The bizarre celebration of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder continues this week as people all over the world donate money to Luigi Mangione, his alleged killer.
Police arrested Mangione in Pennsylvania on December 9, five days after a masked gunman shot and killed Thompson in Manhattan. The 26-year-old faces extradition to New York this week, where he is charged with 11 counts of first- and second-degree murder, murder as an act of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a fake I.D.
A disturbingly large group of people have adopted Mangione as a populist hero — not in spite of his charges, but because of them. An independent online fund for Mangione’s defense has raised more than $157,000 as of December 19. The “December 4th Legal Committee” started a fundraiser last week, posting to X:
The group posts donor comments praising Mangione for mobilizing people against the asupposedly evil, oppressive insurance companies.
Let’s get one thing straight: You can’t logically denounce and defend violence in the same post. If you condemn murder, you must also condemn Thompson’s killer. If you support Thompson’s death, you support vigilante justice up to and including murder — and that’s a big mistake.
Abraham Lincoln articulated the dangers of mob rule during a surge of vigilante violence under President Andrew Jackson:
The mob supporting Brian Thompson’s killer found Thompson posthumously guilty of murder. But Andrew Witty, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group and a colleague of Thompson’s, claims Thompson worked tirelessly to make the healthcare system better.
“We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people’s frustrations with it,” Witty began in a piece for The New York Times. “[But] while the health system is not perfect every corner of it is filled with people who try to do their best for those they serve. Brian was one of those people.”
Lincoln argues the death of innocent people is inevitable in a justice system controlled by vigilantes.
Lincoln’s reasoning should be enough for every American to oppose vigilante violence. For Christians, it should be even easier.
In Matthew 5:39 (ESV), Jesus commands:
Oft misinterpreted to apply to governments or churches, Christian philosopher Arthur Holmes argued this command discourages individuals from seeking personal vengeance. “It means that, as an individual, I do not take the law into my own hands,” Holmes wrote.
Jesus demonstrated this personal restraint on the Cross, where He allowed His persecutors to put Him to death. Romans 3:23-25 tells us that His sacrifices covers the sin of anyone who believes:
Those who have received salvation for our sins should instinctively understand that everyone is vulnerable to vigilante violence; A madmen can fixate on any person’s sins just as easily as those of a CEO. But the people supporting Brian Thompson’s murder do not seem to grasp this idea. They consider themselves “good people” and cannot envision a world in which they would be in the same crosshairs.
This is unadulterated arrogance — the same kind that made Thompson’s killer feel justified to judge and execute another man in cold blood.
The proliferation of such pride in both cases will prove fatal.
Additional Articles and Resources
Luigi Mangione: Alleged Killer Apprehended With All-To-Familiar Manifesto
Lorenz Feels ‘Joy’ at UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Execution
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