sethbarnes Apr 16, 2012 8:00 PM

Guilty or not guilty?

Where does our sense of justice come from? We all have an innate sense of what's OK and what's not. And it's usually pretty refined. I was on jury ...

Subscribe


Where does our sense of justice come from? We all have an innate sense of what's OK and what's not. And it's usually pretty refined.

I was on jury duty last week in Gainesville, GA. One of the cases before us featured a woman who left her two kids (nine and five) in the car while she went into the Walmart to get a few things. They were asleep, it wasn't too hot, and she didn't want to wake them, so she locked the car and ran in.

It took less than half an hour, but when she returned, she was arrested for negligence. She sat before a jury that convicted her. She had to pay a fine of $500 per child and do two days in jail.

If you sat on the jury would you convict her? If so, what penalty would you assign her? This internal sense of justice we've got fascinates me. Is it God speaking to us or is it just some cultural norm we've absorbed?

Once you've formulated a conclusion - ask this question: What was wrong or right about it and how should it get set right?

Comments


Comment created and will be displayed once approved.

Related Blogs

Recovering the lost gift of dancing

Recovering the lost gift of dancing

What are some of the things that make God smile? I think he smiles when ...

By sethbarnes
A Bible-thumper's apology

A Bible-thumper's apology

Well, here's the letter I've debated about posting (see yesterday's post). My ...

By sethbarnes
Church goers are happier

Church goers are happier

Interesting study by the Pew Foundation finds that church goers are happier than...

By sethbarnes

Related Races (3)

Southeast Asia | Semesters | January 2027

Southeast Asia | Semesters | January 2027

South Africa | Semesters | August 2026

South Africa | Semesters | August 2026

Spain | Alumni | June 2026

Spain | Alumni | June 2026

Next article

Releasing your disciples

AI Generated Content

Here's a suggested caption you can copy and tweak.