Rethinking the Justice of God with Asian Sensibilities

Clarence S Devadass

doi:10.24071/jaot.2019.010204

Rethinking the Justice of God with Asian Sensibilities

Clarence S Devadass

Abstract

This article proposes the need to rethink the concepts of justice with Asian sensibilities. For centuries the idea of justice has been read and interpreted along and within the classical Greek philosophical framework. In some ways, this Greek categorial framework is also seen in the concepts of biblical justice. However, in an Asian context, the character justice and its application need to be explored in the light of restoring harmony, with the self, other, cosmos and God, which is integral in many of the Asian spiritualities. In modern times, the theories of John Rawls and Robert Nozick are much quoted in studies regarding justice. However, Asian sensibilities call for a deeper exploration of justice for the purpose of harmony and that is the intent of this article.

Full Text:

PDF

References

Abbott, Walter M (Ed.). Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes (7 December 1965), in The Documents of Vatican II. New York: America Press, 1966.

Amaladoss, Michael. Interreligious Dialogue: A View from Asia, in International Bulletin of Missionary Research (January 1995). http://www.internationalbulletin.org/issues/1995-01/1995-01-002-amaladoss.pdf

Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica. Translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Benziger Bros. ed. Westminster, MD: Christian Classics,1947. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/ aquinas/summa.html.

Centre for Justice and Reconciliation, What is Restorative Justice? http://restorativejustice.org/ restorative-justice/about-restorative-justice/tutorial-intro-to-restorative-justice/ lesson-1-what-is-restorative-justice/#sthash.IntCnqy2.dpbs.

Forrester, Duncan B. Christian Justice and Public Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.

Freedman, David Noel (Ed.). Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000.

Gallagher, Raphael. Il Bene, i diritti e la giustizia. Rome: Academia Alfonsiana, 1999.

Hassell, T.S. Justice and Religion: Christianity, in Encyclopaedia of Global Justice., edited by Deen K. Chatterjee. Springer: Dordrecht, 2011.

Huffington Post. Our Justice System Should Promote Harmony, Not Revenge. https://www.huffpost.com/ entry/matthew-cooke-and-adrian_b_5459298.

Hunter, Howard W. Blessed from on High, Ensign 09/1988.

John Paull II, Encyclical Letter Sollocitudo Rei Socialis (1988). http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_30121987_sollicitudo-rei-socialis.html.

Kasper, Walter. Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life. New York: Paulist Press, 2013.

Keller, Tim. What Is Biblical Justice?, https://relevantmagazine.com/god/what-biblical-justice.

Lebacqz Karen. Six Theories of Justice: Perspectives from Philosophical and Theological Ethics. Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1987.

Loizou, A. Theories of Justice: Rawls, in The Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics Vol. IV, edited by Ruth Chadwick. San Deigo: Academic Press, 1998.

Maiese, Michelle. Types of Justice, https://beyondintractability.org/essay/types-of-justice.

Merriam-Webster.com.2011. https://www.meriam-webster.com.

Mootz, Amanda. Seeking Biblical Justice. http://www.worldvisionadvocacy.org/ 2015/01/01/seeking-biblical-justice.

Nozick, Robert. Anarchy, State and Utopia. New York: Basic Books Inc., 1974.

Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. London: Burns & Oates, 2004.

Pope Benedict XVI, Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for Lent 2010 (30.10.2009). http://w2. vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages/lent/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20091030_lent-2010.html.

Rawls, John. A Theory of Justice (Revised Edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Seils, Paul. The Place of Reconciliation in Transitional Justice, International Center for Transitional Justice (28.06.2017). https://www.ictj.org/publication/reconciliation-transitional-justice.

Sweidel, Lynett. John Rawls: A Brief Introduction,http://www.baylor.edu/lynette_sweidel/ RawlsPaper.html

Tooley, Michelle. Just, Justice, in Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, edited by David Noel Freedman. Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000.

Velasques, Manuel, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer. Justice and Fairness, https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/justice-and-fairness.

Woodruff, William J. Reconciliation. https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/reconciliation.html.

_____________. East vs West: Philosophy, Cultural Values and Mindset. http://www. 1000ventures.com/business_guide/ crosscuttings/cultures_east-west-phylosophy.html.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24071/jaot.2019.010204