Does anybody really care what it is (especially those who have the power over it)?
It would seem that perspective looks a lot more like it is about love, than it is about a personal sense of fairness....
What is the basis of our sense of justice? Perhaps, even more importantly, is that basis changing?
It is often claimed that Judeo-Christian ethics make up the cornerstone of our sense of justice. But, assuming that was true, how long has it been since anyone has really asked whether or not that is still true, especially in terms of whether or not that is actually happening? Claiming something is one thing; doing it is another.
As seems true of so many things, our working definitions and supporting assumptions seem to be getting smaller against the back-drop of what is true about justice in the broader sense. And, part of that smallness is reflected in how we think — especially about what is fair. Further, that working definition presumes an understanding that is primarily focused on what happens to us as individuals. Justice, too often, has come to understood as what seems fair...to me (or, more indictingly, for me). Most common folk still seem to resonate that nobody should have an unfair advantage (although, it sure seems like we don't seem to mind too much when we have it...). And, if something unfair should somehow still occur, we believe we deserve compensation for that unfairness (after all, that is only just, right?).
But, fairness is a rather small slice of the idea of justice.
And, believe it or not, the Christian Bible has something to say about the extent of its interest in justice. Though it considers personal ramifications, it seems far more interested in something collective. What is good, needs to be good for everyone. Individual issues often seem subordinate to the needs of the larger community. Faith in the Bible is not primarily personal...or private. This quickly runs afoul of the American sense of what is important about justice. We seem much more interested in dealing with the criminal, than we are the dynamics involved with crime. Just "put them in jail"...and we can check that (them) off of our list. Interesting though, how things get different real fast when we feel that something unfair happens to us. Suddenly, we're very interested, at all kinds of levels.
So what does the Bible actually seem to portray about what justice looks like in God's eyes?
For starters, the word for “justice” in the Bible is the same word as “righteousness.” This overlap shows that the central concern of biblical justice was not “getting what you deserve”; rather, it was making right what was done wrong, restoring what had been destroyed, healing the wounds of an offensive act. It was about bringing balance and wholeness back to the community, which is why you often see scales as an icon for justice.
But the scales can be misleading, since it is not just about balance or even “eye for an eye” justice. Real justice goes much deeper. One of my friends who is a biblical scholar says the best contemporary translation for the ancient notion of “justice/righteousness” is “restorative justice.”
-- Shane Claiborne
It would seem that perspective looks a lot more like it is about love, than it is about a personal sense of fairness....
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
-- Williams Shakespeare
