There is an interesting lawsuit filed in Washington D.C. that could test the limits of civil liability for statutory rape. The case was filed by the family of a 17-year-old seeking $11 million after a teacher allegedly engaged in oral sex with 17-year-old male student. The case however falls along the line of consent laws. The teacher, 22 year old Symone Greene (left), was only around 5 years older than the victim and the age of consent in D.C. is 16 years old. Both the criminal and civil cases could raise some difficult legal issues because she had a “significant relationship” with the student.
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Can religious beliefs actually retard our intuitions for justice and fairness? Research seems to suggest it might well. The Christian religion has imbued Western thought with the fundamental belief that God presides over a just world – one where sin is punished and rightly-held beliefs and actions are rewarded. We see this attitude in every aspect of human interaction. Today, in some sparkling sports stadium an earnest athlete is bound to thank his deity of choice for the good fortunes that befell his team or his game changing performance. By extension, the loser ( a value loaded word if ever there was one) will decry his lack of luck. From the Book of Job to Pinocchio and Cinderella, this belief in what some psychologists call “immanent justice” or “The Just Word Hypothesis” seeks to explain our plight and our success. It also hardens our attitudes about the poor, victims of crimes and those folks either buoyed or sunk by pure chance.
