poverty / religion

Go forth and shoplift from big chains

Jender7 Comments

so sayeth Father Jones:

Speaking to his congregation on Sunday, Father Jones said: “My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift.
“I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither.
“I would ask that they do not steal from small, family businesses, but from national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices.
“When people are released from prison, or find themselves suddenly without work or family support, then to leave them for weeks and weeks with inadequate or clumsy social support is monumental, catastrophic folly.
“We create a situation which leaves some people little option but crime.”

(Thanks, Jender-Parents!)

7 thoughts on “Go forth and shoplift from big chains”

  4. Seems like a good idea, except for the risk of being caught. But I imagine a judge wouldn’t be too rough on someone caught shoplifting some bread to feed a hungry family. The other alternative, of course, is panhandling, which might be safer.

  5. civil disobedience is never without cost, right? i think this is the best thing i’ve heard come out of a church in a long time.

  6. Sounds like a good wake-up call for people who vote for/design social assistance programs around the assumption that “our tax dollars shouldn’t go to helping those [insert whichever perjorative term here].” This is refreshing, coming from a religious leader. At least one church leader in the world recognizes that victim-blaming carries hidden costs that other pulpit-pounding fiscal conservatives fail to address.

    Maybe others in positions of power will pick up on the implication behind the direct statement “go forth and shoplift”, and work toward improving social support systems in the area in question so that fewer people will have to beg or steal.

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