at what point do we say we, or any being, has acted “justly” ?
there is lots of chatter on this board — and particularly when my new favorite pet subject (hell’s lack of existence) comes up — about god’s justice.
but what do we mean by that?
at what point is justice fulfilled?
when i was a child (i remember this story clearly, though i was only abotu four), i thought a fishbowl full of candy at a store was inviting me to take one, free.
my mother did not see me take the candy, and when we were on the way out of the store and she asked where i got it, she made me go back in, apologize, she paid for it, AND i had to spit it out.
what was the point of my mother’s exercise?
punishment?
i submit it was restoration and learning.
were her actions just?
now when god acts in response to our selfness, what are his goals?
where does god’s love (and god IS love, don’t forget) come into play?
love is the core of god’s being — all his other attributes must stem from that core.
god’s justice must be loving.
god’s mercy must be loving.
even god’s hatred must be loving. indeed jesus taught us to love our enemies. was that just pretty words, or did he mean it?
so, then, with all this in mind:
what is justice?
is there some cosmic scale that must be fulfilled for each and every infraction, each and ever wrong?
did god find himself conscious in an existence where he simply can not cope unless such a system is perfectly in balance, and thus had to create a universe that allowed that balance to be maintained?
is that the point of justice?
to keep track of wrongs, and punish them so that the balance can be OK?
isn’t, like my mom’s actions, the point of god’s justice restoration, reconciliation?