¶ … Judaic, Christian and Islamic Concept of a "Just Society"
Despite their common Abrahamic origins, the various concepts of a "just society" as presented by the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Qur'an have been the source of debate for millennia, a debate that remains unresolved today. In order to identify the issues concerning this debate with more precision, this paper reviews selected relevant passages from the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Qur'an to determine how each characterizes the concept of a "just society." Finally, a summary of the research and a discussion concerning the ways in which these three texts are similar and different in their approach to their conceptualizations of a just society conclude the paper.
Analysis and Discussion
A Just Society as Conceptualized by the Old Testament
The Old Testament contains specific guidance concerning how people should live and treat each other in order to create and sustain a just society as stipulated by the Ten Commandments. For instance, both Exodus[footnoteRef:2] and Deuteronomy[footnoteRef:3] mandate that, among the other commandments, that humankind must not murder, commit adultery, steal, give false testimony or covet anything belonging to their neighbors. These types of "golden rules" are obviously necessary elements of any just society, and their violations have been the source of conflicts between humans since antiquity. In addition, Exodus even includes a restorative justice element that is a common feature of modern just societies by requiring "[an] eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." [footnoteRef:4] [2: Ex. 20:1-17, NIV.] [3: Deut. 5:4-21, NIV.] [4: Ex. 21.24, NIV.]
Likewise, in Genesis, God also makes it clear that humans occupy a special place in the universe: "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image"[footnoteRef:5] and shortly thereafter in He adds, "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.'"[footnoteRef:6] Because the Creator is perfect, the heavenly society created on earth must also be a...
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