God of Justice or God of Mercy?

[Franciscan]

I know this may be an old question but… If the God who reveals himself in the Old Covenant as a moral and just God who punished his wayward creation with what we would call natural disasters etc. is the same god of today then why can’t we see “tragic events” or natural disasters as divine retribution for sins?
Does the mercy of Christ and his justiification outweigh his justice?

Are we not called to participate in both his justice and mercy?

We are to be forgiving and merciful but not ignore evil or let evil go unpunished.

I have a problem with pacifist types of Christians for the above reasons.

We are given a sense of justice by God. For example when someone abuses a child I want that person to be PUNISHED not just “reformed”. Does that make me a bad Catholic?

 

[mlchance]

I know this may be an old question but… If the God who reveals himself in the Old Covenant as a moral and just God who punished his wayward creation with what we would call natural disasters etc. is the same god of today then why can’t we see “tragic events” or natural disasters as divine retribution for sins?

Because it’s presumptuous. God revealed to man the purpose of His activities in the OT.

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[NotWorthy]

Why do we think that Jesus is not the God of Judgement, and less harsh than the “God of the OT”?

After all, in the Old Testament, God’s justice was only temporal. If you followed the Law, it was thought that you’d be blessed with a good and rich life. If you faultered, you were punished by banishment, still temporal though.

Jesus’ rewards are eternal, but so are the judgements. We’re talking eternity, here!

Hmmmmmm…

 

[InLight247]

God is both just and merciful.

That’s why He sent Jesus to die for us – just, so the debt is paid, merciful, so we could be redeemed.

We don’t know if nowadays natural disasters are God’s just anger pouring down. We do know natural disaster could be the consequence of our sins. When human kind sin against the earth, it throws the natural law out of balance and creates natural disasters.
The global warming related to men’s abusive behaviors toward environment is an example.

When we see unjust things happen, instead of hoping for the punishment of the criminal (they should be punished), we might as well pray for the victim and the criminal if could.

Leave the judgment to God, and leave the efforts of striving for holiness to ourselves.

That’s probably the best approach.

 

[Eileen_T]

Remember St Faustina’s diary, God is a God of both Mercy and Justice.

We may be forgiven by God is His Mercy when we repent, but we still face the punishment due to sin. If we steal, we have to repay what we stole etc… It is a simple matter of Justice.

As regards people who commit evil acts, it is not just a matter or ‘reform’ or rehabilitation, we must desire their repentance and conversion.

Have you read the story of St Maria Goretti and Alessandro, the young man who killed her? While in prison his heart was hardened for many years. Then he repented. God gained a soul that Satan thought was his. I bet there was much rejoicing among the angels and saints that day, when the lost lamb came home.

Jesus came to heal the sick, not those who are well.

What if that child abuser was your own brother or sister who had themselves been abused in their childhood? Or your son or daughter? Would you still want punishment, or would you want justice tempered with mercy?

 

[Franciscan]

Remember St Faustina’s diary, God is a God of both Mercy and Justice.

We may be forgiven by God is His Mercy when we repent, but we still face the punishment due to sin. If we steal, we have to repay what we stole etc… It is a simple matter of Justice.

As regards people who commit evil acts, it is not just a matter or ‘reform’ or rehabilitation, we must desire their repentance and conversion.

Have you read the story of St Maria Goretti and Alessandro, the young man who killed her? While in prison his heart was hardened for many years. Then he repented. God gained a soul that Satan thought was his. I bet there was much rejoicing among the angels and saints that day, when the lost lamb came home.

Jesus came to heal the sick, not those who are well.

What if that child abuser was your own brother or sister who had themselves been abused in their childhood? Or your son or daughter? Would you still want punishment, or would you want justice tempered with mercy?

I would want them punished now and I would pray for their conversion. Can you give an example of what you mean by justice tempered with mercy? What would you want to happen to a convicted pedophile for example.

 

[Trelow]

Justice and Mercy, two sides of the same coin.

 

[Orionthehunter]

I know this may be an old question but… If the God who reveals himself in the Old Covenant as a moral and just God who punished his wayward creation with what we would call natural disasters etc. is the same god of today then why can’t we see “tragic events” or natural disasters as divine retribution for sins?
Does the mercy of Christ and his justiification outweigh his justice?

Are we not called to participate in both his justice and mercy?

We are to be forgiving and merciful but not ignore evil or let evil go unpunished.

I have a problem with pacifist types of Christians for the above reasons.

We are given a sense of justice by God. For example when someone abuses a child I want that person to be PUNISHED not just “reformed”. Does that make me a bad Catholic?

I’m having a hard time grasping your point for sure unless justice means to you retribution/punishment. We are always to act with justice and mercy towards our fellow man as both are outgrowths of love. God is Love. His love is perfect so His justice and mercy are perfect as well.

As abhorrent as abuse of a child is, my primary interest in supporting the criminal justice system is related to protection of the innocent/society. Secondarily, I desire that the perpetrator come to see the error of their ways and repent and want the criminal justice system to be an instrument of reform of the individual. These are within my perogative as a Christian- be a good steward and be an instrument for the Holy Spirit to bring people to Christ. I’m willing to leave the question of punishment to God.

On a side note, I’m not sure that exacting punishment is cathartic to the victim. It is in love that we find peace. Our efforts for the victim need to be showering them with love as love will wash away the stain of the offense.

Granted, protection of society may require life imprisonment but be clear I am not motivated to punish. If that makes me a pacifist Christian, I guess I am.

 

[Franciscan]

I’m having a hard time grasping your point for sure unless justice means to you retribution/punishment. We are always to act with justice and mercy towards our fellow man as both are outgrowths of love. God is Love. His love is perfect so His justice and mercy are perfect as well.

As abhorrent as abuse of a child is, my primary interest in supporting the criminal justice system is related to protection of the innocent/society.

 

[Trelow]

Justice and Mercy, two sides of the same coin.

Found the quote I was thinking of:

Mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution; (and) justice without mercy is cruelty. – St. Thomas Aquinas

 

[Eileen_T]

I would want them punished now and I would pray for their conversion. Can you give an example of what you mean by justice tempered with mercy? What would you want to happen to a convicted pedophile for example.

I think a convicted paedophile should be kept away from ever being alone with a child. If that means prison, so be it. It doesn’t mean he should be tortured or executed.

An example of justice tempered with mercy is Purgatory. God’s Justice demands we pay the price due to our sin, God’s Mercy, His infinite Love for his creatures, allows us to escape hell where we would otherwise go, because nothing unclean may enter heaven.

 

[rwoehmke]

Might be a good idea to read the Prophets again. Justice as they defined it did not seem to equal punishment or retribution. The punishment or retribution that was visited on Israel and Juda was because of their lack of justice in dealing with the widow, the poor, and so-forth. Like todays soceity the rich grew richer and the poor got poorer. What else can you call it when a CEO is paid almost 500 times more than his workers. When the rich can be paying more taxes than before the tax breaks, not because of the breaks, but because of the rapid growth in their income. I pray each day that we do not have the equivalent of the Assyrians or Babylonians coming after us because of our lack of justice.