As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis' life was forever changed on May 7th, 2013, when he was arrested for allegedly atempting to hire a hitman to murder his wife. The supposed hitman ended up being an undercover cop. Lambesis plead not guilty and is currently out on $2 million bond after paying $160,000 to a bail bondsman.
Over the weekend, for the first time since his arrest, Lambesis has released a public statement addressing his current situation.
Update 7/8/13 12:00pm: Since this posting, Tim has deleted any version of this message and his comments to fans. We assure you everything in this post was legitimately posted by Tim. Original story continues:
Lambesis took to his Tumblr page to post the following (all emphasis by Tim):
What I Can Talk About
I’ve come across many comments, both private and public, asking me to explain more about my case or to explicitly state what my current worldview is.
First, I simply am not allowed to do either of those things.
Some day I will be able to tell the story of all that has happened in detail to get the facts straight and representing the many sides to this fairly complex story. In the mean time, many of you will make your assumptions and take the sensationalism of the press focusing on selling points at face value. I can’t stop that from happening, and I’ve learned something by not having that kind of control. The people who want understanding will wait until the formalities and trials are done. Strangely enough, those type of minds are the people least likely to be judgmental even if I am found guilty. Those reporting from the courtroom will only pass along select facts and the case itself will only require select facts that do not encompass the entirety events. On the other hand, the seemingly larger percentage of people delight in voicing their opinion even though I personally have never said a word about even a single detail related to my case. Unspecific to me, that is a terribly sad reality greatly in contrast to the type of discussion I intend to start by choosing to post again.
Second, all I have the ability to do right now is keep learning.
By posting again I hope to attract people like me who are willing to look at all sides of a philosophical issue to learn before they speak. In fact, I’d be happy if this whole thing was just a way to recommend further readings to each other. However, I do accept that there will be some true geniuses who will try to turn each comment section into what topic they would like to discuss instead as if they created the original post and we all stumbled on their page.
I’m out on bail, but on house arrest. My family has jobs and the ability to run errands or take an afternoon/evening out. I have the unique opportunity of being able to focus and study like I may never have again in life after this. While I can’t say that I always enjoy it, it is more valuable than I originally acknowledged.
Lastly, while I can’t say exactly what it is I believe epistemologically or metaphysically, I can explain what I’m interested in learning.
I grew up in a Christian home and held that belief myself for many years. In the process of sincerely trying to defend that belief in a scholarly way and shortly after finishing my degree, I felt that it was unreasonable to call myself a Christian in light of the evidence. Many AILD fans picked up on the not-so-subtle hints at my worldview change in a couple songs on Awakened. It was never really hidden. Anyway, after my incarceration I found myself re-evaluating topics that I had previously sworn I would never waste my time looking at again. Many can chalk that up as one point for pure boredom in an isolation cell, or you can look at it providentially as the needed circumstance and only possible way to get me to humble my mind.
Either way, I don’t want to just read aimlessly. These daily lists are a way for me understand what I’ve already covered and which topics I should get more material on to read more in depth. Since these lists are public, it is also a way for me to discover the ignorance of many people who post. To be most helpful, please stay on topic.
Today’s reading/research:
Is the Foundation of Morality Natural or Supernatural?
a debate by William Lane Craig vs Sam Harris at Notre Dame University* transcripts available or you can watch the debate on YouTube
In addition to the statement, Tim was responding to certain fan inquiries on his official Facebook page:
After a fan told Tim that Tim let him down and he sold his As I Lay Dying shirt:
Thank you for helping demonstrate one of the points of my article in the first reply to this post. Did you read the blog by any chance? I understand how you feel. I've felt that way about myself often throughout this process. I'm not sure how your comment applies to the topic of the post though.
The fan responded that he did read the blog post and has moved on:
I appreciate you taking the time to read it. Whatever music it is you decide to enjoy now, I hope you enjoy it because of what it sounds like. Otherwise you're setting yourself up for heartache. I've never met an entire band full of people I'd be proud to agree with. I have met lot of bands though that sound really good, and after I'm LISTENING to music more often than I am assessing their personal life.
Responding to one fan who said he feels "sorrow for those spewing hatred" at Lambesis:
I also feel "sorrow for those spewing hatred" as well. The fact that a situation so far removed from them makes them carry such a burden of emotion is tough. I'm the worst of all for having carried my burdens in the past. I only hope that they be freed in time from their hate.
Asked by one fan if there is "a reason why we should believe in you:"
I hope that you never find reason to believe in me. Even at the strongest points of my life, I would have never wanted other humans to believe in what I can do for them. Often times an idea, or an idea delivered by a person, is worth believing in though. Hopefully we can discuss ideas that have the merit to be upheld. For instance, there are some incredible quotes that come from some terribly fallen people. That broken nature is what makes some quotes so powerful. It is who we aspire to be that we write about, not who we are.
One fan went to town on Lambesis saying "You tried to murder someone, the mother of your kids. Your "points of view" on things and the "answers you're seeking" are really irrelevant at this point, and you should just stop using them and any other reason to post drivel on public online forums just to see how many of your fans tell you you're awesome," with Lambesis responding:
I appreciate your honesty. Naturally people here will more likely feel different than the average person. It's hard to sympathize for you, but many others have done terrible things in their minds and find some small part of them that still wants to see everything turn out for the best. Even someone as disgusted as you said "If God does exist then I hope you do work out forgiveness with him."
Then perhaps the most shocking response. After a fan said Lambesis' plight reminded David in the Bible Tim responds:
…a friend of mine who is a big proponent of all the New Testament letters also brought up the example of Paul. Paul wrote most of the New Testament and was also responsible for killing many Christians (of whom the first ever martyr was one of them). I'm not relating this to me at all. Just relating this to your comment. But, it's interesting how the greatest king in the Old Testament, a man after God's own heart) and the man responsible for the longest book in the Bible was murderer as well as the man who wrote the vast majority of the New Testament.
and quickly adding:
I really hope my last comment doesn't get taken out of context. It's just an interesting religious history fact. That is all.
What immediately strikes me about this is that this was posted on his personal Tumblr as well as his personal Facebook with no mention (as of this writing) on his band's Facebook page about this. It makes sense, as ultimately this is a personal matter and not a band issue, but perhaps it could also mean the band is trying to distance themselves from their frontman.
I am shocked Lambesis is taking time to respond to fans and especially writing that last comment, oof. To me, this statement almost makes things worse. On the other hand, it's no shock that Lambesis does not discuss the trial or any events leading to trial at all, as any of that stuff could be used against him in the court case.
Additionally, while there is sure to be some sensationalism in the press over a story this shocking, and while I personally was not in the courtroom at all, it's hard not to question the validity of his statements about facts being left out. The prosecution claims they have audio evidence of Lambesis being asked if he wanted his wife dead and responding "that's exactly what I want" as well as providing the undercover cop with a $1,000 deposit and photos of his wife.
Ultimately, Tim is right and we should not make judgements until the case has been closed. We will be one step closer to such when the trial resumes on September 16. Here is all of our coverage of the ongoing Tim Lambesis trial.
