While I was in the Philippines in January on a mission trip, I visited a local prison to see how our team might be able to help. We discovered that most of the men being held there were detained while awaiting their trial, upwards of 7 years or more! It was pretty easy to be disgusted and dismissive of the criminal justice system in the Philippines for subjugating people to such improper adjudication of justice.
And yet... the U.S. is holding about 160 men in Guantanamo Bay without charge... for over 10 years(!!).
We are so quick to condemn others of their shortcomings that we often fail to see our own.
We condemn terrorism while spreading terror in countries like Pakistan and Yemen with our increased drone attacks that can strike anytime, anywhere.
We condemn Egypt for arresting bloggers, comedians and opposition leaders as they stifle freedom of speech, even as the Obama Administration ratchets up their own campaign to punish any and all whistleblowers, Bradley Manning being the most famous "martyr" (original Greek meaning: witness) as the person responsible for the thousands of secret military documents shared by WikiLeaks.
We condemn Iran, Syria and North Korea for voting no on the first-ever International Arms Treaty, yet we scuttled an earlier attempt this summer and continue to keep substantive gun legislation from passing in Congress.
Should we not condemn the atrocious acts of others? No, we should call out injustice where we see it, but let us also be wise and remember that as we judge, so too will we be judged. We are to first take care of our own shortcomings before condemning those of others (Matt 7:1-5).
And yet... the U.S. is holding about 160 men in Guantanamo Bay without charge... for over 10 years(!!).
We are so quick to condemn others of their shortcomings that we often fail to see our own.
We condemn terrorism while spreading terror in countries like Pakistan and Yemen with our increased drone attacks that can strike anytime, anywhere.
We condemn Egypt for arresting bloggers, comedians and opposition leaders as they stifle freedom of speech, even as the Obama Administration ratchets up their own campaign to punish any and all whistleblowers, Bradley Manning being the most famous "martyr" (original Greek meaning: witness) as the person responsible for the thousands of secret military documents shared by WikiLeaks.
We condemn Iran, Syria and North Korea for voting no on the first-ever International Arms Treaty, yet we scuttled an earlier attempt this summer and continue to keep substantive gun legislation from passing in Congress.
Should we not condemn the atrocious acts of others? No, we should call out injustice where we see it, but let us also be wise and remember that as we judge, so too will we be judged. We are to first take care of our own shortcomings before condemning those of others (Matt 7:1-5).
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