Does hunger justify stealing ?

[Godlovesmetwo]

Many wildly successful people are from dysfunctional families.

Oprah Winfrey?

 

[SkyWriting]

If there is a an overweight rich person with excess food on his table and I am starving? The one sinning is the fat man who is refusing to share his food with the needy and not the needy that he is forcing to make a grab for his excess food. If I am thirsty and the person has a well which he refuses to let me have access to-am I stealing if I sneak up through his barbed wired fences and take a sip? Am I sinning? Or is he sinning by being unnecessarily selfish and cruel? As the saying goes, it takes two to Tango.

"Sin" is your rebellion against God.
It's not what you think others
should be doing for you.

 

[SkyWriting]

Oprah Winfrey?

and..
The co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Spirits
Allen Iverson
Drew Barrymore
Mark Wahlberg
Ashley Judd
Charlize Theron
Jim Carrey
Dylan McDermott
Woody Harrelson (father was a professional killer)

plus 1000's of others not as well known.

 

[Radrook]

"Sin" is your rebellion against God.
It's not what you think others
should be doing for you.

Your reasoning is seriously flawed.
The one that determines what others should be doing for others is God.
So based on what he tells us we can definitely classify cruelty and selfishness as sin.
Um, cruelty towards others and selfishness are tagged as sins in the Bible.
That is basic theology 101.

Deuteronomy 15:7-11 - If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

Luke 3:11
“He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.”

 

[SkyWriting]

Your reasoning is seriously flawed.
The one that determines what others should be doing for others is God.
So based on what he tells us we can definitely classify cruelty and selfishness as sin.
Um, cruelty towards others and selfishness are tagged as sins in the Bible.
That is basic theology 101.

For you, but not for others. No person is under the law
until they apply it to themselves. And that's a mistake. Basic scripture 101.

What Does the Bible Say About Obeying The Law?

37 Scriptures That Prove Christians Are Not Under The Law

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

Charlize Theron

she's an interesting case. But I think even Oprah has emotional scars that would only be visible to her loved ones. She might be a real pain in the neck behind the scenes.

 

[Radrook]

For you, but not for others. No person is under the law
until they apply it to themselves. Basic scripture 101.

What Does the Bible Say About Obeying The Law?

37 Scriptures That Prove Christians Are Not Under The Law

Again your reasoning is seriously flawed:
It is covered under the New Covenant of loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Matthew 7:12
In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the prophets.

Romans 13:8
Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law.

Romans 13:10
Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law.

BTW
There is a difference between the ceremonial parts of the law and moral Law. We need not celebrate festivals nor avoid foods nor sacrifice animals as the Jews were under obligation to do. Not Gentiles since Gentiles were NEVER under the law in he first place. However, the moral Law which prohibited incest, theft, idolatry, adultery, murder, etcetera is to be respected because it entails love towards our neighbor and guides us in proper relation to other human beings. That is why the following scripture tells us this about all things that were written in the OT.:

2 Tim 3:16
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.…

 

[ewq1938]

Havent you heard of the voluntary ones? theyre not all victims. Some choose to do it.

That's why I used "most"

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

That's why I used "most"

It would be interesting to do stats on this. How many of the prostitutes are voluntary in your city? Might be closer to half?

 

[Radrook]

It would be interesting to do stats on this. How many of the prostitutes are voluntary in your city? Might be closer to half?

Here is a relevant article:

Affluent, Educated Women May Choose Sexual Prostitution
http://news.uark.edu/articles/16181/affluent-educated-women-may-choose-sexual-prostitution

They compare what they would earn working at a regular job with what they would earn during the same time selling their bodies and choose the latter as the far more profitable.

 

[Endtime Survivors]

The morality of stealing is tricky because God looks at the motive as well as the behavior. What God may classify as stealing for one person he may classify as something different for another person. It may also depend on what kind of food is stolen. Simple, boring food vs luxurious food (like a loaf of bread vs a pizza) could make a difference, though it seems like the poor should be allowed to enjoy pizza, too.

