An incident I read about recently — a group of friends were in a public park one evening, sitting and talking. Suddenly a group of armed men appeared, grabbed one man and abducted him. His companions ran away, terrified. The man, who had been critical of the government, was taken to a special hearing, where informers told lies about him. He was not given any legal help, and was immediately sentenced. His friends and family were unable to contact him.
Do you recognize this story? The man was Jesus of Nazareth. This happened 2,000 years ago in Judea, a province under Roman rule. It reminds me of the United States of America in 2025.
Jesus was not a Roman citizen, and had no rights under Roman law. He and many others were arrested and executed by the Romans in the first century. In contrast, here in the United States, the people being abducted do have rights to due process.
In the last few months I have read news reports — people who may or may not be U.S. citizens being arrested and jailed, sometimes sent to other countries. Some have been critical of the government. None have been given notice, legal help or any semblance of the fair trial guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. (See Amendments 5 and 14 to the Constitution, which apply to all persons, not only citizens.)
I am appalled by the injustice that I see in my own country. We have a long-standing principle that everyone is “innocent until proven guilty.” Why is the present administration ignoring it?
If it was wrong in the case of Jesus of Nazareth, in 33 AD, how can this be right in the United States of America in 2025?
Denise Ginzler
Greenville