...and Justice for All
I was in my religions class yesterday and we were continuing our study of Islam (let me just say I sit in complete confusion for the entire hour!). We talked about the central and very strong belief in the importance of justice. We then compared it to the Christian concept of justice. In regards to the Christian concept of justice, my professor said, and I quote, "Jews and Muslims laugh." At first, I was slightly offended. However, as he kept talking, it started to make more sense. Justice means to give a consequence for an action. We talked about that in Islam, if a son does something wrong, a mother is bound by her beliefs in justice to turn him in because she must value justice (and Allah) over the love for her son. That seemed so tragic and heartbreaking.
With the Christian perspective of that scenario, the mother would embrace her son and give him grace... hmmm... doesn't sound like justice to me! It started to make more sense. Grace is central to Christianity and we function and love within that belief. God is graceful and merciful because He loves us. Yes, God is just, but His love and forgiveness overrides that.
Also, my professor started making fun of the idea that Christians are passionate about "social justice." Again, slightly offended. It was also through this I realized my professor may not hold the beliefs I thought he did (being from Ireland and all, I assumed he had either a Catholic or Protestant background... maybe not... or he could have been playing devil's advocate... but not likely). But it really got me thinking about what social justice really means. Is it truly justice? Is there a better word/phrase to describe what is implied by when people mention social justice? How would changing the wording effect what was done or expected? Would it have an effect? This is just something that I've been thinking about. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this or anything else related!
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5 comments:
Interesting thoughts... however, your profesor is truely ill-informed. He may be generalizing his perception of the American-Evangelical Church. However, this assessment of not be interested in social just is wrong there too. I think the perception may come from main-line churches having large building and focus in-ward often. However, to believe this he wuold have to ignore all the aid-work done in third world. The majority of drug and alcohol treatment for indignent poplulations here in the states and canada. However, a loud minority of people who wave a "Christian" banner proclaim there is no global climate change, that "God Hates Fags" and we should assassinate Hugo Chavez. These people get press but in no way are representitive of the Church as a whole.
It would be like me saying that all Athiests are angry and want to erradicate any sort of metaphysical belief (like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins), but I know they are just a loud minority of people.
Also, it is like drunk people at a Baseball game. You never notice the sober people hanging out and be responcible. But you notice the 10 a-holes out of 12,000 that are just obnoxious. But i don't come to the conlusion that everyone at baseball games are drunk a-holes.
Sorry that was a bit of a rant.
Poor guy, I wonder how he got to be a professor with such poor study for his lectures.
Maybe we should call it Social Grace?
I heard this once...
If someone runs to you and says his house is on fire and you help him put it out and re-build, that's mercy. If some else runs to you and the same thing is repeated at this house, that's still mercy.
If it happens again, and you find the cause and stop the houses from burning, that's justice.
Dan- very interesting insight. It is very hard to see past the few who shout the loudest, even when what they say is wrong. I guess we just need to shout even louder!
David- Social Grace-- I like it! And I really like the analogy! Let's not just show mercy... let's blow people away with our justice!
maybe your prof was just trying to make you think - sometimes the best teachers make the most outragious statments to get their students pushing back - hang on i don't agree...
I think we need to be careful not to hold the nature of God in any sort of prior order in that say we put God's justice head to head with his love as if God is subject to our polarised world. {i'm not sure if you have top trumps on your side of the pond so i won't give you that example).
Perhaps the example of grace is the mother still loving her son even if she does hand him over for justice, standing with him rather than disowning him? I think in that sense christian sense of grace tha looks to break the cycle of revenge, an eye for an eye, and seeks instead to forgiveness/reconciliaiton is far more radical than Jewish/muslim tradition.
I think when it comes to social justice christians find it hard cos so much of the western identity is meshed into capatalist/consumeristic society - so much so that we almost play at social justice - or to put it another way what is the limit where it becomes too inconvenient [given the limits to time/energy/idenity of living within a consumeristic society]?
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