I'm sure everyone is aware of the ongoing debate as to whether the Lockerbie bomber (Megrahi) should be released or die in prison. What is prison for? Justice, rehabilitation or retribution. No act of justice can replace a loved one, perhaps it can satisfy a need for apparent justice for lesser crimes by taking a criminal out of circulation. If it were to rehabilitate the criminal then our prisons should be centers of education and training excellence - but they are far from that with inmates locked up for significant proportions of the day and in particular short term inmates have next to no chance to get any rehabilitative engagement. Though we talk of justice and rehabilitation our prisons serve the natural urge for retribution and so we can understand those who demand that Megrahi stays inside until he dies. It's the Old Testament eye for an eye principle but if we were to suggest to some that this is the case they would be offended because they are too civilised to possibly be regarded as responding from their primal urge to get their own back, or for the community to discipline or smack the offending member. On life maiming and life taking crimes I doubt we can act justly, it is beyond our ability. The judge passes a sentence and the first thing the family do is to say that it is not long enough. There is another Old Testament verse that comes to mind Mic 6:8 "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." What will it mean for us to act justly - does it not mean that we should act proportionately and consistently and if so then if any other prisoner would be freed under the same circumstances then justice would demand of us the same response. To love mercy - there are few in the debate who are talking words of mercy to a dieing man. Some are and have the desire to get to the truth of events and see Megrahi as a scapegoat (another biblical theme) but I think they are of the opinion that Megrahi is not central to the event and they want too know who is responsible. Ultimately there is the call to walk humbly with God. Can we really judge justly in such cases - are we value and influence free to be impartial and consistent. Have we the integrity to judge. Does the number of deaths magnify the crime is not one life just as valuable as 300, each life is priceless, no scaler system can be applied. Perhaps there is a time when we need to walk humbly with God and let him judge - but that may be too simplistic for some. You will notice that, till now I have not expressed a view on the case so I will now nail my colours to the mast - and it is a personal view - I think he should be released and allowed to go home and die with his family around him, to try and find some peace in his life, because if it were me in prison in the same situation that is what I would hope they would allow me to do as Jesus said (Matt 7:12) "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."