Penn State. Joe Paterno. Jerry Sandusky. Three names which unless you followed college football closely were not on your radar a year ago have become household names. Every major news network as well as minor news networks have been covering the case against Jerry Sandusky. In case you don't own a television and have been living under a rock (even then I think you might have heard of this case); Jerry Sandusky is on trial for "allegedly" assaulting ten boys over a fifteen year period.
I have been following the trial over the past few days and I have been sickened to read/hear the testimonies from the victims. The victims who were between the ages of 12-17 at the time of their encounter with Jerry Sandusky have recounted instances of "soap fighting", "inappropriate touching", "oral sex", and other adult activities which children should never be exposed to, let alone, engaged in.
As I have listened to the testimony of the victims I am horrified, sickened, but, above every emotion I long to see justice served. I have a longing deep within my soul to see Jerry Sandusky rot in prison. I long to see him locked up with the key thrown away. I long to see him receive the death penalty or maybe something worse for his crimes against children. Finally; I am praying that the trial does not end like Casey Anthony's trial last summer.
Listening to the conversation among friends and family I am under the impression that I am not the only person who longs to see justice served. Where does this longing come from? Is this longing for justice part of evolution or does it come from being created by a just God? I believe that the reason why I/we long for justice to be served in the Jerry Sandusky trial as well as in everyday circumstances is because we have been made in the image of a just God.
Everyone is made in the image of God; therefore all people recognize some moral code (that some things are right, and some things are wrong). Every time we argue over right and wrong, we appeal to a higher law that we assume everyone is aware of, holds to, and is not free to arbitrarily change. Right and wrong imply a higher standard or law, and law requires a lawgiver. Because the Moral Law transcends humanity, this universal law requires a universal lawgiver. This moral law giver is God.
I have been following the trial over the past few days and I have been sickened to read/hear the testimonies from the victims. The victims who were between the ages of 12-17 at the time of their encounter with Jerry Sandusky have recounted instances of "soap fighting", "inappropriate touching", "oral sex", and other adult activities which children should never be exposed to, let alone, engaged in.
As I have listened to the testimony of the victims I am horrified, sickened, but, above every emotion I long to see justice served. I have a longing deep within my soul to see Jerry Sandusky rot in prison. I long to see him locked up with the key thrown away. I long to see him receive the death penalty or maybe something worse for his crimes against children. Finally; I am praying that the trial does not end like Casey Anthony's trial last summer.
Listening to the conversation among friends and family I am under the impression that I am not the only person who longs to see justice served. Where does this longing come from? Is this longing for justice part of evolution or does it come from being created by a just God? I believe that the reason why I/we long for justice to be served in the Jerry Sandusky trial as well as in everyday circumstances is because we have been made in the image of a just God.
Everyone is made in the image of God; therefore all people recognize some moral code (that some things are right, and some things are wrong). Every time we argue over right and wrong, we appeal to a higher law that we assume everyone is aware of, holds to, and is not free to arbitrarily change. Right and wrong imply a higher standard or law, and law requires a lawgiver. Because the Moral Law transcends humanity, this universal law requires a universal lawgiver. This moral law giver is God.
If there is a universal law and a universal lawgiver there would be a universal desire for justice. Justice is a term used for what is right or “as it should be.” Justice is one of God’s attributes and flows out of His holiness.
If humanity is a process of natural selection and evolution then there would be no basis for morality, no hope, and no meaning for life. While this does not disprove atheism by itself, if the logical outworking of a belief system fails to account for what we instinctively know to be true, it ought to be discarded. Without God there would be no objective basis for morality, no life, and no reason to live it. Yet all these things do exist, and so does God.
In conclusion, there is a God. God has created humanity in His image. Having been made in His image (Genesis 2:26-27), we humans long for moral justice to prevail upon the earth and are outraged when we see injustice happening around us. Why do we seek justice for crimes? It’s in our DNA.
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