I no Longer Have a Right to remain silent (2)
Why is this Paper Necessary?
The genesis of this paper came from a discussion on a Facebook group, which debated whether it was wise to be a lawyer. Many, if not most, of the comments displayed ignorance and caricatures of the practice of law, and then they made judgments based on those caricatures, some examples presented below. I certainly don’t blame the people for their caricatures of the legal practice; I know I have caricatures of other professions. Many of the views about lawyers are based on entertainment, such as books, television, and jokes. Sometimes attorneys make the news for their corruptness. However, we must abstain from making judgments, especially if we don’t have all the facts and knowledge of the profession.
Many Christadelphians have long viewed certain professions with contempt, believing the jobs, by their nature, put believers in precarious positions. Certainly, one could argue being a rifleman in the US army will always put a believer in a moral dilemma. However, being an attorney is not the same as being in the military. Almost no lawyer goes into the legal profession in order to bend the laws so that he or she can do whatever they want. Almost no lawyer practices so that he or she can ensure murders, rapists, and child molesters are free to roam the streets.
The legal profession is very diverse, and everyone needs one at some point in time. Whether you emigrate to another country, adopt a child, buy a house, or establish an ecclesia, lawyers are necessary for all of these things. Some Christadelphians have pushed people away from pursuing their dreams of becoming a lawyer based on misunderstandings of the practice of law, and quite frankly, faulty logic. Due to the amount of misunderstanding of the practice of law, and the rash judgments based on ignorance, this paper is necessary to dispel the myths about the legal profession. The Michael Cohen’s of the legal profession are very rare, and practically unheard of, in the similar vein of the Christadelphian criminal; however, both corrupt attorneys and Christadelphian criminals do exist. Christadelphians needs to have a full understanding of legal profession before coming to conclusions that preclude members from joining a profession that has helped the voiceless, penniless, and even Christadelphia. When Christadelphia makes these judgments against their brethren, they risk isolating their brothers and sisters.