Meditation 24 March 2014 Code for Living 9 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? The Bible (Revised Standard Version) Micah 6:8 Yesterday I suggested we should consider that in God’s Law there is no provision for prison. According to the Evening Standard (London) of 21 March 2014 ‘Starred Up’ won best British newcomer at the BFI London Film Festival. Jonathan Asser spent 12 years as a psychotherapist working with violent offenders in Wandsworth Prison. He drew on this experience to write the script. I haven’t seen the film, but he considers the biggest success is that it “has given me a platform … to raise awareness of the fact that prisons create risk by concentrating dangerous people.” One serious shortcoming he reveals is that ‘prisons bar the most violent inmates from programmes where they might learn to tackle their problems.’ He says,“It not only harms the people involved in conflict in prisons but ordinary members of the public can be caught in the crossfire.” The review of the film (ibid. p42) states, ‘…Jonathan Asser… makes us empathise with almost everyone …’ From the details given in the write up I don’t think I could bear to watch it. In my dealings with people who have been through the prison system and from what I’ve heard from people with much more experience than me, I cannot be convinced that it is a good system or that it solves many problems. God knew this and has given us guidelines for people to lead healthy, satisfying, prosperous, successful lives. Where they fall short of this ideal His Law provides support and tuition as well as what is needed for them to be successful in living independently. Before we investigate these perhaps it would be useful to examine other factors that make prison such a bad method of controlling crime. Loving LORD, please open our eyes to what is going on around us. Please help us to see the desperation of people who want to do right but can’t get work; the people who are weak and easily distracted who need our help and (sometimes) tough love. Please give us wisdom and insight to see things from Your perspective. Please help us to examine Your Word carefully and with open minds that that we may begin to understand Your wisdom behind each law. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen © Sheena Freeman Please feel free to share this with other people if you wish. If you would like to publish this meditation or translate it please keep my copyright with it and let me know. If you would like to receive this daily meditation as an email please write to [email protected]
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 02:44:42 +0000
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