 

[Radrook]

The morality of stealing is tricky because God looks at the motive as well as the behavior. What God may classify as stealing for one person he may classify as something different for another person. It may also depend on what kind of food is stolen. Simple, boring food vs luxurious food (like a loaf of bread vs a pizza) could make a difference, though it seems like the poor should be allowed to enjoy pizza, too.

In Chicago during the dead of winter I saw this kid emerge at a run from a grocery store with a loaf of bread in one hand followed by a counter clerk hot on his heals. The counter clerk brought the kid back by the nape of his neck while he smiled proudly about his accomplishment,

 

[Endtime Survivors]

It would be interesting to do stats on this. How many of the prostitutes are voluntary in your city? Might be closer to half?

I think, comparatively, there would be very few prostitutes (or porn stars, which amounts to the same thing) who are literally, physically forced into their various roles (though I recognize that there is such a thing as human trafficking). The most common motivation for either (voluntary prostitution or pornography) would be financial, which can be a kind of force. Desperate people who've been told their whole lives that money makes the world go round and that they need to earn their right to live would naturally be tempted by a job which pays well, but which requires very little skill. I realize there are other options available, for clever people.

But some people aren't clever. They don't have social skills. They don't have vocational skills. They don't have confidence. Perhaps they have emotional or psychological issues. Those are all issues which can be overcome with love, caring, and sharing, but that isn't what our monetary system teaches. Our monetary system does not inherently promote morality or character and it comes across as confusing/contrary when we humans give the impression that we care about morality while at the same time teaching that we should live by a system which does not promote morality.

After all, God is more concerned with what's happening on the inside than the outside. Why do we work? Can we confidently say that we are not (spiritual) prostitutes because it is our time we sell, rather than our bodies, and even if we can say so with confidence, is that how God views it?

It's interesting that, after telling a parable about people who say one thing and do another, Jesus concluded that prostitutes and sinners would enter into heaven before such people. Spiritual prostitution is similar; it's fine to talk about love, but when it comes to our behavior, what we're really interested in is paying the bills.

 

[Endtime Survivors]

In Chicago during the dead of winter I saw this kid emerge at a run from a grocery store with a loaf of bread in one hand followed by a counter clerk hot on his heals. The counter clerk brought the kid back by the nape of his neck while he smiled proudly about his accomplishment,

Huh. Let's hope it's because he wanted to give the kid some soup to go with it!

 

[Radrook]

Huh. Let's hope it's because he wanted to give the kid some soup to go with it!

Probably was seeking a promotion or pay-raise for showing just how faithful and efficient an employee he was. Empathy doesn't seem to come naturally to some people.

 

[Endtime Survivors]

Probably was seeking a promotion or pay-raise for showing just how faithful and efficient an employee he was. Empathy doesn't seem to come naturally to some people.

On the other hand, perhaps he was fearful of being fired for coming across as lazy or complacent if he didn't do his best to catch the thief.

 

[jimmyjimmy]

I sometimes think it is easy to have ethics and morals if you are comfortable and living in a first world country.
Wont we behave just like hungry dogs If we happen to be poverty-stricken? We might fall into prostitution if we have no other skills, no other way of making money. So easy to judge the people who have to make a living like that.
Even selling drugs. If I have kids to feed and few other options, I might be tempted.
Ok if you are a saint, you can resist all this. Sometimes I think saints are inhuman.

Not all poor people steal. No, hunger doesn't justly theft, just as anger doesn't justify murder.

Christians look to God to provide their daily bread, not to crime. The very act of theft is an indictment against God. It bears false witness against the Almighty that He can't or won't provide.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?​

 

[Endtime Survivors]

Christians look to God to provide their daily bread, not to crime. The very act of theft is an indictment against God. It bears false witness against the Almighty that He can't or won't provide

I wonder if God has the same understanding of theft that we do. In particular, I'm thinking about a person who measures out a piece of ground and then says, "This is mine. If you want some of what is mine you must give me something of equal (or preferably greater) value".

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

Not all poor people steal.

No kidding!

 

[Dave-W]

It is covered under the New Covenant of loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

That is NOT New Covenant. It is from Lev 19.18.

Do you want to be loved "as you love yourself" if the person is suicidal? Or self destructive?

That command was superseded by John 13.34: "Love one another as I have loved you."