151 lines
6.6 KiB
Plaintext
151 lines
6.6 KiB
Plaintext
Theft
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World Scripture
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THEFT
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Theft means to take property that belongs to another or to the public. It
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encompasses fraud, usury, extortion, and dishonest trading.
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You shall not steal.
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1. Judaism and Christianity. Exodus 20.15
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Where you did not sow, do not reap.
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2. African Traditional Religions. Igala Proverb (Nigeria)
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Because what is yours is not yours, how then can you regard what is not yours
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as yours?
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3. Judaism. Talmud, Derek Eretz Zuta 2.5
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To take to oneself unrighteous wealth is like satisfying one's hunger with
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putrid food, or one's thirst with poison wine. It gives a temporary relief,
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indeed, but death also follows it.
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4. Taoism. Treatise on Response and Retribution 5
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The wickedness of evil-minded thieves, who secretly prowl over this earth,
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cannot be restrained except by punishment.
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5. Hinduism. Laws of Manu 9.263
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As for the thief, both male and female, cut off their hands. It is the reward
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of their own deeds, an exemplary punishment from God.
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6. Islam. Qur'an 5.38
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Lo! those who devour the wealth of orphans wrongfully, they do but swallow fire
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into their bellies, and they will be exposed to burning flame.
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7. Islam. Qur'an 4.10
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Says Nanak, "To grasp what is another's is as evil
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As pig's flesh to the Muslim and cow's flesh to the Hindu.
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The Teacher shall intercede for his follower
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Only when he has not eaten carrion."
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8. Sikhism. Adi Granth, Var Majh, M.1, p. 141
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Derek Eretz Zuta 2.5: Even one's own possessions are 'not yours' because they
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belong to God; we have been given them as a trust. Var Majh, M.1: 'Carrion'
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refers to ill-gotten gains.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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These acts are included in stealing: prompting another to steal, receiving
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stolen goods, creating confusion to overcharge or underpay, using false weights
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and measures, and deceiving others with artificial or imitation goods.
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9. Jainism. Akalanka, Tattvartharajavartika 7.27
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Woe unto the defrauders,
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Those who when they take the measure from mankind demand it full,
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But if they measure unto them or weigh for them, they cause them loss.
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10. Islam. Qur'an 83.1-3
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Whoever steals what is considered to belong to others, whether it be situated
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in villages or the forest, he is to be known as an outcast.
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Whoever having contracted debts defaults when asked to pay, retorts, "I am not
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indebted to you!," he is to be known as an outcast.
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Whoever is desirous of stealing even a trifle and mugs a person going along the
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road in order to take it, he is to be known as an outcast.
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11. Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 119-21
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Hear this, you who trample upon the needy,
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and bring the poor of the land to an end,
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saying, "When will the new moon be over,
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that we may sell grain?
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And the sabbath,
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that we may offer wheat for sale,
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that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great,
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and deal deceitfully with false balances,
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that we may buy the poor for silver
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and the needy for a pair of sandals,
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and sell the refuse of the wheat?"
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The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob,
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"Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
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Shall not the land tremble on this account,
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and every one mourn who dwells in it?"
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12. Judaism and Christianity. Amos 8.4-8
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[Evil-doers] impoverish others for their own gain.
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For private ends they neglect public duties.
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They break into others' houses to take their property and valuables.
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They misdirect the water and light fires to destroy the people's homes.
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They upset others' plans so as to prevent their success.
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They spoil a worker's utensils to hamper his efficiency.
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With violence they seize, with violence they demand.
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They delight in fraud, they delight in robbery, they make raids and commit
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depredations to get rich.
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They shorten the foot, they narrow the measure,
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they lighten the scales, they reduce the peck.
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They adulterate the genuine, and they seek profit in illegitimate business.
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13. Taoism. Treatise on Response and Retribution
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O ye who believe! Devour not usury, doubling and quadrupling [the sum lent].
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14. Islam. Qur'an 3.130
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If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to
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him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him.
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15. Judaism and Christianity. Exodus 22.25
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Do not men despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is
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hungry?
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16. Judaism and Christianity. Proverbs 6.30-31
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Qur'an 3.130: All modern societies agree that usury, when it is understood to
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mean charging exorbitant interest, 'doubling and quadrupling,' is an evil whose
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prohibition is consistent with sound economics. But the absolute proscription
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of usury, when it is understood as prohibiting loaning money for any amount of
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interest whatsoever, has always proved difficult to practice in a mercantile
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economy. In the Islamic tradition, the wealthy will often make personal loans
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at no interest to those in need as a form of charity, but this does not apply
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to loans for business. Where there is a need to raise capital, either by
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entrepreneurs or by the state, loans are required, and people with capital will
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lend it only at a price. Therefore, both Christian and Muslim societies that
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have tried to enforce this prohibition have often winked at loopholes. One
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typical loophole is to permit loans from nonbelievers. Thus in Medieval Europe
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Jewish bankers were the accepted creditors for Christians, and today Western
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banks are often permitted to lend money in Islamic nations. Today, Islamic
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banks are developing new policies consistent with the Qur'an. Most notable of
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these is investment as profit sharing. Banks will lend to entrepreneurs in
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return for a percentage of the profits rather than for a fixed rate of
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interest. The bank then prospers as the business succeeds, but makes nothing
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should it fall into the red. Exodus 22.25: Lending at interest is prohibited
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specifically in the case where the borrower is poor. Cf. Exodus Rabbah 31.15,
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p. 177. Proverbs 6.30-31: In traditional Roman Catholic moral teaching, when a
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person is in dire need he may be justified in stealing food to keep from
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starving. In that case, food is regarded as 'common property.' Cf. Chuang Tzu
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25, p. 1070. - - - - - - - - - - -
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