When is 18% acceptable?

 

Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash

DEAR READER: The sources of the statistics I mentioned here are, for the most part, from bipartisan or liberal sources; I wanted to avoid looking at data coming only from my team. Also, this post is a personal comment and, by no means, it pretend to be anything closer to a research paper. That will come later. Thanks.

The other day I heard two people that I respect a whole lot, having a discussion about social justice. One of them pointed to the reality of the human condition and how perfect justice is impossible to obtained, on this life. That was a powerful argument, but the counterargument had also some weight behind it: we must still try to obtained it; social justice is worth trying, here and now, because that is the nation we are or that we want to be.

I happen to hold both views, simultaneously. I do not perceive a contradiction between my eschatology - the way I believe the Bible teaches how all this is going to end - and my deep desire to see those around me enjoying, now, a small test of the glory that is coming.

If there is a cause that is just, a cause that is in alignment with the heart of the Triune God of the Universe then, I am convinced, we must pursue it to the best of our abilities.

I believe ending abortion is a just cause.  

Less than half of one percent of all police interactions with members of society end with the police killing that person. In 2017 this equated to close to 1,200 people killed by police officers.

Less than 0.5% is not acceptable. That is not the nation we are, or that we aspired to be.

A system that promotes income inequality is not a good thing. If such a system is designed to keep the top 1% always being the top 1%, then we have a serious problem. 

A 1% like that is not acceptable. This is not us.

Climate change knows no borders, it is not selective, it has the potential of affecting every single person on the planet. Over the last century, earth's surface has seen an increase in temperature of 1.0^o F.

If this change is due to our bad stewardship of God's creation, then 1.0^o F is not acceptable. We are better than this.

In 2017, close to 650,000 babies were aborted. According to health authorities, 80% of these children were killed because it was inconvenient for the mother to carry out the pregnancy. In 2017, 18% of all pregnancies in our nation were terminated with the killing of the baby.

When is 18% acceptable? What does this 18% say about the nation we are? that we want to be?

To be considered.

• What kind of nation do you think we should be?
• In your opinion, what makes something acceptable?