Weblog: Is Gonzales Pro-Life? Does it Matter? - Christianity Today Magazine
For international readers, I'm writing about a U.S. problem and that is our selection of a Suprem Court Justice. In the spirit of the cultural mandate, I want to say that as Christians we need to be careful not to look at this as a power grab time, but as a time to set up a solid foundation of government that is based on solid prinicipals law.
I have linked to a good story in Christianity Today. I have said for a while that if we are against judicial activism, we can't turn around and ask potential judges personal opinions on an issue, we should ask them about their craft, which is law and its interpretation. One person in this story says that Gonzolaz is more concerned about technical interpretation of the law than he is about babies. Well, that leads to a good question. If we are merely concerned about an outcome of one case, we could use force and cohercion to get one way or another. If we are looking for a lasting system of justice that protects human life, we have to build a consensus that abortion stops a beating heart. Then pass laws that support the sense of justic as we have advocated and won the hearts and minds in getting laws passed. The law is important because it keeps the mechanisms for change in the realm of public discourse and not in the realm of violence. Pull apart our political system which is based on law and you unravel any future for our nation.
Weblog: Is Gonzales Pro-Life? Does it Matter? - Christianity Today Magazine: "'There are no litmus tests for judicial candidates,' Gonzales told the Los Angeles Times in 2001. 'My own personal feelings about [abortion] don't matter. … The question is, what is the law, what is the precedent, what is binding in rendering your decision. Sometimes, interpreting a statute, you may have to uphold a statute that you may find personally offensive. But as a judge, that's your job.' "
I have linked to a good story in Christianity Today. I have said for a while that if we are against judicial activism, we can't turn around and ask potential judges personal opinions on an issue, we should ask them about their craft, which is law and its interpretation. One person in this story says that Gonzolaz is more concerned about technical interpretation of the law than he is about babies. Well, that leads to a good question. If we are merely concerned about an outcome of one case, we could use force and cohercion to get one way or another. If we are looking for a lasting system of justice that protects human life, we have to build a consensus that abortion stops a beating heart. Then pass laws that support the sense of justic as we have advocated and won the hearts and minds in getting laws passed. The law is important because it keeps the mechanisms for change in the realm of public discourse and not in the realm of violence. Pull apart our political system which is based on law and you unravel any future for our nation.
Weblog: Is Gonzales Pro-Life? Does it Matter? - Christianity Today Magazine: "'There are no litmus tests for judicial candidates,' Gonzales told the Los Angeles Times in 2001. 'My own personal feelings about [abortion] don't matter. … The question is, what is the law, what is the precedent, what is binding in rendering your decision. Sometimes, interpreting a statute, you may have to uphold a statute that you may find personally offensive. But as a judge, that's your job.' "
Comments