"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice"
Theodore Parker
Image generated with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot
I live in the United Kingdom, a country often regarded as a secular society. Despite this prevailing notion, our actions frequently contradict our professed secular worldview. How so? By the simple act of listening to people’s everyday conversations. Consider some of the common expressions we hear:
- “You wouldn’t believe what she said about me.”
- “Eh, excuse me, but there’s a queue.”
- “That’s not fair!”
- “He deserves better.”
- “You owe me an apology.”
- “What they did was uncalled for.”
- “We should split it evenly.”
Do you see what is happening in all these expressions? They are calling on a universal sense of justice. These statements reveal an innate recognition of right and wrong, fairness and justice, which seem to transcend cultural and religious boundaries.
If we are living in a universe that is nothing more than an accidental bang, where life stepped out of a prebiotic pool with no first cause, then those expressions of injustice would be meaningless because there is no inherent justice in an aimless world. We would all just be dancing to our DNA. But we are not. And there is a reason why: we are subject to a universal law, given by a lawgiver who has stamped these laws into our hearts.
Micah 6:8 encapsulates this universal principle beautifully: "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" This biblical passage emphasizes that acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly are not merely religious edicts but profound human imperatives.