Thou Shalt Shoplift

A priest in the UK says it's okay to shoplift. Because it's better than prostition or suicide. And he tells his Catholic flock that it will not break the 8th commandment. This is wrong in so many ways. A lot has been written about this guy. Read the original article here: Daily Mail, UK - Poor people who are desperate for cash have been advised to go forth and shoplift from major stores - by an Anglican priest. The Rev Tim Jones said in his Sunday sermon that stealing from successful shops was preferable to burglary, robbery or prostitution. He told parishioners it would not break the eighth commandment 'thou shalt not steal' because it 'is permissible for those who are in desperate situations to take food that they might not starve'. ... 'I would ask that they do not steal from small family businesses, but from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices. ... He added: 'The strong temptation is to burgle or rob people - family, friends, neighbours, strangers. 'Others are tempted towards prostitution, a nightmare world of degradation and abuse for all concerned. Others are tempted towards suicide. Instead, I would rather that they shoplift. ... Read the full story here... Why is this wrong? Let me count the ways: 1. Authority Figure Just like a teacher, policeman or politician, the priest has a large influence over his flock. It's not Joe Blow on the street corner telling you something. Your priest is someone you trust and have been brought up to believe in. If your priest says it is so, then it must be true. It's a "get out of jail free" card. But I want to leave religion out of this for a minute. Because even if you are not Christian, an authority figure says it's okay to steal. That's like giving carte blanche to anyone in some kind of difficulty to steal from someone else. It's a general pass to the public to do what they want. I can't wait for the first court case where the defendent uses this as a defense. 2. The iPod Generation In this world of short attention spans, anyone who hears about this priest and his dubious ethic hears "it's ok to steal" and nothing else. How many people who hear the message actually followed up on the story? Only the easy part, the part about stealing sinks in. 3. It's All Relative The priest says that stealing is better than prostitution or suicide. So it's all relative. With this logic, you could say that beating your wife is better than killing her. Or using marijuana is better than using ccocaine. Or stealing a motorcycle is beter than stealing a car. You can justify anything that way. You could say that female genital mutilation is ok in some African countries because the law doesn't persecute against it. That would be like saying that the act is ok over there, but not here. Wrong! It's not right wherever it is done. Listen, your moral compass should be unquivering. If you think it's wrong to steal, it's wrong to steal no matter what the circumstances. You don't change you beliefs based on what is going on around you. Bil An Outraged Dad