SEEKING TRUTH ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE
In this continuing series of articles, we’ve been exploring ten questions concerning the truth about social justice.
This little journey has been very complex and complicated; and we are still on the path toward the best unbiased and available answers. We have researched the top universities and we have talked to people on the streets. Today we will hold off on any more answers, assumptions or theories and simply take a look at history.
HISTORY MATTERS
History usually tells us a lot about things that we are unsure of.
How has HISTORY defined this conceptual ideal called social justice?
First we notice that the history of the concept of social justice is so vast that it is almost impossible to describe. I’ve even stalled on this part of the series because there is so MUCH history to consider. I’m afraid of losing everyone in the history before we can look further into the matter; but it is all too important to skip.
There are personal, local, state, country and global histories to consider. We have modern history and we have ancient history. Each category and concept of social justice has its own background. All of these historical worlds contain other little worlds of different cultures seeking different types of social justice. No issue is the same; hence this is tough to lump into one neat little pile of problems.
Even the outcomes are different each time. No wonder Mr. Hayek said it would be more just to humanity to not even use the term social justice. Again, I have to state – the results depend on the issues at hand and the thinking of totally different people groups.
Because of the above findings; the total discussion of all of the past issues would be impossible to cover. We will touch on the main issues which we think helped to shape our thoughts and ideas around this system and then have another look at where we stand today.
Hence; the first and hardest question is where do we even begin to study the concept?
WHERE DO WE BEGIN?
We could actually go all the way back to the beginning of time and start with the Creation of the world and the days of Adam and Eve in The Garden of Eden.
When we look closely at God’s creation it is easy to see that all men were created equal, each having within them a portion of the image of God. Maybe some of the sexual equality issues that always pop up when we speak of social justice can go all the way back to the time of people leaving the garden after the fall of mankind took place.
Justice requires that we recognize and respect the divine nature hidden within each person that God created. Even those who don’t believe in God or who do not think of creation from a biblical world view can agree that there is SOME good inside of everyone and that good is what the world needs to know in order for civilization to function at its highest level.
Just as there is some good within each of us; there is also some evil. It is like Leonard Cohen’s song – “there is a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in.” Social justice (should we actually decide to employ it) needs to bring balance to this equation.
Just from reading the scriptures we can see that from the very beginning of time, humans were created to live in communion with God and with one another.
If we are going to have true justice of any type – God must be involved in the equation. Perhaps that is the part that gets left out whenever we encounter forms of social justice that are not working in the culture.
The problem we encounter here is that we live in a world much like the days of Noah before the flood. Many men do not worship the God of the Holy Scriptures; but now the world. demanding justice, also demands the freedom to worship any god that they choose; and that god may have different rules.
HOW IRONIC IT IS THAT GOD AGREES
The funny part of it all is that God has given us free-will. We all have choices. He doesn’t force us to use justice; he leaves it up to our discernment.
For those of us who DO look at things according to the holy scriptures; it seems that the failures of the very first man and woman (Adam and Eve) caused the world we live in to become unjust. This started a pattern that has been repeated over and over throughout the history of humanity. Human nature has prevailed over righteous decisions from the very beginning; and mankind is more apt to choose wrong over right in any given circumstances. This is what happened with the first, original sin and the fall of mankind.
Now, because of the fall of the first two original people, we know for sure that where there are humans; injustice will always be around.
It is our nature.
Put the blame on the devil if you like; but the decisions are always ours.
Most men tend to make the wrong choices, and other men are always affected by their actions. Adam and Eve took and ate from the tree of good and evil and evil is now always an available choice within our cultures.
CAIN AND ABLE
Then there was that struggle between Cain and Able.
Wasn’t that about social justice too?
Did Cain not want a more level playing field when God compared him to Abel?
Never mind the fact that Abel was righteous and fulfilling all of God’s requirements correctly; Cain wanted to be equal. The end results of Cain’s way were typical; violence and long-suffering.
NOAH AND HIS FAMILY
What about the fact that Noah and his family alone survived in the destructive flood that God sent to the earth?
Was God using a method of social justice even way back then?
How could God justify letting the righteous live and the evil die?
