. Have we helped people, have we fed the hungry and offered shelter to those who need it. Have we been kind and honorable. Where ever jp went, I am sure he has to answer for his actions; I don't believe in hell but do believe that those who do harm will answer for that. As for the babies, they went straight into the arms of Creator and are with their mother now. I believe that Creator is kind and the pain they endured in those final minutes was taken away.
 
Trident said:
Let the dead bury the dead.
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What do you mean? It was bad enough that Josh Powell killed his kids but what do you mean by your statement? Maybe, Josh Powell killed his kids and buried them?
 
This thread is NOT for religious debate. Talk about the body, or move on.

Thanks,

Salem
 
TexasCharm said:
GrainneDhu,

I just wanted to say that I appreciate your well-thought-out posts.

One thing I'll say -- as a Christian -- is that we are, many times, uncomfortable when someone points out our unGodly behavior. lol

I thank you for putting a check (intentional or not) on the unfettered hatred and judgement that follows an extreme act of violence - especially on innocent children.

The bottom line is that nobody -- except God -- knows what was going on with JP.

Nobody -- except God -- knows what happened in the final moments.

We aren't called, as Christians, to judge where he'll end up ..
We are called, as Christians, to forgive ..

How do we do that? That's between us and God....

jmho

(Non-Christians can just disregard this post.)
Click to expand...

Thank you, Texas Charm.

I find the contrast between what I understand of Abrahamic theology and what I actually see in practice confusing, to say the least.

I think we agree that whatever may be Josh Powell's fate is unknown and unknowable to those of us who are still alive. To quote the immortal bard Iris DeMent:

I believe in love and I live my life accordingly
But I choose to let the mystery be.
 
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