Exodus 23:2
You shall not follow a crowd to do [something] evil, nor shall you testify at a trial or in a dispute so as to side with a crowd in order to pervert justice;
Deuteronomy 16:19
You must not pervert justice or show favor. Do not take a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and distort the words of the righteous.
Proverbs 17:23
The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.
Here are some ways injustices happen. Perhaps you can think of more...
1. Bribes and favors (monetarily or otherwise)
2. Making a big deal about the crimes of one's "enemies" while looking the other way regarding the crimes of one's friends.
3. Pointing out the inconsistencies/injustices of one's "enemies" while not mentioning one's own inconsistencies/injustices.
4. Disseminating false statements or narratives.
5. Keeping the focus on someone else as a smoke screen to keep people from investigating one's self and one's friends.
6. Concealing information or not talking about one's knowledge of particular crimes.
The question is whether perverting justice (as explained in the verses above) is a moral standard for all people of all times, or was it only for the Hebrews/Jews?
Please do not turn this into another North American, or liberal/conservative political thread. All such posts are subject to removal.
1 x
The old woodcutter spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge?"
Perhaps it would be good to have examples of people who "unpervert" justice. This is a Central American example, so I hope it doesn't fall afoul of the rules you had for this thread; Bukele, the leader of El Salvador, has made radical changes to the justice system there which has resulted in a very dramatic drop in murders. El Salvador went from one of the highest - or even the highest - to one of the lower murder rates in the world.
I don't think the standard for "perverting justice" necessarily aligns with what Western values around expectation of bribery, transparency, etc. are, but I think they should instead be based on biblical principles.
As Christians, we may end up finding we can't be involved in some areas of political administration because it would be impossible to participate without being involved in something dishonest or that we should not do. An example would be working in a job where bribes are an expected and normal part of daily operations. In a country where this is basically standard, a question of whether people like missionaries, etc. should pay bribes often comes up and can be quite difficult to discern. (It might be required to pay a bribe simply to travel anywhere.)
I don't understand what is meant with "justice" here! The system of trials and the activity of judges and lawyers? In that case I suppose that we can speak about "perverted" justice. For instance, Mark Steyn wrote in 8/21 that "the dirty stinking rotten corrupt U.S. justice system is criminalizing political opposition".
On the other hand if "justice" is meant as a goal and not as a branch of government, "justice" is too vague and indefinite for to say that "justice" is "perverted" by someone. For example many seem to see "social justice" as a kind of "correct distribution", but the criteria for correct distribution are extremely different and controversial.
What is just is relative to one's belief system. But if justice is not enforced then no one even has their own version of justice. Therefore people who share beliefs about what is just should form communities and enforce their shared concept of justice within their community. No one should try to impose their concept of justice on other groups. Politically, early America came closest to this ideal with its highly decentralized government where justice was mostly enforced at the town level and towns were mostly composed of people with shared beliefs and values.
Yes I agree that it is a universal moral principle. Serious question:
Is it a perversion of justice to refuse to report crimes that you are aware of such as child abuse? Such that your silence allows such crimes to continue?
Or so simply say nothing in the presence of injustice?
I would argue yes
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." Martin Luther King, Letter from Birmingham, Alabama jail, April 16, 1963.
1 x
A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr
“Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.
“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.
“Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.
“Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.
0 x
Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?
“‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
“‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
“‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.
“‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
“‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord.
“‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
0 x
Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?
Deuteronomy 16 (with more context than what Ernie provided):
Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you.
0 x
Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?
How long, Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.
0 x
Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?
