Judged Without Justice essays

Judged Without Justice essays Does the United States promote unjust laws? Are we morally obliged to obey these laws? Think about what this implies. This indicates that laws, regardless of how unfair, unjust, or immoral they may be, must be followed with no better reason than that they are the law. How do you decide if a law is just or unjust in todays society? According to St. Thomas Aquinas, Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. As said by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority compels a minority group to obey, but do not make binding on itself. A just law is created by both a majority and minority, and is equally compulsory. An unjust law is created by a majority, where the minority has no voice in creating the law. An unjust law is one that shames and demeans an individuals personality through the unreasonable anguish and distress of a minority group at the hands of a majority group. Any law that causes a person to suffer simply because they do not agree with the majority is an erroneous and unfair law. Following the creation of the gay adoption law in Florida in 2001, the homosexual minority population suffered. (King 146-147) Civil disobedience is refusing to comply with a law, in order to create change in that law. Often the law goes against what the government think is morally right and lawmakers are forced to make the decision on whether individual morals are more vital than the laws of society. King makes an excellent distinction between Civil Disobedience and breaking the law. He says, One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with willingness to accept the penalty. This brings about some of the terms and conditions that go along with Civil Disobedience. (King 147) King also states, In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the ...