Are You My Mother?

Listen lady," he said in a high voice, "if I had been there I would've known and I wouldn't be like I am now." ... She murmured, "Why you're one of my babies. You're one of my own children!" The Misfit admits that he has no faith, but that he might have faith if he could back it up with reason. The grandmother has faith with no reason, her "faith" is solely based on her upbringing and the values of her southern culture instead of a relationship with Christ. She refers to him as her  child figuratively because he is the child of legalistic religion. The Misfit is the result of dogma that takes Scripture, removes Christ's love and sacrifice, and replaces it with judgment and wrath.  When he was sent to jail for a crime he couldn't even remember, O'Connor was demonstrating judgment of the lost souls who can't even name their own sin. If they don't have faith and knowledge of the Scripture, how can they know that they are in the wrong? But the "papers" that the police had in him with his signature proved that he deserved punishment, not that he repented after this punishment. How could he if he didn't know why he was condemned? This is why he sought revenge on society. Condemnation does not save lost souls, redemption and an encounter with God does, even if they don't deserve it.  But wait ... Isn't that grace? ;)