Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 134
The Role of the Three Creative Principles in the Shaping of Religion 133 My blood! My blood!' cried Noah as , expressing his bewilderment at seeing his son being drowned alongside his tormentors. It was the decree of God to establish an example which would serve as a great and noble lesson for generations to come. The lesson being that when absolute justice is the rule of the day, no other human relationship can be allowed to interfere with its operation. When God decides to punish one category of transgressor, every person belonging to that category is treated alike with no preference given to one over the other. In such a circumstance, even the close relatives of the Prophets as are not spared. The people of Lot as were guilty of the crimes of sodomy, public display of shamelessness and highway robbery. God permitted Abraham as to pray on their behalf. But when they refused to take heed of Lot’s as warnings and persisted in their abominations, it became God’s decree to destroy them. After Abraham as and Lot as were warned of the impending ruin, the people of Sodom and Gomorah became the victims of a horrendous earthquake which wiped them out of existence. In this case, although the Prophets as prayed for benevolence, it was God’s decree to punish the wrongdoers rather than to forgive them and this was perfectly consistent with the principles of absolute justice. In contrast, the people of Jonah as were saved by God despite the prophecy of their early ruin. Jonah’s as