The Kavanaugh Hearings

Today, the Kavanaugh nomination reaches its climax with a hearing featuring Brett Kavanaugh, nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, and his main sexual abuse accuser testifying.  You probably will be reading this edition of MTT after you’ve already watched the hearing.  I’m writing this before the hearing.  Sins that seem to be prevalent in our society are in full discussion with accusations flying in all directions.  Though there are a number of such sins in this scenario that I could focus on, my thoughts are mostly with the sins of judging others and of bearing false witness (lying).

Both the accuser and the accused are being judged for their actions and for their words.  The obvious Scripture passage that applies here is the parable of Jesus (at the Sermon on the Mount) that begins with the words: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.”  (Matt 7:1).   We’ve all heard it and I would venture to say that we’ve all done it.  I am guilty myself.  A person may be accused of some obvious wrongdoing and we all immediately judge him or her as a bad person.  Let’s take a look at the entire passage.

“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.  For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.  Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your own eye?”  (Matt 7:1-4).

The sins of the accuser are often more serious than those of the accused!  A splinter compared to a wooden beam!  We’ve all committed serious sins.  It’s the nature of the human condition.  Jesus is telling us to not be hypocritical.  Do not judge others.  Kavanaugh accusers should not be accusing him and Kavanaugh supporters should not be judging the accusers.

Now, what about lying.  In the eighth commandment, God says  “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”  (Exod 20:16).  In other words, do not lie!  In the case of the Kavanaugh hearings, someone is lying, either the accuser or the accused.  In the Book of Proverbs, God says:  “Put falsehood and lying far from me …. lest I deny you.”  (Prov 30:8-9). 

Of course, most people involved in this whole situation are not thinking of Scripture passages, or God’s laws, or of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount, or, more fundamentally, of their eternal salvation.  For a person of Faith like myself, that is the crux of the problem.  And what if people today did have a devout faith as told in Scripture?  There would be no accusations flying around in either direction.  There would be no judging and there would be no lying.  Kavanaugh’s fitness for the job would be decided by the committee as appointed with no outside interference from either side.

But the deeper problem is that politics rears its ugly head.  I fear that the crime of abortion (another serious sin) lies at the heart of the whole affair.  Accusers and their supporters are afraid that abortion will eventually become illegal, while the accused and his supporters want to be allowed to have the process take its course and the outcome be whatever it will be.  And what about that process?  How can the accusers and their supporters change it to their advantage?  Well, that is supposed to occur at the upcoming elections and not by judging and lying!