My thoughts are in response to Jeremiah Kammes’s opinion that the Lutheran Campus Ministry was wrong in displaying a sixth cross in front of their church. While this cross does represent the gunman responsible for the events of Feb. 14, I don’t think Kammes took the time to think more about why LCM may have erected a cross for the gunman.

As a Roman Catholic individual, I cannot speak on behalf of Lutherans, nor those who attend LCM. However, as Christians, we all share many universal beliefs. In response to his disgust from the sixth cross, Kammes noted a woman from LCM who claimed that “God loves all of his children” and he found it contradictory, due to the fact that Lutherans believe in hell. Why would hell exist if God loves all of his children and sends them to heaven instead?

My response to this is that God’s love toward his children does not necessarily mean they automatically gain entrance to heaven. Everyone sins and must ask God for his forgiveness. Depending upon specific Christian faiths that individuals may follow, pardoning of sins may be accomplished in various ways (i.e. confessions, praying, anointing, etc.). God’s love and grace is what motivates us to do good and deter from evil and sin. I believe God loves everyone, but that doesn’t mean everyone is worthy of going to heaven.

I don’t think that cross was erected to “honor” or “remember” the gunman, but rather to symbolize God’s love for the individual, no matter what sin he may have committed. The question of whether his soul is in heaven or hell is another story, but God’s love outweighs everything. LCM deserves credit for being brave enough to make this apparent. They weren’t honoring the gunman - Kammes should not have been quick to make this assumption. I suggest that he think more about that with an open mind instead of jumping to false conclusions.

Jeff Geronimo
Junior, English

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