Presumption Of Innocence

Most of us have seen commercials on finding out about one’s ancestral origins. According to an article in Forbes, DNA Ancestry kits are considered to be one of this year’s “Hot Holiday Gifts.” While we live in a world where truth is relative, deep inside, people still desire to know the utmost truth about what really makes them and I believe this desire extends to everything except for the deterrent which is the constant bombardment of false (with every intent to promote a narrative) or conflicting information.

We live in dangerous times where the mainstream media dictates who is innocent and who isn’t, regardless if what’s being reported has been duly looked into, the validity of an accusation. The only thing that substantiates it is the imposition of its validity via the constant repetition of the alleged act to sear it into our brains. Just because people who did not happen to care about morality before now suddenly want to take the moral high ground, it does not automatically make them the standard of morality. This is the problem with relative truth. It can be bent and corrupted to suit someone’s agenda.

People often forget that any kind of defamatory accusation and allegation could easily be slapped on them and there are many who have suffered the consequence of false testimonies and accusations who ended up in prison for crimes they did not commit. One biblical account is that of Joseph, falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar’s wife just because she did not get her way (Genesis 39:6-23).

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” 8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. 11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. 13 When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. 15 When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” 16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” 19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Going back to where truth is relative, this explains why we can no longer rely on the justice system. Anyone who happens to be colorblind could easily testify and put the wrong color of a getaway car in a deposition and convict someone who is innocent. Anyone could easily lie about being raped as long as they are believable.

Truth matters. Always.

To those who are falsely accused of any wrongdoing, they will have their day of vindication. We can always trust that God, the ultimate judge will see to it that justice prevail.

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.”

Matthew 5:11