A Christ-centered post left on Dylann Storm Roof’s Facebook page before his arrest on Thursday was seen by millions of people. Nine individuals had been massacred at a historically black South Carolina church Wednesday night.
Marcus Stanley, a man who says he was shot “shot 8 times at point blank range with a .45 caliber automatic weapon while touring as an initiation act by gang members,” left a Christian message of forgiveness that went viral after the Charleston shooting.
IRJ captured a screenshot of the message June 18 before Mr. Roof’s Facebook page taken down.
“I don’t look at you with the eyes of hatred, or judge you by appearance or race, but I look at you as a human being that made a horrible decision to take the lives of 9 living and breathing people. Children do not grow up with hatred in their hearts. In this world we are born colorblind. Somewhere along the line, you were taught to hate people that are not like you, and that is truly tragic,” Mr. Stanley, 30, said. “If you’re still out there and you have your phone with you, give your heart to Jesus and confess your sins with a heart of forgiveness. He is the only one who can save your soul and forgive you for the terrible act you have done. I love you Dylan… even in the midst of the darkness and pain you’ve caused, but more importantly HE loves you.
Mr. Stanley then called on the 21-year-old to confess his sins by saying: “Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to you that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.”
The Christian man said in a Facebook post from April 13 that it was his faith in God that helped him forgive his own attackers.
“One bullet remains inside my spine that is unable to be moved due to risk of paralysis & I lost the feeling in my right hand permanently. For years I held, bitterness, anger, and rage… but in 2010 when I gave my life to Jesus, I realized that I had to forgive to be free,” Mr. Stanley said, The Blaze reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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