I was watching "Of Mice and Men" (the one with Gary Sinese and John Malkovich) and when George killed Lennie, I was struck with this thought: what would God do?
Would He judge George harshly?
Or would He grant him mercy?
I don't know about you guys, but I look at it like this: George didn't kill Lennie to be mean. He knew that, if he left it up to Curly and his gang, Lennie would die a horrible death. He'd be absolutely terrified, and he'd most likely be beaten before Curly killed him. No matter how hard they ran, eventually, the mob would have caught up with George and Lennie. And so, George did what he thought was best. He told Lennie to turn away and look into the distance, then - as he told his friend his favorite story - he pulled out a gun and shot Lennie in the back of the head. Instant kill. Immediately after Lennie's body fell to the ground, George wept. Out of frustration. Out of anger. Out of sadness and guilt.
And so, I'm brought to this conclusion: God would show mercy, because He would know what was in George's heart, both at the time when he took Lennie's life, and afterward. George didn't strike me as a man who believed in a higher being, so he wouldn't have sought forgiveness. Because of this, he'd most likely be in Hell. But he wouldn't be in the section reserved for the worst of the worst. You know, the Jeffrey Dahmer's of the world?
What are your opinions? And if you had been in George's shoes (I know! I know! Fictional character. Go with me here.), would you do the same thing?
I don't know if I would have. I'd probably go down fighting, doing my best to protect my friend. I don't think I could take my friend's life.