Casey Anthony Justice

This week’s Casey Anthony trial was all the news. Most talking heads were consumed with the story. Every speculation got its air (or maybe it was err, as we shall see).

 A young unmarried mother, Casey Anthony, was charged with having murdered her two year old daughter and disposing of the body in some nearby woods. This was a tragic story from every angle. The mother was a mess with a life apparently built on lies, partying, and dissolute living. We all figured she was guilty of something – which even after the not guilty verdict – yeah, I figure she was at least involved if not the murderer herself. But, guessing guilt is not the same as proving it and this is where a sound knowledge of Biblical law comes in very useful.

 Let’s step back from the emotion and the gritty clamor for frontier justice and think about how the Bible defines justice and the pursuit of it. How should Christians act if involved say as jurors in a case like this? Just exactly how would we decide? It seems there are two basic areas we need to examine. One is the way in which we discover justice. The other is how we determine what justice is.

 The unfailing requirement for proper prosecution under Biblical law is the requirement for two or three witnesses. Deuteronomy 19:15 reads, ‘A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed’ . This command is quoted in the New Testament in the books of Matthew and Hebrews. It is also used when the Apostle warns the church not to receive an accusation against any elder except on the testimony of two or three witnesses. This was the firm requirement for any just court. Two solid witnesses could bring conviction or if there was any doubt then a third was required.

 I have found nothing in Scripture about the validity of using professional witnesses. The question seems to be unaddressed except to say this. God’s word always condemns the concept of money being exchanged in the determination of justice, bribes in particular being banned inIsrael. Hence, the idea of a paid professional witness, which they often are in our country, is against Scripture and certainly undermines the pursuit of true justice. Paid witnesses are an abomination.

 Now, in the case of Casey Anthony, there were no eye witnesses at all, and the professional witnesses were seemingly unconvincing. It is clear to me that the prosecution had insufficient evidence (no valid witnesses) to convict, under God’s law. Therefore the jury verdict rendered was correct. This does not prove the defendant was innocent, merely that she could not be found guilty under the law, including God’s law. Given the lack of witnesses the case should never have been prosecuted. It was a demonstration of the civil authorities’ lack of obedience to God’s law that was on display here.

 Meanwhile, on the radio, all the talkers were giving disconnected opinions about what should have been done. Some said she should have at least received years in prison and others thought to let her go. None of them I heard had any guidance but their own emotions, including the talkers I like the most. The whole media buffet was an open display of the disregard and ignorance our cultural leaders have concerning right courts and Biblical justice. Once again we can know we are adrift from truth. And, in these kinds of cases it can determine whether someone lives or dies. Under God’s law the guilty sometimes escape justice in this world. However, it is also true that the innocent are strongly protected and that is the center of God’s attention in our courts, the just treatment of the innocent. It should be our concern as well.

 For Christian Culture,

 Don Schanzenbach 7-7-11