RELIGION AND SOCIETY

Religion and Society ~ 429 ~ but there will be no such escape route when we stand before God. There will be no escaping the infinitely greater punishment that awaits us in the next world. An incident, which occurred during the reign of King James I of England, is a good illustration of how indispensable religious faith is to justice. King James has proclaimed himself an absolute monarch, which meant that he could decide cases himself, without having recourse to courts of law. The Lord Chancellor, Lord Coke—a religious man, famed for the long hours he spent in worship—cautioned the King that he had no right to take final decision, and that all cases should be decided in courts of law. “It is my opinion,” the monarch countered, “and I have heard as much from others, that your laws are based on common sense. Tell me, do I have less of that than judges?” “There is no doubt of your masterly intellect and statesmanship,” said the Lord Chancellor; “but one has to have much practical experience and specialist knowledge in order to dispense justice.