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Are they really to blame?

Classik

Classik

Member
Are they always to blame? Majority sin today and commit all sort of immorality - not that they are comfortable with doing immoral things: they are desperate. Maybe the parents are to blame for not taking care of their 'lost' children. A female can't survive without having to keep herself comfortable (at least to a degree). She needs clothing, her hair is important to her, she needs cell phone, money etc to survive. If a parent or both can't provide for their children definitely some would become frustrated and desperate. Alternatives would be: 1. Boyfriends provide for us. 2. There is a place called brothel. 3. Stealing 4. Etc. That is the reason I find it hard to condemn people. (I'm not trying to justify or support evil here). But are they really to blame? A guy steals, not that he likes stealing - no money no hope no future.
 
Re: Are they really to blame

There is hope for a patient Christian boy or girl. How about impatient unbelievers???:dunno :shrug :confused :crying4
 
Re: Are they really to blame

Classik said:
Are they always to blame? Majority sin today and commit all sort of immorality - not that they are comfortable with doing immoral things: they are desperate. Maybe the parents are to blame for not taking care of their 'lost' children. A female can't survive without having to keep herself comfortable (at least to a degree). She needs clothing, her hair is important to her, she needs cell phone, money etc to survive. If a parent or both can't provide for their children definitely some would become frustrated and desperate. Alternatives would be: 1. Boyfriends provide for us. 2. There is a place called brothel. 3. Stealing 4. Etc. That is the reason I find it hard to condemn people. (I'm not trying to justify or support evil here). But are they really to blame? A guy steals, not that he likes stealing - no money no hope no future.
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Classik: This time, I'm really not sure what you are asking. :chin
 
It is about our sister and brothers out their who think rather than perishing in poverty and want they should seek alternatives. I find it hard to condemn them. They didn't mean to be bad.
 
Classik said:
It is about our sister and brothers out their who think rather than perishing in poverty and want they should seek alternatives. I find it hard to condemn them. They didn't mean to be bad.
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C: Sorry, do you mean in a book, or in a soap opera, or folk you know personally? See, I didn't figure from your question it's context; maybe it's because I'm not fully awake, or something?
 
Classik said:
It has to do with people I know and the people living around us. They are everywhere
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C: A serious answer is that it is good to learn moral responsibility, and not indulge in such behavior in order to better oneself, supposedly.
 
Classik said:
It is about our sister and brothers out their who think rather than perishing in poverty and want they should seek alternatives. I find it hard to condemn them. They didn't mean to be bad.
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Do you think these folks who are stealing would be upset by someone who is worse off then them stealing from them? I think they would. If they know it is wrong to have someone steal from them they know it is wrong to steal so they do mean to be bad. Lots of sins provide easy answers for folks who are perishing in something.
 
Shakes said:
Do you think these folks who are stealing would be upset by someone who is worse off then them stealing from them? I think they would. If they know it is wrong to have someone steal from them they know it is wrong to steal so they do mean to be bad. Lots of sins provide easy answers for folks who are perishing in something.
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:wave Welcome. That is a good post. How about our depserate females who ended up in brothels? (Note that I am not trying to justify the act. GOD FORBID). Great avatar:)
 
Classik said:
It is about our sister and brothers out their who think rather than perishing in poverty and want they should seek alternatives. I find it hard to condemn them. They didn't mean to be bad.
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Even Jesus gave some justification to the man who steals bread to feed his family, but he still calls the act sinful. There is never any justification for sin, and unless it is repented, and forgiveness sought from Christ, there is no hope for those who commit such acts. It is a sad fact that many feel they must steal, rob, mug, deal drugs, in order to have "things" they think they need. The reality is, whether we like it or not, the government is providing the basic needs of everyone on welfare. Without them having to lift a finger, now that Obama has used an executive order to remove the work requirement from the welfare system.

The issue is our consumerist society that has convinced everyone they are hopeless, feckless and lifeless without the latest car, the biggest house and the most awesome flat screen TV/sound system combination they can get their hands on. if we don't have the latest tablet, smart phone, computer, etc., we view ourselves as failures, even those of us not on welfare. We have forgotten our first love, or worse, we've never known Him. Being a consumerists society is no excuse for us remaining in or sin. In fact, it is a very good reason to get right with God as soon as possible.
 
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Edward said:
I try not to judge people but I think I would have less problem with someone stealing a loaf of bread or poaching an animal to feed their family than I would someone stealing to feed their drug habit. There's a big difference there. People have many different motives for stealing and it depends on what is in their heart when they do it.
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I'd think feeding a drug habit is almost on the understandable side, too. For addicts of some substances unprepared and unassisted withdrawal can be as distressful as hunger, in some cases even life threatening.

But people stealing out of real shallow motivation are the ones that should worry us. What world do we live in that makes material possessions like cellphones look so important that people would break laws and cause harm to themselves and others in order to get them?
 
I grew up in some real poverty... many meals were just pinto beans spread over a slice of bread (won't eat pinto beans to this day). My sisters, brother and I all had one nice set of clothing... my sister's were the same size so they could wear the other's dress... but I had to wear the same dress to school every day. Other than that, I wore my brother's hand-me-downs (which I greatly preferred over the dress.) My dad worked long and hard hours just to get us up and out, and as soon as I was in school full time, mom went to work as well. Even then, it took a long time for us to go from "poor" to "middle-class".

But, we made it... and not once did either my mom or dad steal, lie, cheat or go on government assistance to get us there. We all just worked as hard as we could...even me, cleaning the house and making supper while the others were out working.

