Calling the cops so that they can start an investigation when you have evidence that a crime has been committed is not a lynching.
If I was on a jury, I'd make the state prove that the stuff was there, and that he was the one who put it there before I'd convict.
Based upon your unwillingness to get the cops involved when there is evidence that someone committed a criminal act suggests that you are more interested in blocking justice than in pursuing justice when it comes to this subject.
Whatever happened to a fair trial, and the fourth amendment, and as I pointed out in an earlier post, Matthew 18:15-18?
OK, lets talk about theology for a moment.
Mat 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
(Emphasis supplied).
1. Brother - means brother in Christ. (See commentaries by Henry or Barnes) We are not given enough information as to the spiritual condition of the two men to determine if these standards are even applicable. Certainly, a Christian can have a besetting or habitual sin, but this type of conduct should at least raise a question as to the perpetrator's spiritual state.
2. Sins against the - while exposing an innocent to images of this kind is certainly a sin against that person, and were both Christians would ordinarily give rise to the need to follow the Matthew 18 formula, the true victims of the wrongdoing are the minor children in the pictures. Thus, it is not the roommate's place to go to the owner of the computer. The issue therefore cannot be resolved between the two in a Matthew 18 process. It is therefore appropriate to involve the representatives of the victims (in this case the police) to resolve the issues.
3. Speaking of evidence, what evidence is there that the roommate didn't raise the issue before he called the cops? The story at the link is sketchy at best. If the roommate did ask the computer owner, and didn't get a satisfactory answer, then he did what he was supposed to do next under Mat 18:16 " But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. " - He called the cops to investigate what happened, and give the computer owner a chance to explain.
And the Forth Amendment:
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
1. Based on the story posted, where is your evidence that a warrant was not issued. 2. If the roommate voluntarily turned the computer over to the police while it was under his custody and control, there are no 4th amendment implications. 3. A roommate is capable of giving consent to the search of the dorm room. University officials are probably not capable of giving such consent. http://www.law2.byu.edu/jel/v2002_1/Christman.htm
All your vaunted legalism is wonderful, but let's examine the case where there is a simple and innocent explanation for this. You pick the explanation, but just suppose for the moment that the kid is not guilty of knowingly soliciting or acquiring child pornography.
So the jury acquits him. Wonderful. His record is now clean. However, he now lives squarely in one of the inner circles of Hell. His picture has been published in the newspaper. He might as well quit school because he is thoroughly screwed there. No one will have a thing to do with him. These things have a way of following you around. Even if he moves somewhere else, it is unlikely he will ever escape this. There is no chance anyone will ever trust him around children. It is not hard to picture the situation where he is harassed for the rest of his life by the Child Protection Nazis who frequent local governments.
Great. All your legalism, both biblical and civil, have left you with a clean conscience, but this kid, if he is innocent, faces a life of misery and pain.
I think you might have missed the point of the passage from Matthew, my friend. I know you have missed the point of the Fourth Amendment. What a shame.