Issues of Justice
Two specific events have challenged me to rethink my ideas of justice. The first has been the recent riots. How do the police go about arresting people when so many are involved? Whom do they arrest and on what criteria, in the heat of the moment or on the basis of CCTV footage? Are the courts having enough time to take all factors into consideration on an individual basis? Or are they thinking in wider terms of making those found guilty pay by whatever means available for being party to so much damage and destruction? Is it possible that the handling of the aftermath could make future trouble more likely?
Then there are the wider questions. Does justice mean that everyone stands equal before the law, with no discrimination on the basis of status, wealth or ethnicity? Should justice always be based on reliable evidence and certainty that the crime has been committed? Should the punishment always be proportionate to the crime and according to established legal precedent? How does justice deal with the young, those with learning difficulties who cannot understand the legal processes? Or with those forced into situations and unable to resist the pressure? Should genuine remorse and repentance change the punishment in any way? In these circumstances is community service, helping to repair the damage, more appropriate for some than custody?
'Act justly and love mercy', Micah 6:8 tells us. 'Woe to you ...for you neglect justice and the love of God' (Luke 11:42), Jesus says to the Pharisees.
Often our difficulties with justice arise from not quite knowing where and how far to allow love and mercy to guide our dealings with each other, whether we are police arresting, or courts sentencing, or parents disciplining, or politicians pontificating.
And the second event that has challenged me? I have been asked to help a student who has to write a short dissertation on hell. There is no topic that I find more disturbing to handle than this. It makes me face up to the challenge of looking at the Bible and asking how God's love and justice work in our world. So, wrestling with our questions about justice in the contemporary world - as well as seeking to understand God's way of justice and love when it comes to final judgment - we do so as those who ask, as Abraham did when pleading for mercy for others, 'Will not the judge of all the earth do right?' (Genesis 18:25).
Margaret Killingray
Links
If you want to explore questions about hell and justice, start with the section dealing with hell in Essentials, a liberal-evangelical dialogue by David L. Edwards with John Stott (Hodder & Stoughton 1988).
Comments
David Pawson has written an excellent book on the subject of hell. Not sure that a 'short article' on the subject is possible though. I always find it interesting that so many headlines in the media use terminology associated with 'hell' when these types of serious social disruption occur. It would be interesting to survey the same headline writers if they believe in the actuality of the place!!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and thought-provoking comment. We need more than knee-jerk reactions to the serious problems of our broken society. They require much thought, discussion, prayer and healing action. We need to be asking what we, the community of Christians, can do to bring healing.
Our MPs were allowed to repay the monies they had no right to and only those who had deceitfully gained more were prosecuted. In reality the MPs were given an amnesty to pay back the money. Should not those who looted be granted an amnesty if they return the goods?
Date:
2011-08-19 23:01:37
Author:
Richard Jones