Now, as for government assistance, my mom and dad would have lived in a cave before accepting it... but there was a time when Steve and I needed to use food stamps. We absolutely have to have medical insurance because of Steve's medical condition and there was a time when he worked only part time and our independent medical coverage was over $1000 a month. So, we qualified for food stamps and I'm glad we were able to use that resource. However, it was temporary and as soon as he was working full time and had medical coverage again, we stopped the food stamps.

But, no... there is no excuse for doing illegal things just to get by. There are always other alternatives... one might need to leave an area, or to do a job that isn't exciting or prestigious... I once was working a full time job and two part time jobs...

I remember once having to severely budget because I was living from very meager paycheck to very meager paycheck (this was when I was single)... so it was boxed macaroni and cheese and ramen soup for me. I was standing in line to pay my last bit of money for said mac and cheese and ramen so I could eat until my next paycheck when I over heard the people behind me talk about how they were lying and scamming the government so that they could keep their food stamps... that way they'd have plenty of money to purchase other things they wanted.
 
I guess this sort of strikes a chord in me, because there were times people suggested to me that I do immoral/illegal things to "better" :confused myself....

Here's a list of all the things that I did in order to never do anything illegal/immoral in order to get by:

babysitting
pet sitting and dog walking
house sitting
house cleaning
typing/editing term papers
a variety of part time jobs for an insurance broker, a flooring supply store, a day care center etc.
substitute teaching (pay is not all that bad... no benefits, but the money is actually pretty good)
mowing and raking lawns
washing cars
painting interiors of houses (this was for my dad when he was "house flipping")

And, never underestimate trading services for an adventure. Once I drove over to the Napa Valley to pick up some kids that were at a church camp. I was only reimbursed for my expenses and was provided a meal, but the drive was beautiful, the food delicious, the camp a lovely place and it was a really nice day trip during a time when I couldn't afford trips or vacations.

Point is... there are always alternatives to illegal/immoral activities.
 
handy said:
I guess this sort of strikes a chord in me, because there were times people suggested to me that I do immoral/illegal things to "better" :confused myself....

Here's a list of all the things that I did in order to never do anything illegal/immoral in order to get by:

babysitting
pet sitting and dog walking
house sitting
house cleaning
typing/editing term papers
a variety of part time jobs for an insurance broker, a flooring supply store, a day care center etc.
substitute teaching (pay is not all that bad... no benefits, but the money is actually pretty good)
mowing and raking lawns
washing cars
painting interiors of houses (this was for my dad when he was "house flipping")

And, never underestimate trading services for an adventure. Once I drove over to the Napa Valley to pick up some kids that were at a church camp. I was only reimbursed for my expenses and was provided a meal, but the drive was beautiful, the food delicious, the camp a lovely place and it was a really nice day trip during a time when I couldn't afford trips or vacations.

Point is... there are always alternatives to illegal/immoral activities.
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Great post.
 
Claudya said:
I'd think feeding a drug habit is almost on the understandable side, too. For addicts of some substances unprepared and unassisted withdrawal can be as distressful as hunger, in some cases even life threatening.
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Using alcohol or drugs is an escape from reality. They use because they don't like the way they feel, and they are unwilling to rationally address how they feel. Therefore, they mask the feelings with chemicals. That's pretty hard to justify, in my book.

Claudya said:
IBut people stealing out of real shallow motivation are the ones that should worry us. What world do we live in that makes material possessions like cellphones look so important that people would break laws and cause harm to themselves and others in order to get them?
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We live in a fallen world that man brought down by his sin, and will only be restored with the return of Christ.
 
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Classik said:
Get a job? People bribe to get jobs these days. How about nepotism?
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Classik, there will always be bad behavior no matter what... the key is, is it ever justified? We cannot justify bad behavior by pointing out other bad behavior to paraphrase Bill O'Reilly.
 
handy said:
I grew up in some real poverty... many meals were just pinto beans spread over a slice of bread (won't eat pinto beans to this day). My sisters, brother and I all had one nice set of clothing... my sister's were the same size so they could wear the other's dress... but I had to wear the same dress to school every day. Other than that, I wore my brother's hand-me-downs (which I greatly preferred over the dress.) My dad worked long and hard hours just to get us up and out, and as soon as I was in school full time, mom went to work as well. Even then, it took a long time for us to go from "poor" to "middle-class". But, we made it... and not once did either my mom or dad steal, lie, cheat or go on government assistance to get us there. We all just worked as hard as we could...even me, cleaning the house and making supper while the others were out working. Now, as for government assistance, my mom and dad would have lived in a cave before accepting it... but there was a time when Steve and I needed to use food stamps. We absolutely have to have medical insurance because of Steve's medical condition and there was a time when he worked only part time and our independent medical coverage was over $1000 a month. So, we qualified for food stamps and I'm glad we were able to use that resource. However, it was temporary and as soon as he was working full time and had medical coverage again, we stopped the food stamps. But, no... there is no excuse for doing illegal things just to get by. There are always other alternatives... one might need to leave an area, or to do a job that isn't exciting or prestigious... I once was working a full time job and two part time jobs... I remember once having to severely budget because I was living from very meager paycheck to very meager paycheck (this was when I was single)... so it was boxed macaroni and cheese and ramen soup for me. I was standing in line to pay my last bit of money for said mac and cheese and ramen so I could eat until my next paycheck when I over heard the people behind me talk about how they were lying and scamming the government so that they could keep their food stamps... that way they'd have plenty of money to purchase other things they wanted.
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Thanks for sharing. I see that was a Christian home. What do you think would happen in an unbelieving home? In fact this is my focus. They are our sisters and brothers. How can they cope outside Christ??? Besides if a girl today makes a thousand box in the street (hope you know what I mean) but makes a 100 at one job like that...don't you think she's abandon the 100 bucks job??? That's another point. (Again...I'm not justifying immorality. I only pity these people)
 
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