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Welcome back. Here we go. Straight into commandment number eight, you shall not steal.
I think this one is going to be pretty straight forward. We all know that stealing means to take something that belongs to someone else without their knowledge or consent. I don’t think it will take a lot of convincing that this is wrong so lets hop into some of the motives for stealing then look at some of the benefits the world would enjoy if there was no stealing… ever.
Power/Greed
Some people steal because they are just straight up greedy and have to have for themselves or just can’t stand to see someone else having something they don’t. Sometimes people steal for power or leverage. Like robbing a bank to gain money for other motives or further power grabs.
Jealousy/Covetousness
Some acts of stealing are rooted in seeing someone else have something that looks so good that you have to take it for yourself, from either them or in the form of shop lifting. This kind of theft is born in a spirit of covetousness because the desire for the thing or object overwhelms you and you find yourself doing something else that’s wrong just to satisfy the desire.
Vanity/Self Righteousness
Other forms of stealing stem from sheer vanity. You think so highly of an object or thing that you won’t be happy unless you have it, and if it can’t be afforded, why not exercise some five finger discounting. This is a point where someone is so consumed with desire for this object they have convinced themselves that they deserve it. It’s their right to have it.
Need/Desperation
Other people steal because they feel it’s their only option. This person may be stealing clothes or food because they need them to survive. I know popular convention says that this kind of stealing shouldn’t be seen as wrong but I believe there is another solution. In the first post in this series I said that if the rule that Jesus gave us (love you neighbour as yourself) is the key there would be no need to steal necessities because we would all be helping those around us make it through life.
In a world without stealing (except in baseball)
If there was no stealing in the world people would experience trust for each other, even perfect strangers. This multiplies ten fold in light of the no lying policy we just established in the last post. We wouldn’t need locks on everything or cameras in our stores. There would be so much less crime in our cities and jails would be less crowded. The economy would be much more stable if there was no theft anywhere. There would be no more kidnappings or abductions of people, because taking person against their will is a form of robbery. I think in general everyone would walk with a little more peace of mind and a sense of security. How much of life is spent worrying about the well being of our stuff and money? I know its something I don’t enjoy worrying about.
So here we are three commandments in and I think we can already see quite a drastic change in the condition of our planet and human relationships. This is only going to keep getting better. Adultery is next on the list, its going to be a huge one. Stay tuned for more.
Tags: Bible, Christian, Christianity, commandments, God, Jesus