In countries like Jerusalem, the city of God, murder is a double sin. Murder is a capital crime everywhere. Above all crimes, a deliberate killing of another being, especially a human, tops the list of crimes whether in heaven or on earth.
Before laws came into existence, murder was punishable. When Cain killed his brother Abel, God said, my punishment is greater than I can bear. If anyone slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him (Genesis 4:13-15). God then cursed Cain to wander for life. To date, Cain is still a wanderer.
If you think I am lying, monitor a murderer closely, you will find him in area ‘A’ today and tomorrow, you will find him in area ‘B’. God did not curse Cain alone; He has too cursed everyone who kills. So, whoever kills today receives a curse automatically. Murder is a sin against God!
Traditionally, a murderer is almost rejected by his own people because he is a carrier of an infectious curse. However rich murderers were, their hands were always rejected in marriages. A murderer was a nobody! Who would accept to befriend a murderer? Who would accept to be a companion of somebody who has terminated someone’s life?
Which girl would accept to share a mattress with somebody whose hands are bloody? Who would accept to be a workmate of somebody who has caused people to weep, take the corpse to the mortuary, bury the body and organise a funeral rite for the late? Who would accept to be taught, mentored or motivated by somebody who is haunted by the soul of someone he has killed?
Something is unusual in my writing here! If you can see I’m using the past tense, why? This is because murder is a wonderful thing to brag about today. A murderer, today, almost hires a sound system, fuels it and moves across Juba to announce that he has killed So and So and that, he must be shown maximum respect.
Today, a murderer almost includes the people he has killed in his curriculum vitae. Look at him, by then, a murderer used to avoid meeting with the murderers for fear that he might be killed. But now, a murderer even relocates his house to an area inhabited by the relatives of the one he has killed.
Presently, a murderer threatens to kill more if people do not vote for him. Where on earth can a dealer in coffin-making be voted in a people’s office? What if he kills people for his coffin-making business to boom? There are seven wonders in the world, but believe me, wonder number 8 will happen in South Sudan.
A fraction of the communal conflicts in South Sudan is caused by pride of bragging about murder. During a quarrel, Mr. X can insult Mr. Y that, who are you, aren’t you the son of ‘So’ who was killed by my uncle/father/ brother? What else can a son of the one killed do? He will pick up his gun and shoot down someone he sees is equivalent to his deceased father despite the blood compensation done during that time.
What else again can the family of the fresh one killed do? They will kill someone again for revenge. This will involve the two sides, and the war has already started. What would have caused this war had it not been bragging of murder? Murder is not a thing to be proud of, but a thing to regret, and swear by God never to repeat until death.
Thanks for reading “Sowing The Seed Of Truth”.