What is the linkage between religion and justice? Pursuing justice is a duty for Christians, but it is not a salient concern in some other religions. Several meanings of “justice” are explored, including two that are mutually incompatible. Justice is a product of human sensitivity, planning and institutional rearrangement, whereas religious movements erupt spontaneously, reshaping societies in unpredictable ways. Rather than the goal or justification of religion (even of Christianity), justice can be a by-product of the pursuit of ultimate meaning, which is the really vital contribution of religion to human life.
