eye for an eye?

It was refreshing to hear the reaction of the family of the victim to the punishmnet given to the 7 youths who had assaulted their daughter. There had been much criticism that the sentence - which involved supervision orders and rehab programmes was too light. The family of the girl were looking for "rehabilitation" rather than punishment. So refreshing - as a society we seem to be being drawn into the old "eye for an eye" mentality. Christian teaching points us to forgiveness and restoration. Each person must be accountable for what they have done, and where appropriate some form of punishment should be given. But at the heart of our system we should be seeking to bring about renewal, seeking to build a richer and more civil society.