Actually, for a person who considers themselves a good Christian ("he takes pride in being a more responsible person than his parents—paying his bills on time, going to church on Sunday, and taking care of those close to him") that threat is kind of hypocritical.
The truly correct outcome would have all the stolen money back to the victims (together with their wasted time and moral damage), and safeguards placed to make sure this never happens again. Ruining someone's life would serve no purpose in that direction.
EDIT: Since people have trouble understanding my point: it's not justice (morally or legally) to ruin someone's life. This guy isn't a hero for making a threat. He's a hero for making a change which would actually help other people.
The Lord our God is hardly a stranger to raining down holy vengeance upon those who defy His will. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." (EDIT: I'm an atheist, but there's wisdom in the Bible.)
EDIT: "This guy isn't a hero for making a threat. He's a hero for making a change which would actually help other people." Please don't downvote this person.
Just FYI, the line "vengeance is mine saith the Lord" specifically advocates against vengeance. It means that only God is allowed to exact retribution, not people. The next verse is "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head."
How about the New Testament when Jesus cleaned the temple by over turning the tables of money changers and accusing them of turning the temple into a den of thieves.
Interpret the threat of ruining lives however you like, but at the end of the day the man conducted a factual investigation and turned over the information he collected to proper authorities. Seems proportional to someone threatening to rape his wife in the attempt to collect a non-existent debt. But tell us what a good Christian in your eyes is supposed to do?
Surely you understand I was referring to the actual threat as being hypocritical.
> the man conducted a factual investigation and turned over the information he collected to proper authorities.
And I agree, he is a hero for that, regardless of what religion he fancies.
> Seems proportional to someone threatening to rape his wife in the attempt to collect a non-existent debt.
Well, it's not actually the same guy who threatened his wife, that guy went unpunished. Moreover, it wasn't necessary to ruin Joel Tucker life. If Tucker had enough money to pay back everyone he stole without having to suffer crippling depression that would've been sufficient.
Christians are supposed to turn the other cheek not slap back. You either take a vengeful stance and declare you want payback, or you take a pious stance and abide by whatever your religion tells you. Taking both is hypocritical.
>Striking on the right cheek refers to a back-handed slap to the face. In Jesus' time, and still today in the Middle East, such a gesture is one of the highest forms of contempt.
"But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."
I don't think anybody here really understands what you're arguing for. Maybe you can rephrase it?
You've got your stories a little mixed up - Jesus ate with a tax collector and showed brotherly love for one whom society saw as evil. He expressed his rage at the money changers and merchants in the temple, those who commercialized a place of worship.
You don't get to call someone a bad Christian if they don't hold up to your idea of Christianity. Especially when (guessing here) that OP is not a Christian but an atheist.
The truly correct outcome would have all the stolen money back to the victims (together with their wasted time and moral damage), and safeguards placed to make sure this never happens again. Ruining someone's life would serve no purpose in that direction.
EDIT: Since people have trouble understanding my point: it's not justice (morally or legally) to ruin someone's life. This guy isn't a hero for making a threat. He's a hero for making a change which would actually help other people.