Why
Theft is good for Society, by Ray Comfort (c. 2013, reproduced from his
facebook)
Think of the many police officers that have a steady job because of thieves. If there were no thieves—no purse-snatchers, pick-pockets, bank robbers, burglars, cyber-crime, identity theft, Ponzi schemes, insider-trading, bribery, money laundering, credit card theft, muggings, fraud, white collar crime, etc., millions of law officers around the world would be out of a job. So would many judges, lawyers, prison officers, and those who build prisons and the architects that design the holding facilities for the millions of thieves.
Plus there’s the massive catering industry that supplies these millions with daily food, the prison uniform makers, the cleaners, the doctors and psychiatrists who attend to their every need. It is because of thieves that there are locksmiths, safe-makers, alarm systems, insurance agents, car alarms, and the huge security industry with their many security guards, crime reporters and the massive news media who daily feed off reporting theft. Even though theft is clearly bad for any society, there could be an argument put forward by some that it is beneficial.
So it may not be wise, if I wanted to speak against theft, to say that theft is bad for society. Instead, as a Christian, I would simply say that theft is morally wrong because God says it’s wrong. Case closed. This is what God’s Word says about the subject:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
Similarly, I would be unwise to say that homosexuality is bad for society. This is because if it can be shown that homosexuals make good pilots, good movie producers, doctors, dentists, and good parents, they win the argument. Case closed. It wouldn’t make sense to use the same line of reasoning regarding abortion. The killing of the unborn employs a multitude of doctors and nurses, who would adamantly argue that their industry certainly benefits society by not bringing unwanted children into the world. Rather, we speak against abortion because the Bible tells us that murder is morally wrong no matter how much money it returns, or who benefits by it.
But the real tragedy is that the dispute about the detrimental effects of homosexuality makes the cross of Jesus Christ irrelevant. If homosexuality isn’t seen to be a sin, then homosexuals won’t see their need of a Savior. On top of that, the argument makes Christians seem like a hate-group, because they don’t want homosexuals to have equal rights. If we say that homosexuality is wrong, we should do so because we want homosexuals to enter the kingdom of God. We care about them as people and where they spend eternity. We should also care about fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, the covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners.
Each of these groups is in terrible danger, and they are not aware of it because they are not hearing the truth in love from the Church. But if we don’t warn them, (as prominent atheist, Penn Jillette, once said) we are truly being hateful. And if we are hated for the truth, our consolation is that we are not giving an opinion. We are simply stating what the Scriptures say, and therefore anyone who disagrees has a disagreement with the Word of God, and not with the Church. We stand behind the biggest coat-tails in the universe.
Think of the many police officers that have a steady job because of thieves. If there were no thieves—no purse-snatchers, pick-pockets, bank robbers, burglars, cyber-crime, identity theft, Ponzi schemes, insider-trading, bribery, money laundering, credit card theft, muggings, fraud, white collar crime, etc., millions of law officers around the world would be out of a job. So would many judges, lawyers, prison officers, and those who build prisons and the architects that design the holding facilities for the millions of thieves.
Plus there’s the massive catering industry that supplies these millions with daily food, the prison uniform makers, the cleaners, the doctors and psychiatrists who attend to their every need. It is because of thieves that there are locksmiths, safe-makers, alarm systems, insurance agents, car alarms, and the huge security industry with their many security guards, crime reporters and the massive news media who daily feed off reporting theft. Even though theft is clearly bad for any society, there could be an argument put forward by some that it is beneficial.
So it may not be wise, if I wanted to speak against theft, to say that theft is bad for society. Instead, as a Christian, I would simply say that theft is morally wrong because God says it’s wrong. Case closed. This is what God’s Word says about the subject:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
Similarly, I would be unwise to say that homosexuality is bad for society. This is because if it can be shown that homosexuals make good pilots, good movie producers, doctors, dentists, and good parents, they win the argument. Case closed. It wouldn’t make sense to use the same line of reasoning regarding abortion. The killing of the unborn employs a multitude of doctors and nurses, who would adamantly argue that their industry certainly benefits society by not bringing unwanted children into the world. Rather, we speak against abortion because the Bible tells us that murder is morally wrong no matter how much money it returns, or who benefits by it.
But the real tragedy is that the dispute about the detrimental effects of homosexuality makes the cross of Jesus Christ irrelevant. If homosexuality isn’t seen to be a sin, then homosexuals won’t see their need of a Savior. On top of that, the argument makes Christians seem like a hate-group, because they don’t want homosexuals to have equal rights. If we say that homosexuality is wrong, we should do so because we want homosexuals to enter the kingdom of God. We care about them as people and where they spend eternity. We should also care about fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, the covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners.
Each of these groups is in terrible danger, and they are not aware of it because they are not hearing the truth in love from the Church. But if we don’t warn them, (as prominent atheist, Penn Jillette, once said) we are truly being hateful. And if we are hated for the truth, our consolation is that we are not giving an opinion. We are simply stating what the Scriptures say, and therefore anyone who disagrees has a disagreement with the Word of God, and not with the Church. We stand behind the biggest coat-tails in the universe.
all
creative credit to Mr. Comfort. Link below, if I find it when I do a cursory
Google search:
~ Rak Chazak
Realized halfway through I was reading this whole thing in Ray's voice ;) Wise man
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