...not like a table exists, not like you exist, but does justice exist? Is it real? Or is it simply a word we use to describe how we want the world to look and feel?
Plato the great Greek philosopher explored the nature of justice. His text, The Republic, presents diverse characters who offer their perspectives in the form of arguments. Thrasymachus, a character memorable for his unabashed, reckless defense of injustice, presents an argument that “justice is (simply) the advantage of the stronger.”
Is it?
A Unitarian, Ugandan bishop named Mark Kiyimba has dedicated his ministry to a fight he understands as a fight for justice. In Uganda, a bill may be passed that sentences to death anyone who is convicted of being gay. If he wished, Bishop Kiyimba could pick up Thrasymachus’ argument: the Ugandan Parliament in many respects decides what is just and what is unjust. Their strength and their power may eventually decide if one man or one woman’s life is worthy simply because of their gender of sexual affiliation.
Bishop Kiyimba doesn’t get mired in the philosophy, though. He acts. He reaches out to everyone who has been disenfranchised by the prejudice rampant in his nation, and he joins with them to propose a new face of justice. He understands that the parliament has power, but sees all bigotry as the fruit of injustice. He stands with the great mass of humanity and proposes that all people, regardless of gender or sexual affiliation, are worthy of life and of the pursuit of love.
Bishop Kiyimba knows injustice, even if it hides under the mask of power. I hope you will join us on January 13th at 7pm to hear his stories and feel the justice that lives in his convictions and actions. The proceeds from this event will go to sustain Bishop Kiyimba’s ministry in Uganda. Read more and purchase tickets at http://uusterling.org/content/view/512/1/
In Faith and the pursuit of Justice,
Rev. Anya
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