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

Wrecked for the Ordinary update

Wrecked for the Ordinary update

Our onlineย magazine for spiritual misfits Wrecked for the Ordinary is gaining s...

By sethbarnes
We need to be more civil

We need to be more civil

I dealt with a lot of contentiousness yesterday. People just seem to be quicker ...

By sethbarnes
Only in America

Only in America

Just when you thought you had everything you needed. Yes, folks, get 'em while t...

By sethbarnes

Related Races (3)

Gap Year | 9 Months | August 2026

Gap Year | 9 Months | August 2026

Southeast Asia | Semesters | June 2026

Southeast Asia | Semesters | June 2026

Study Abroad | Asia & Australia

Study Abroad | Asia & Australia

Next article

Releasing your disciples

AI Generated Content

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