Law and Justice

[Wormwood]

Cindy, in another thread, pointed out that

Joseph, the husband of Mary, is said in some translations to have been a “just” man and unwilling to expose her to public shame (read execution) and so resolved to put her away quietly when he learned she was pregnant. Yet if, as he reasonably supposed, she had been unfaithful to him, wouldn’t it be “just” for her to face “justice?” Apparently some translators thought so, because they rendered the same word as “kind.” It’s interesting how scripture has often been “adjusted” in translation to make it “make sense” for this or that doctrine.

This reminded me of something I wrote years ago in one of those science fiction novels that seemed like a good idea at the time, but never got finished. Craig is a spaceship captain, Regina has forced her way onto the ship, trying to get to its destination. The officers have just found out that there is someone with her brother’s name in hospital on the destination planet.

Craig nodded. “She said she had a brother called Rex, but he died. Ok, let’s guess she lied about that. So she needs a transplant from him, and she’s prepared to double cross me, steal shuttles and attack starship captains to get it? Selfish, but understandable.”
The first officer said, “Craig, you’re being too hard on her. Someone that selfish would never make it as a paramedic.”
“Exactly,” said Andy. “She’s not the recipient. She’s the donor.”
Craig’s entire face dropped. “Oh my God. It all makes sense. She’d never do anything like this for herself. But chucking away her career and smashing up a few spaceships to save someone else’s life, even putting me out of action so her brother could live- She’s one hell of a girl.”
“Exactly what you need,” said Andy.
Craig gave him a look reminiscent of a blaster on setting seven. “So why the hell didn’t she tell us?”
“Captain, is obvious,” said Max, “she think if she say transplant you look up her records. Her records say she dealer. You tell Gundilly, they no let her in. Finish.”
Craig rapped on his desk for silence. “Gentlemen. I’ve often said that there’s a difference between law and justice. Law demands that we return Regina Catesby to Earth. Justice requires that I find some way of getting her to the clinic in New Amritsar, even at the cost of my own career in Goddards. I cannot ask you to put your own futures-”
“Stuff that, Captain. I’m in,” said Andy.
Keith added, “You have my co-operation, Captain.”
“Max also. They fire me, I go open clinic in Tel Aviv, make twice as much listening to yiddisher mamas who got more money than diseases.”
“Thank you, gentlemen.” He looked at each in turn, exchanging grins. “Cinders is going to the ball.”

It’s true that what you believe influences what you write. In this extract Craig has done exactly what I think God would do. The law says that we are all sinners and destined for punishment , just as law in the extract says that Craig says that he must take Regina back to Earth to face charges for stealing and then crashing a very expensive spaceship. But Craig is just, and realises that it would be an injustice not to let her donate the few cells needed to save her brother’s life, even at the cost of ending his career as a spaceship captain. In the same way God is just, and realises that it would be wrong for us to be punished for things beyond our control, even at the cost of his son’s life.

I’ve just noticed that this also explodes the notion of PSA. Craig is not taking Regina’s crime on himself, he is doing something practical to cancel the result of her sins at great personal cost.

[Cindy_Skillman]

Good point, Wormwood. Really great illustration.

Well written, too!