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Question 1

When Loman reports that “scores of innocent Christian men” were killed and Christian women and boys enslaved, the British fisherman replies, “Well, then they weren’t innocent… guilty by association… an eye for an eye.” What does this exchange expose about how easily “justice” language can be used to excuse sin against fellow Christians, and where do you see similar reasoning in Christian speech today?

Another way to ask: What does this talk show about how people can use words about “justice” to excuse sin against other Christians? Where do you hear similar “they deserved it” thinking among Christians today?

Direct Answer The exchange shows how quickly “justice” talk can be twisted into a moral cover for revenge, even when the victims are fellow Christians. In the fisherman’s mind, nationality and past grievances override baptism, innocence, and brotherhood.

Support from Transcript:

Loman says the victims were “innocent Christian men” and “innocent Christian women and boys,” and the fisherman responds, “Were these men… Irish or British?”—making innocence depend on group identity.
When Loman insists, “They were all newly baptized Christians,” the fisherman still says, “They’re guilty by association!”
He justifies it with personal loss: “My brother was kidnapped by them,” then concludes, “An eye for an eye… is what I say.”
He praises Cordacus as “King… the savior of the British,” and frames the raid as “taught them a lesson,” implying violence is morally cleansing.
Loman later summarizes the moral collapse: “professing Christians would sell their innocent brothers and sisters as slaves.”

Discussion Follow-ups Based on the transcript, similar reasoning today would look like Christians excusing harsh treatment of other believers because they belong to “the other side” (another nation or group), while calling it fairness or payback.

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