Christian perspectives on the American legal system and justice

Christians and the Legal System

Christian Relationship to the Legal System

As many individuals understand, despite any religious affiliation, the legal system is set in place in order to foster the creation and continuation of a good society. This good society can then be achieved by promoting the good and eliminating the bad. It is in this elimination of the bad, that societies and their legal systems begin to differ. While certain legal systems enforce the law through right and just ways, other legal systems are deemed cruel and unnecessary. In viewing the American legal system and its relationship to Christianity, one can better understand which portions of the legal system are represented within Christianity within the Bible and its religious teachings. Further, one can understand the beliefs of the Christian legal system, which exists to focus on human equality before God along with a Christian duty to serve God by serving each other. In understanding the basis of Christian teachings and beliefs, one can form their own personal opinions as to what the relationship should be between Christians and the legal system.

Christian View of the Legal System

Author Thomas Samuelian (2008) notes that Christian view of the legal system has stemmed largely from the most pivotal event in Christianity -- the crucifixion, an event that "underlies most of our law to this day" (Samuelian, 1). The crucifixion is understood by Christians as one of the most significant societal and legal injustices of all time, in which an innocent man was publically and cruelly punished for crimes he did not commit. Samuelian notes, "Honest people who understood Christ's innocence were probably a minority, although had they even been a majority, they would have been helpless to prevent it" (Samuelian, 1).

It is largely because of this event within history and Christianity that Christians have developed a long-standing disgust in any legal system that advocates the use of abuses in power. However, in a country that clearly divides church and state, a Christian view is rarely found, and even more rarely publicized within the context of the American legal system. What, then, should the relationship be between Christians and the legal system?

Acceptable Relationship and Conclusion

While the Bible gives contemporary Christians some guidance as to the role that Christianity and Christians should have in the legal system, today, many Christians assume that the only true Christian role in the law is to act in an ethical and moral manner in accordance with the Bible within their daily lives. Even attorneys, judges, and members of law enforcement who are must keep a separation between state/legal matters and their own Christian backgrounds, the moral and ethical practices and teachings of God and the Bible do not overstep this boundary, but set up a standard for Christian action in both everyday life and in legal situations.

In a world that has so vehemently worked to separate issues of church and state in order to eliminate any biases that may occur in today's diverse world, Christian legal groups and Christian law schools continue to remain prominent figures in today's legal society. With a focus on God's teachings and the moral standards upheld by the teachings of the Bible, Christians have found ways to incorporate their faith into the legal system without stepping on the toes of those who continuously call for the legal system to remain secular.

As Christianity continues to remain one of the world's most practiced religions, its place in the legal system will never be fully eliminated. The task then, remains to Christians involved in the legal system to uphold the teachings of the Bible and of God in a manner that respects the legal system implemented within their country while adhering to the religious standards that they continue to live by.