Prejudice Is The Problem

Previously, the idea of the burden of judgment was brought up. The burden is such that we are too easily influenced in terms of the penalty or even executing that penalty. This is illustrated in the wisdom that has evolved in the justice system where jury, sentence, and execution are all divided so that no one person decides these things. I heard the question of what the punishment will be by more than one juror, and the only proper answer was the old phrase “that’s above our pay grade”. Just like deciding guilt was above the judge’s pay grade, and execution is above both the jury and judge’s pay grade. In such a system when it is righteous, it recognizes our weaknesses – our tendency for blood lust, and our tendency to be lenient to those we identify with. That said, none of it is easy and in the light of judgment of conscience, no one claimed that it was anything other than “very hard”.

Justice: Balanced and Blind (Source: Wikipedia.org)

Righteous judgment is a burden, which primarily involves objectivity, and impartiality. Scripture bears this out in spades. Firstly, it speaks of waiting to make up your mind until you’ve heard the whole story:

He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. (Proverbs 18:13)

I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out. (Job 29:16)

Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? (John 7:54)

The other issue to bring to light is impartiality in terms of not holding favor to one party for other reasons than the case at hand.

Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; . . . And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. (Exodus 18:21-22) [the concept of the multi-tiered judicial system]

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. (Leviticus 19:15)

These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. (Proverbs 24:23)

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (John 7:24)

Justice is supposed to be completely impartial, but is also the place where the righteous are defended against the wicked (Psalm 82:2-4), especially the righteous weak against the wicked powerful. Righteous justice is the place where equality reigns. No matter what place you come from, or what you are. Impartiality is so prized that we were not supposed to talk to anyone else involved in the trial, nor discuss the case before the deliberations with the jury or talk about it period before the verdict was handed down.

If you followed this blog, you know where this is going. I mentioned in the previous post that this was an alleged pedophile.

This happened to be a woman.

Part of judging objectively with others is not bringing your prejudices to the party. When I talked about what I was doing, I left out the sex of the person as I should (and pushed myself to during the presentation of the case). It’s notable that two different people automatically interjected the word “he”. Women are good and men are bad.

So a woman could NEVER do such a thing. Right? Right?

This question blared in my mind during the trial. Is this woman being treated the same as if it were a man in that chair? If this woman is guilty, will she be sentenced the same as if she is a man and not get the p**** pass? If the victim were not a young girl, would it have even been considered?

Women are chaste, angelic beings who are closer to God – who could never do evil things, at least not without being pushed. Men are chattel put on this earth to provide and protect for women as penance for the evil sin of being born a man.

Prejudices like what I encountered above, are what men are running into with marriage, and what are creating the buzzsaw of the family courts. Prejudices like this are what is driving rape culture, where all men are seen as potential rapists. Prejudices like this are what causes men to not be seen as fathers and women as “natural mothers”. Prejudices like this are what causes the family courts to preserve the role of the husband in “traditional marriage” by requiring child support no matter what, but not requiring visitation of the children in return. Prejudices like this make people see a difference between what family courts do and traditional marriage. These prejudices are what causes so many blue-pill truths to stand, even in the vaunted manosphere. Unfortunately, prejudice is getting formed in the other direction, as well.

Prejudices like this color many of our judgments, and to be righteous it requires us to eliminate them. Being in these circles for three years found an interesting investigation into such matters. As discussed before, by necessity of this world, we cast judgments on many things. The two I mentioned failed in righteous judgment, as do many others. They did not hear the case fully, and by prejudice automatically assumed it was a man on trial.

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. (Matthew 7:1-2)

While discussed before, this verse found an interesting personification, that can be extended to any case and situation:

If I am in that defendant’s chair, would I want me as a juror, thinking the way I am?

My conscience was clean after the trial was over. I don’t believe I treated her any less nor any harsher because she was a woman. And while the case brought visions of Solomon to mind, I believe the right decision was arrived upon by this twelve. The Judge will be the one to decide all things in His appointed time, but He will in His loving-kindness, as the best possible job was done in that jury room.