Franklin Graham Warns Hell Will Have 'No Forgiveness' or 'Second Chances' After Oscar Pistorius Gets Early Prison Release
Evangelical preacher Franklin Graham has warned that there will be no forgiveness or second chances in hell, commenting on the early prison release of South African Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius, who served only 10 months out of a five year sentence.
"In hell, where all who are guilty of breaking God's laws will be condemned for eternity, there will be no parole, no forgiveness, no second chances," Graham warned in a Facebook post on Monday.
He added: "God is offering amnesty to all sinners if they are willing to repent and turn from their sins and receive God's provision for their sin — the blood of His very own Son, Jesus Christ, who died on a Cross for the sins of all mankind, was buried, and God raised to life."
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Pistorious is expected to go into house arrest on Friday, having served only 10 months in prison for shooting his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine's Day in 2013.
The athlete rose to fame at the 2012 London Olympic Games, where he competed using carbon-fibre prosthetics and reached the semifinals of the 400m race against athletes with natural limbs, earning the nickname the "Blade Runner."
Throughout the trial he maintanined that Steenkamp's death was a tragic accident, as he thought he was shooting at a robber hiding in the bathroom, and not his girlfriend. Judge Thokozile Masipa sentenced him to five years behind bars in October 2014 after he was convicted of culpable homicide.
Masipa said back then that "a non-custodial sentence would send the wrong message to the community. On the other hand, a long sentence would also not be appropriate either, as it would lack the element of mercy."
Stephan Terblanche, an expert in sentencing and a professor at the University of South Africa, told CNN that the country's prisons are overcrowded and underfunded, which could have played a role in Pistorius' early release.
Steenkamp's parents said in a letter, however, that serving 10 months for taking a human life is not an adequate punishment.
"Incarceration of 10 months for taking a life is simply not enough," the statement from June and Barry Steenkamp read. "We fear that this will not send out the proper message and serve as a deterrent it should."
The parents said that they have forgiven Pistorius, but stressed that those found guilty of a crime must be held accountable for their actions.
