You Should Be Ashamed

The idea of vicarious redemption is a disgusting one.

The Beginning...

A criminal dons his dapperest suit in preparation for the trial. His bow-tie must be parallel to the floor. His shirt must show three quarters of an inch at each wrist. The rest of his life hangs in the balance. The judge sits. The crowd sits. The lawyers debate. The jury discusses. The jury judges, "Guilty on all charges!." The man's life is at an end in his mind. His last hope destroyed. But, "Wait!" the judge shouts. "I have a sentence to decree." The room falls still in anticipation. "I will have my son tortured to death, to stand in your place. Your judgement is satisfied." says the judge.

The criminal's mind races. Never would he have thought of such a saving grace, and yet... it feels hollow. He had been feeling that he was to get what he deserved, but now... he was to be responsible for the suffering of yet another? Would those he harmed feel satisfied at the shift in justice? Surely not, he thought. Surely the judge was rich enough to pay his debts, but this? Even he, a murderer and a thief, had never even dreamed of torturing someone. The criminal in a final attempt at redemption speaks up to yell, "No! I admit it, I did the crime, punish me. But leave your son alone." The judge stares uncaringly back and says, "No. I will have my son tortured to death and it will be your fault." Blinded by the thought of this added injustice he fights his bonds with all his might until he breaks free. He fights to warn the judges son, to prevent this injustice from being done. This, he thinks, would be the last important thing in his life. So he fights so hard and so tirelessly, that in the chaotic and many-manned attempt to subdue him, the would-be peace-keepers accidentally kill him.

...The End

Anyone should be ashamed to think that the judge is the hero of this story. Even more so if they think that the judge in this story is the greatest example of justice and mercy one could imagine. One may pay my debts. One may even lie in order to do my time in prison, but no one can take away my responsibility for wrong action. The act of scapegoating is central to Christianity, and it demonstrates quite clearly that the belief system is, at it's core, morally bankrupt.