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A Manhattan NYPD lieutenant has sent an email to all his fellow officers apologizing for kneeling in the street with protesters---saying in part: "The cop in me wants to kink my own *** [behind]."
He's asking for forgiveness.
He calls it a "horrible decision" and explains how his wrong thinking led him to do what he did.
Be informed.
One officer's path to professional forgiveness and redemption.
Lt. Robert Cattani of the Midtown South Precinct sent the email to his fellow officers on June 3. The New York Post became aware of the email and reported it yesterday.
He deeply regrets his decision to take a knee, because he says he "gave in to a crowd of protesters' demands."
He says, "The conditions prior to the decision to take a knee were very difficult as we were put center stage with the entire crowd chanting."
Continuing, he said, "I know I made the wrong decision. We didn't know how the protesters would have reacted if we didn't and were trying to reduce any extra violence."
A video from the demonstration shows thousands of protesters chanting, "NYPD, take a knee" at the officers.
In Foley Square, resounding chants of “NYPD take a knee.” Eventually, four cops kneel to huge chants. “We just want to get home safely, same as you,” says one protester. pic.twitter.com/6eRC4h9L0Q— Jake Offenhartz (@jangelooff) June 1, 2020
After the prodding from the crowd, at least 4 cops knelt---while the crowd celebrated their victory.
Cattani says, "I thought maybe that one protester/rioter who saw it would later think twice about fighting or hurting a cop."
"I was wrong," he says.
"At least that's what I told myself when we made the bad decision. I know that it was wrong and something I will be shamed and humiliated about the rest of my life."
The officer says he spent "the first part of my career striving to build a reputation of a good cop ---I threw all that in the garbage Sunday."
He says the decision to kneel "goes against every principle and value I stand for."
He admits that since he did what he did, he has "struggled to eat and sleep and has even considered leaving the department."
"I could not imagine the idea of ever coming back to work and putting on the uniform I so wrongly shamed," he wrote. "However, I decided that was the easy way out for me and I will continue to come to work every day being there for my personnel."
He says the lesson is we don 't concede for other officers' mistakes, referring to the officer who killed George Floyd.
"But," he says, "I don't place blame on anyone other than myself for not standing my ground."
About standing our ground.
Officer Cattani's path to forgiveness by his peers and redemption through confession mirror's the spiritual path of every Christian. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God"---If we confess our sins, "He is willing and able to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
The officer promises his peers and superiors that he will "stand his ground" going forward.
Every newly born-again Christian feels the freedom from the weight of past sins forgiven, the guilt lifted and the determination to stand firm---stand their ground---for Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit---no matter what.
But sometimes, through the daily grind of life, we may grow weary in well-doing---sick of a world that is out of control---its shouts and threats and demands and deceptions---we love the Lord, but give me a break---I don't want to hear, again, how bad Christopher Columbus was, or how evil the history of my country is, and what Nancy Pelosi said the Bible says or what Joe Biden promises to do to President Trump if he doesn't peaceably vacate the Oval Office, after loosing the 2020 election.
I could scream---or, maybe submit and be silent. Christians shouldn't be involved in politics anyway. Right?
The battle that rages in our American culture today is not about politics. It's a spiritual contest---we are "not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).
This is not a dialog about differing political ideologies over dinner at the club. Or Republicans and Democrats.
The organization "Black Lives Matter" has America on its heels. And knees. So do some of the other activists.
Old, White, and some Black men and women want-a-be leaders are kneeling--not to the idea of equality among all people regardless of the color of their skin, because most of us know that's a biblical Truth---we are all equal in God's sight---but we're bowing to the "solutions" to the inequities in a broken culture.
And many of the solutions are formed in the "darkness of this age," not from the Light and Truth of God's Word.
When Christians, inspired by Jim Wallis and the legions of so-called religious Left Christian leaders and social justice advocates, are kneeling to something other than God and His Truth.
Whether it's homosexual rights, women's rights, or racial equality whose demands always wrap around the destruction of a culture's most important and influential institutions---security (military) education and economy (wealth).
However, the most important institution in any culture is the religious institutions. In our case the Christian Church. Our Founders, and later Daniel Webster reminded the nation that "Christian principles were infused into our institutions" because our founders were guided by the principles of the Bible.
I believe that the activists that are now stripping away America's history---Christopher Columbus, George Washington, murals, movies, books, flags and all symbols and representations that represent any part of our history they disagree with, will soon see biblical Christianity as yet another roadblock in the "progressive path to a more perfect union."
If biblical Christians do not awaken and take a stand in today's culture---we will soon see the attention turned toward fixing the "Christian" problem. Reeducating the bigots. And the crowds will be shouting, demanding that you "take a knee", submit regarding biblical teaching on a number of issues---none-the-least will be human sexuality.
Takeaway.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds...casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God..." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
Be Prayerful. Be Faithful. Be Active.