When the blood boils behind the altar

A British Vicar has stepped down from her role in the church because her hatred for her daughter's killers is too much to forgive. I have the deepest sympathy and empathy for this British Vicar. Sympathy for her loss and her rage, empathy for her feelings about it.

LONDON - A British vicar whose daughter was killed in last yearÂ?s London suicide bombings has stepped down from her parish role, saying she cannot and does not want to forgive the killers.

The Rev. Julie Nicholson said she had taken the difficult decision after her 24-year-old daughter Jenny died in the July 7 bombing on the underground transport network.

She said she could not reconcile her faith with the feelings of hatred she has towards the killers. "I rage that a human being could choose to take another human beingÂ?s life," she told a regional BBC program. "I rage that someone should do this in the name of a God. I find that utterly offensive. Can I forgive them for what they did? No, I cannot. And I donÂ?t wish to. I believe that there are some things in life which are unforgivable by the human spirit."

I don't think the statements I bolded could better represent my own personal feelings about jihadic terrorism. Unfortunately, and more disturbingly, this woman of faith has been so utterly shaken by these horrible acts that she has lost the ability to forgive, a tenet central to the faith, and to the leaders of Christian faith.

Was this the intent of the Muslim suicide bombers -- to leave their survivors with unresolvable hate in their hearts for their cause? Was it to enrage one of God's supporters so greatly to turn away from God? Does this make God happy? I don't know why I would ask such questions, as clearly no jihadic terrorist is smart enough to either think for themselves or comprehend the answer.