We have learnt about the principle of natural justice, how it is important to not be a judge in your own case and to hear the other party. We possibly know the rationale for these two principles. But I still find it uncannily funny when we don't apply these principles ourselves.
Many of us reach conclusions about other people without asking the parties involved the reason for their actions or inactions. We observe and then go ahead to judge these people based solely on our perception.
I don't blame us too much. It is a cultural phenomenon. We have learnt from the best - God, religion.
Most of us have been acquainted with the Bible since birth. All of us have read and familiarized ourselves with the creation story, the story of how Adam and Eve were turned away from Eden and the battle between Lucifer(the Satan) and God as written by men under the direction of God. We read these accounts and we have come to judge the people involved based on the reports recorded.
Did we ever stop to think, 'Is this how the story took place from this person's perspective?'
One lesson history teaches us is that, it is the winner that writes the story and in doing so, the story will be reflective of his ideas, ideals and inclinations. Read accounts of the Biafran Civil War in Nigeria from authors of Biafran origin and recounts of the same events from people across the name (especially, the head of state at the time the war broke out) and you would notice a marked difference in the stories' tangent even though fact largely remains the same.
So yeah, how many of us have wondered how much of the Bible is influenced by God's perspective and personal convictions and not facts, how these stories might be remarkably different if told by the other parties?
Imtiaz Mahmood says, "Satan did not write a book, so we don't know his side of the story/argument."
I'm sure many us have had experiences similar to the one I am about to describe below in a typical Nigerian home:
Your Dad is out, your mom calls you from your room to the sitting room. You come to her, and she asks you to give her the TV remote controller which is directly in front or her. You obliged her but commented on how small a task that she called you out for. She says something sarcastic or insulting. You react, saying something insulting back.
The interesting part is when your Dad gets home and your mom reports you to the Supreme Court, telling your father 'Your son nearly killed me today. Just because I asked him to come and give me the TV remote. He started abusing me out of no where! Calling me lazy! I didn't do anything oh!'
Sound familiar?
So why do you think that isn't the case every single time you read the Bible, especially given the channels it went through to reach you?