Was that a level playing field?
Here is what should be considered in the case of Noah: Today’s system of social justice as it has evolved over time isn’t really about right and wrong; it is about how level the playing field is for everyone involved.
However; God’s justice IS about right and wrong.
The clashing of concepts goes on. There is another point though.
The laws that have already been established in our governments, up until the times of the culture we live and exist within today are ALSO about right and wrong, and not about equality and distribution.
Yet; if you look closer, more and more the laws are leaving the thoughts of right and wrong and considering whether or not the governing rules are level for all players (a view in which right or wrong doesn’t matter.)
THE TIME OF THE EXODUS
Later in historical timelines we have the Exodus; where Pharaoh is the oppressor of Israel.
Already we are confronted with the social justice issues of slavery, and oppression of one ethnic group over another.
Israel is forced into slavery according to the powerful Pharaoh’s demands. We could stop and discuss antisemitism here too. This situation definitely called for social justice; the freeing of a group of victimized people.
There are so many more Old Testament examples of how God brought justice to a group of people by using different types of methods. We could consider David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, Nehemiah rebuilding the walls, and The Story of Esther and the King. All of these stories were requesting some type of justice.
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS
We come to that point in the history of mankind before the arrival of Messiah. There were all of these Greek thinkers and philosophers. They were all well-loved and each one of them commanded great respect from their own cultures.
As of today, we have heard so many essays and speeches about Socrates, Plato and Aristotle’s views on justice; and have tried to piece together and consider their culture’s ways of social justice. You would think that they were the only men who ever possessed a brain. Many of current-day society can’t seem to move on past their thoughts and concepts.
I have to quickly point out that the governments from which they hailed were nothing like the governments that exist today. Most of the things they discussed were about only a vision of utopia that never has existed. Yes; some things of today’s world systems have spun off from their philosophies; but the cultures and the systems that have evolved their times are all so very different in nature.
We do not seem to have an “elite intellectual” group of rulers. I’m sorry; but the norm is far from intelligent. Also – those other two classes that were discussed in Plato’s “Republic” are also non-existent in today’s governing bodies that allow individual freedoms and property ownership.
Some of the ancient greats’ quotes do sound so good to the ears, such as “justice is virtue in action” and “distributive justice assigns to every man his due,” but in the end the definitions which we must work from are much to vague to ever work out in reality.
Vast differences exist today. In the republics of today, the state certainly does not control the family or raise all children according to its purposes; at least not yet. I pray that never happens, though I do fear some of these thoughts have seeped into our current day educational facilities in spite of the fact that families still stand on their own.
To look at the ancient philosophers and try to make their concepts and ideals from such a different time and culture conform to today’s world simply will not work.
If you wish to study these famous thinkers; I hope you simply do not waste as much time as I did, and I hope you discover more valuable information. It is all very interesting and entertaining. There were volumes of information to consider on the subject; but none of them seemed useful in seeking out today’s concerns.
I have to move on from ancient Greek philosophers with the statement that no concrete answers can be found while dwelling on their interesting, yet complex and confusing theories.
If you must pursue this part of history further though; I highly recommend reading “Justice: What Is The Right Thing To Do?” by Michael J. Sandal. Just be prepared to have your brain worked out like a gym on steroids. He will make you think so hard your head hurts; but at the end the answers will still be left up to your own discernment. Though you might enjoy the mental push-ups you do; you will STILL have to arrive at your own conclusions.
WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
Then we come to the New Testament examples of Jesus.
Jesus walked around displaying ways for caring for the poor, promoting the marginal, promoting and participating in fair treatment for women, bringing liberation from oppression and slavery, putting less emphasis on honor and human authority and more emphasis on just relations within the community.
Most of all – he promoted love and kindness among all people with everyone sharing God’s abundance together.
Many leaders of the New Testament churches actually combined their wealth in order to care for the common good. It wasn’t forced on them though; they did so of their own accord, willingly giving all they had to the causes of Christ.
Was this the seed planted that has caused people to favor equal distribution of wealth?
If we look at these issues closer though, it will be easy to prove that the issues are not exactly the same thing; and we would only be comparing apples to oranges.
