Truth, Justice, and the American Way

I used to admire our justice system. You know, "Truth, justice, and the American way." We had standards about "innocent until proven guilty", placing the burden of proof on the accuser, not the defender. There were requirements that the accused be defended and rules about how that was accomplished and rules about what evidence could be used, what constituted evidence, and how that evidence could be obtained. Illegal search and seizure laws. Some sense of privacy rights. All this good stuff. So we had some sense that if the court ruled, it ruled justly. Not anymore.

I don't believe it is any longer about truth or justice. It's about power. It's about winning. The prosecutor is willing to fudge or hide facts in order to obtain a conviction. The defense attorney has no problem lying about the case, arguing against the truth, or blocking evidence to win a client's freedom. Like the Pharisees when they were asked by Jesus whether John's baptism was from God or not, they aren't asking "What is true?" or "What is just?" but "How do I win?" By this approach it is possible (has been documented to occur) that a known innocent can get convicted or a known criminal can be set free. Technicalities trump truth and justice. So an Al Capone guilty of massive atrocities goes to jail for tax evasion and a known murderer can be set free on a procedural error.

This, however, is not about the court system in America. Fixing that is beyond me. What this is about is the mirror that the court is to our society. Look, here's how it's supposed to work. We seek and find the truth. The truth provides the guidelines for justice. You see, "justice" is simply "that which is right", so in order to have justice, you have to know what is right – truth. And that, at least in theory, is supposed to be "the American way". Only, as the current court system illustrates, "what is right" is beside the point in America. What is the point in America is who has the power.

The whole religious freedom debate illustrates the problem. One side says, "You're making room for discrimination based on who I want to have sex with." I don't know who is arguing for that kind of discrimination. What I do know is that the loudest (and richest) voices are arguing against religious freedom. In a country where a president could give a Christmas Eve address that calls Americans to turn to Christ to today's version where sexual immorality is "out of the closet", a bestseller, even a popular movie, you'd better be a "closet Christian" if you plan to go unmolested. We aren't interested in truth or justice. We're interested in the power and freedom to do what we want and not you – not even God – has anything to say about it.

Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." (John 8:32) That truth, of course, was the truth of His Word (John 8:31), but the fact remains. Truth sets you free. We've opted for something other, something less. Power. Pleasure. Personal desires. Never mind that God says these things won't satisfy. Never mind that sexual sins, for instance, are sins against our own bodies (1 Cor 6:18), but sexual immorality is king today. That truth doesn't matter, and justice will not prevail. In all manner of sin, our society is rejecting truth, resulting in the loss of justice, and that is becoming the American way.

The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy. (2 Chron 36:15-16)