Justice or Mercy: Which Side Do You Fall On?

Well, I own a business so I may see this example differently. Someone says the employer should just give her a raise to help her pay her bills. Well, what if the employer can't afford to do that? What if the employer is already showing mercy by not laying off staff in this economy? And how much is she skimming off the top? A few bucks to buy some rice and a bag of potatoes, or hundreds? I suppose as the employer I would feel disrespected and taken advantage of and wouldn't be able to trust her again. So even if I *were* to give her a raise, its like the cheating husband...I wouldn't want to babysit her and wonder what else she is up to. So I would have to fire her. Just my opinion and you said no black and white thinking, but my personality is pretty black and white.

In this particular scenario I'd fire her. It's about trust. If she's a nanny or whatever she is trusted with my children, money for food, etc. If I can't trust her and she takes money from my own children's mouth then I can't trust her with other things. She could have come to me and I could have helped her, even if not financial.

Depends on the situation.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

In your situation I'd fire her. Mercy is not filing charges against her, and not telling potential future employers what happened. The problem is that once you let someone treat you like that they'll think you are a sucker and keep doing it. Better for her to learn a lesson and start over with another employer.

Merciful justice.

In the situation you describe, I would fire her, but not press charges.

If my employee was stealing from me - I would fire them as the trust would be gone.

Given the circumstances - I wouldn't press charges against her or demand the monies back. However - I wouldn't be able to have her be an employee anymore because I wouldn't trust her to not take from me and the others.

I would NOT give her a bad review for a future employer. I would just tell them that my company was downsizing or something else to save face for her.

I would have hoped that she would've known me well enough to know that I would've helped her with money, groceries, etc. instead of her stealing from me.

This is too funny! I just posted a question tonight that had me pondering the verse "...Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13) today. Good question.

Like you, I tend to be fiercely principled and on the "justice" side. It's not that I'm an uncaring person - honest! - but I think it's because I have found from experience that...

1. Relativity is a slippery slope and makes it very difficult to draw the line on things, esp moral issues. I find it easier to live in the black and white and know where I stand. I'm not always in the right, but at least I know it!

2. Too much "mercy" (if there is such a thing) can sometimes lead to people taking advantage of you, which, again, makes it difficult to draw the line and set boundaries when they're needed.

3. Lack of "justice" / accountability sets a precedent. If people know there is a hard and fast policy with regards to something, they are less likely to take advantage and encourage others to do so. Depending on the situation, this can lead to chaos.

4. My personality style (first born, type A, ENTJ...J for "judging" rather than "feeling"...ouch!) functions especially well in situations with clear boundaries, communication, and accountability. It should be noted that I hold myself just as much to these things as I do anyone else. I know there are other personality types that are more intuitive and feeling that find the same comfort in the grey areas.

All of this also depends on the context. I know many out there are questioning of authority, etc, but the fact is that there is a natural hierarchy in most things that needs to be honored in order for chaos not to rule. I'm learning to temper my need for "justice" with mercy more and more, but I have to be very intentional about it.

ah, one of those Eternal Questions. i'm getting ready to teach the merchant of venice, so this question is uppermost in my mind right now.
it's good to consider which end of the spectrum one favors, but honestly, without a scenario to consider, it's just too variable for me.
in your example i'd be on the side of justice. stealing is a biggie in my book anyway, and stealing from someone who is treating you fairly is REALLY wrong. had she gone to her employer, perhaps he'd have figured out some way of helping her. there are circumstances under which i'd go Mercy for someone stealing to feed their family. but not this one.
that's one of the things i like about our US justice system, maddening and convoluted and often unfair as it can be. unlike many parts of the world, it does take mitigating circumstances into consideration.
interesting question!
:) khairete
S.

If you do something wrong, I want justice. If I do something wrong, I want mercy.

I think it was Chesterton who wrote that children are more innocent in nature and therefore love justice, while adults are more wicked and therefore love mercy.

By the way, mercy is, by definition, not "fair." Mercy is a gift.

You can't have one without the other.

Lately I've been seeing a lot of news stories about wrongfully convicted people...people who have said all along that they're innocent. Completely innocent....not even that "fine line" applies in those cases. It's all about public outcry and a "demand" for justice.
Now in the gray areas....like what you've described, I tend to lean to mercy. What you described is not so rare, after all. If my child was hungry, and I was penniless, you bet your sweet patootie I'd go and "find" him something to eat....every day.

Outright greed? That's another topic completely.