We could talk all day about the different types of concepts and the issues of social justice which can be found in the scriptures; but how have these things actually played out in the history of the civilized world since the time that Christ walked this earth?
CHRISTIAN CHARITY
Perhaps because we know about the scriptures explaining the passages mentioned above, we can also look back over time and see that the history of social justice originally started out as charitable Judeo/Christian endeavors.
In those ancient and beginning days, social justice was all about helping people who did not have ways or means to look after themselves.
These acts of charity were focused on people trapped in the changing order of societies from the beginnings of the industrial revolution. Here we see that certain groups of Christians were trying to help the innocent victims of society get un-trapped so that they could live more productive lives.
These original types of the history of social justice all sounds very noble.
LIVING IN THE OLD THINKING AND EXISTING IN THE NEW THINKING
Some people are still stuck inside this older definition of social justice. They haven’t followed the progression of certain social justice movements enough to understand that the term social justice has developed into a whole different system and another way of thinking.
Today’s forms of social justice have slowly evolved from a form of charitable helps to a form of political achievements. It is all about activism. Today’s world even has a slang definition for groups that favor political activism; they call it “woke.” If you are “woke” you are said to be in favor of the ending of any type of social mis-justice.
Am I saying that activism is bad? No.
Am I saying that activism is good? No.
I guess what I’m hinting about here is if you are going to be an activist; you need to really know what you believe about your subject and have done all of your research. If you are “woke” you need to be “woke” completely and not just dwelling on one tiny definition of your own type of oppression. What happens to you and your causes also affects others and their causes.
The end results of any type of activism should make THE WHOLE WORLD a better place to live.
Don’t take your college professor’s word for it. Please don’t try to change the world just because you can earn a few extra bucks toward your educational fees or for enough money to pay your cell phone bill for the month, if you are active for some political cause.
Be a whole person.
If it isn’t your cause; don’t participate.
Don’t be bought for the political agendas of other people. If you claim “woke’ really be AWAKE.
Go out there into the real every-day world and see how your particular issue of social justice is actually shaking down.
Do your homework.
When you are sure of what you believe and you know that you know that it is true; approach the subject from a million different angels and then study it some more.
THE VITAL QUESTIONS
Ask a vital questions in all social justice issues: What am I not considering? Am I seeing the whole picture?
At that point; if you still think your actions are needed; by all means take a firm stand. Be the change, but do it prayerfully, peacefully and legally. Consider right from wrong and ethics and morals when you make your move.
KEEP CURRENT WITH THE TIMES
Getting back to historical thoughts though; people of the Catholic faith, those who are always studying the Saints and the older writings of the founders of the Catholic Church seem to be particularly vulnerable to the old-fashioned way of thinking about and approaching social justice.
If only this definition were still true; there would be no articles to be written here. There would be no need for activism to bring social justice.
How I would love to end our discussion that way!
MORE HISTORY TO COME
We will soak in all of this ancient and early history for now; and our next article will go further down the road in considering the facts and the historical events of the social justice movements.
There is a lot more of the story to tell. So many colors and textures and tints with various shades paint this portrait of what today’s culture defines as “social justice” history.
I think you will find each period of history to be different; and each time is full of its own things to ponder and consider. Each issue matters in some way.
WHY KEEP SEARCHING OUT THE FACTS?
The most important thing to consider today is what kind of world are we going to leave behind?
What will this world be like for the next two or three generations after those who are alive today?
There is one part of the “woke” definition that I can agree with; we must all be awake and alert to what is going on around us. There are so many smokescreens and diversions. They all have political repercussions. If we can do something to make changes for the better of mankind; we should definitely do so. Being aware means knowing when to act and when to stand still. Speaking out must happen in an environment where people are willing to listen, this requires patience and endurance.
Next time we will talk about how the acts of social justice were done during the times of World War One and World War Two and the great depression. We will spend a little time on The New Deal and how it has made contributions to help and to hinder progress. Social justice was at work in all of these areas and more. We will devote a whole separate article to the social justice issues of the world at large.
Maybe looking back a bit can help us to become more truly awake. We can’t begin to have dreams of the future until we know the dreams of the past.