Stopping to Think

As most of you know, Justice Antonin Scalia died two days ago . Ross Douthat has a nice piece on him, and the impact of his death, over at the New York Times . While I have not always followed the proceedings of our nation's high court as closely as would probably be wise, I have enjoyed and appreciated nearly everything I have read from the pen of Justice Scalia. His dissent in the Obergefell was of particular brilliance (it begins on page 69 , here ), and I thought I would post a few quotes from it for your mulling, enjoyment, learning, and remembrance of perhaps the greatest Justice of my lifetime. The substance of today’s decree is not of immense personal importance to me. The law can recognize as marriage whatever sexual attachments and living arrangements it wishes, and can accord them favorable civil consequences, from tax treatment to rights of inheritance. Those civil consequences—and the public approval that conferring the name of marriage evidences—can perha...

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:6 Sounds pretty glorious, doesn't it? No king, do what you want. It's essentially the motto of 21st century America. You are your own god, you determine what is best for you, you determine what is right for you. No one can say otherwise. It's interesting here that the author uses this phrase as a subtle, yet stinging, rebuke of Israel in the days of the judges. There indeed was no king. Of course this was not, in and of itself, the problem. But the apparent vacuum of human leadership that was created was not addressed as it should have been; namely, by the people turning to God for guidance. Rather, each man, woman, and child simply did what was right in their own eyes. The results for their nation were disastrous.  As they have been for ours. If there is no fixed standard, no one may instruct me how to treat my neighbor. No one may tell me it is evil to offer my dau...