How gray is the area of corporations exploiting the people of a country for years and "getting away" with it? Getting the blessing of those in power? Buying the policies that suit them? There--I think JUSTICE might be the better alternative!

in the scenario you described, first it would depend on the honesty of the person. If they vehemently denied the theft, I would let them go. If they fessed up and gave a sincere apology, I would be merciful.

I would explain that I would allow an offense to happen only once. I would like to think that if I had an employee/employees, I would have a good enough relationship with them to come to me for help. They would know working for me that I would do whatever is possible to assist them, even in their personal lives.

I totally agree. It seems like there is a line, the law, when you look at it as a line you are on one side of to gain fairness the other side must give something up. That only seems fair to the one side, ya know?

Looking at the story he was not allowed to give her mercy, that would have required honesty on her part. She should have gone to her boss and said I am in trouble, I need money, then he would have had the option to give her the money. Stealing is wrong, asking for mercy is not but mercy cannot be taken, ya know?

I think that justice is actually more merciful in many situations that so-called mercy is. While I might not have her arrested, I would fire her. I would not have a thief working for me. There are no excuses for this behavior. Then, I would probably buy her a gift card for groceries, or take them food. What is her husband doing for a job? Is he spending 8 hours a day looking for employment? It should be his full time job until he finds one. He can deliver pizzas until he has a regular job. Sometimes we think things are merciful, but in reality it just enables people to continue in their unrepentant lifestyle. That is not mercy.

If an employee stole $$ from my company... I would cease their employment and benefits immediately and press charges.

I would not necessarily be looking for a "payback" of what was stolen. I would be setting an example.

We do not have employees outside our immediate family right now. If I did have other employees which is likely within the year, I will expect honesty, morals, and good ethic.

I'm sorry but if I have an employee who screws me for whatever reason... I will take it. To the extent of the law.

Anyone can come to me honestly and I'll be glad to help support, fund, loan, etc but go behind my back you are history.

I believe we have an obligation to carry through justice. Mercy is not obligatory.

I would fire her because I find her reasoning a bit self-indulgent and indignant. The idea that her husband loses his job and therefore it makes it ok in her mind to steal MY hard-earned money. I have a problem with that, it also tells me that she is making a distinction between what I have and what she think she doesn't and therefore, it's ok with her if she steals..
too much drama........... she'd be fired..

Justice!! Stealing is stealing, and stealing is BAD. You should pay for your actions. Yes, mercy can be involved, ie the boss can say, hey, I feel for you, but this is what happens when you steal. People don't think that they can ask for help, there are all kinds of places out there that help out people down on their luck, so doing something morally wrong to help yourself out just isn't a good excuse. And i'm with you, it's not black and white thinking, its either right, or it's wrong. Draw the line in the sand, and stand on either side. And getting back to your question, no she should not be given access to anything other than the door, if she is stealing. Rules are put in place for a reason, even if you don't like them.

I think it depends on the situation. It is right to be fair and consistent w/ a rule but common sense should come into play as well. In the situation you gave, I think it depends if it happened once or every time...is she a long time employee who made a bad decision or is she new.

As a general rule, justice is best but some mercy is necessary.

I am a "consequences for your actions" kind of lady.

If the thief (the woman) stole from her employer multiple times she would absolutely be fired. There wouldn't be second or third chances and certainly not a raise indicating that stealing is acceptable and somehow her expenses were my responsibility. My income is variable (I'm on commission) but I don't steal from my employer when I have a bad quarter.

I'd really have to know what you are thinking of specifically. I used to see the world in black and white in my 20s. Now I know that there are so many shades of gray in between.

I agree to fire as I would not trust her and also she may turn around and sue me as repayment for something that I had/will do in the future. Then I would really be pissed.

I would not file charges but neither would I give her a good or bad review.

Well I definitely fall on the mercy side! So many things would factor into my decision if I were the employer in your scenario, but I think I would let her go, I mean stealing is very serious. But if I were just her friend and she told me about it, I would still love her and try to help her if I could and help her to see that what she did was not going to be able to help her at all long term. I wouldn't judge her but just say that 'hey girl, that was stupid, but you can fix it' and give her a big old hug. I had a friend do something similar to this and this is pretty much what I did. She doesn't do it anymore and is doing well today. People do stupid things all the time and have to deal with the consequences, I think the key is believing they can change and do better and be better. But I am all for consequences bc they are the best teacher usually. I just never really write people off, I believe anyone can change and be awesome regardless of what they did in the past so that is where my strong mercy side comes in.