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I’m a firm believer in the assumption that people are “innocent until proven guilty.” I think it’s better to let a guilty man go free than to let an innocent man be condemned. I also believe that true justice is God’s alone. Maybe that’s why I always feel more compassion for the accused than I do for the victim.
There was one instance back home in Wisconsin where I was called in for jury duty. (Jury duty is probably one of the greatest tests of impartiality, logical thinking, and pure gut instinct an American can experience.) A fellow I went to high school with had been accused of sexual assault and serving alcohol to a minor. We also went to the same college, but this man was not my friend. I didn’t know him and had no contact with him whatsoever, so I could have been impartial if I wanted to. I had no idea if he was innocent or not, nor did I have a preconceived inkling towards one decision or the other.
But as I saw him sitting there next to his attorney on the bench, the only thing I could think about was the pressure he must be under and the despair he must be feeling, especially if he was innocent. So when the judge asked me if I could render an impartial decision, I said “no sir, I cannot.”
I heard later that the guy had been acquitted. And when I saw him later on at my five year high school reunion, he surprised me by walking up to me, throwing his arms around me, and giving me one of the heartiest thank-you’s I have ever received. And by his response I could tell that his days under the guillotine had been some of the darkest of his life.
My friend Brent at the e8s blog gives his thoughts on the whole Ted Haggard thing.
I’m upset that Haggard’s lack of transparency reinforces the prejudicial idea that all Christians are repressed individuals preaching a suffocating morality that goes against the free yearning of human nature.
I’m worried that the whole situation will make people more closed to the idea that Christ’s self-sacrifice liberates you by restoring your desires so they can be fulfilled in the deepest way, while moral liberalism simply enslaves you to your bodily deprivations, leaving you empty and unsatisfied.