Breaking the Law

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Is breaking the law of man sinful?

I’m not talking about certain moral situations or following your conscience, and exceptions to the rule, etc. I’m simply asking an objective yes or no question: Is breaking man’s law sinful?
 
OpenSource said:
Is breaking the law of man sinful?

I’m not talking about certain moral situations or following your conscience, and exceptions to the rule, etc. I’m simply asking an objective yes or no question: Is breaking man’s law sinful?
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No, breaking a human law is not a sin. Each individual is obligated to follow one’s own conscience above any merely human law. There are plenty of perfectly legal things people can do which are immoral, just as there are immoral laws which are a sin to adhere to.

There are certainly immoral things which are also illegal, but the laws themselves are merely what legislators enact, and sin does not come from breaking what humans say to do or not do, only from what God says to do or not do.

Now, perhaps Nancy Pelosi thinks that whatsoever politicians say is the highest arbiter of right and wrong . . .

.
 
OpenSource said:
Is breaking the law of man sinful?

I’m not talking about certain moral situations or following your conscience, and exceptions to the rule, etc. I’m simply asking an objective yes or no question: Is breaking man’s law sinful?
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Yes

and

no.

It all depends on the law.

(and some laws can be said to be purely penal laws…not a sin to break …but one is obliged to pay the penalty if one is there after imposed)
 
Human Law is not on top of the priority list thus the question cannot be answered. If the human law echoes divine law it must be followed, and yet if the human law opposes divine law it must be broken.
 
I had this thought too when I got a speeding ticket several months ago!

:whistle:
 
Bookcat said:
Yes

and

no.

It all depends on the law.

(and some laws can be said to be purely penal laws…not a sin to break …but one is obliged to pay the penalty if one is there after imposed)
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I do understand this, however, let me put it into different terms.

You commit an act. The nature of this act goes against a law which man has established.

In this context, would you be committing a sin?

Take everything else out of the equation.
 
OpenSource said:
I do understand this, however, let me put it into different terms.

You commit an act. The nature of this act goes against a law which man has established.

In this context, would you be committing a sin?

Take everything else out of the equation.
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It depends really on the nature of the Law.
 
OpenSource said:
That is actually the argument I’m trying to avoid. 🙂
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But that really is the answer.

Not only in the sense that a law is not a law if it goes against God’s commandments etc

but in the sense of:

Is it a pure penal law…or what kind of law is it?

and then there are all sorts of questions involved…

catholicreference.net/index.cfm?id=34516

But yes it can be a sin to break a human law. Or if it is a purely penal law it can be said to be not sinful …but if one is fined one must pay the fine or it is a sin…

not a yes or no question
 
Bookcat said:
But that really is the answer.

Not only in the sense that a law is not a law if it goes against God’s commandments etc

but in the sense of:

Is it a pure penal law…or what kind of law is it?

and then there are all sorts of questions involved…

catholicreference.net/index.cfm?id=34516

But yes it can be a sin to break a human law. Or if it is a purely penal law it can be said to be not sinful …but if one is fined one must pay the fine or it is a sin…

not a yes or no question
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I must respectfully disagree.

Wasn’t it mandated by God to follow the law of the land? The law is: you cannot step on the cracks in the sidewalk. So you go out intentionally step on the cracks in the sidewalk, knowing that it is against a law that man has established. There’s nothing in the commandments about stepping on cracks in the sidewalk, so who cares? Other than the threat of scandal and imprisonment.

I’m merely trying to be objective about a law established by man and is it sinful to break that law because of it’s nature.
 
OpenSource said:
I must respectfully disagree.

Wasn’t it mandated by God to follow the law of the land? The law is: you cannot step on the cracks in the sidewalk. So you go out intentionally step on the cracks in the sidewalk, knowing that it is against a law that man has established. There’s nothing in the commandments about stepping on cracks in the sidewalk, so who cares? Other than the threat of scandal and imprisonment.

I’m merely trying to be objective about a law established by man and is it sinful to break that law because of it’s nature.
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Not following you here. It is not a simple yes or no. Catholic Theology would look at more than if it is just a law…it has to be legit etc…
 
Or course in the ordinary run of things…one simply does follow the laws …

and if it is a purely penal law…one pays the fine if given if one goes against such (though not a sin unless you do not pay)
 
Bookcat said:
Not following you here. It is not a simple yes or no.
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Sorry If I’m being a little goofy on this, but I was just wondering if because a human law was attached to an act…would that act then become sinful?
 
OpenSource said:
I must respectfully disagree.

Wasn’t it mandated by God to follow the law of the land? The law is: you cannot step on the cracks in the sidewalk. So you go out intentionally step on the cracks in the sidewalk, knowing that it is against a law that man has established. There’s nothing in the commandments about stepping on cracks in the sidewalk, so who cares? Other than the threat of scandal and imprisonment.

I’m merely trying to be objective about a law established by man and is it sinful to break that law because of it’s nature.
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do a bible search for “give unto Ceaser what is Ceaser’s” note divine law is indifferent to tax or cracks in the sidewalk. However divine law is not indifferent to killing the innocent, or false testimony
 
Texas_Roofer said:
do a bible search for “give unto Ceaser what is Ceaser’s” note divine law is indifferent to tax or cracks in the sidewalk. However divine law is not indifferent to killing the innocent, or false testimony
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If Jesus mandates that “give unto Ceaser what is Ceaser’s”, then my conclusion would be that man has the ability to make something seemingly benign sinful.
 
OpenSource said:
If Jesus mandates that “give unto Ceaser what is Ceaser’s”, then my conclusion would be that man has the ability to make something seemingly benign sinful.
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I won’t go that far, the Church teaches that each man has a responsibility to his community and fellow man to promote the general welfare of all. And part of that responsibility is to follow JUST laws, however the responsibility can reverse when an unjust law exists. But sin is always against god (not man) so minor legal issues would not rise to the level of sins against god. So if one speed at 66 mph in 65 mph zone no sin, however if one refused all taxation without a substitute charity that would be illegal and sinful. Yet to torture people because their legal system allowed it would be to sin. So it is the just or unjust bases, and the severity of the issue which matter.
 
OpenSource said:
Sorry If I’m being a little goofy on this, but I was just wondering if because a human law was attached to an act…would that act then become sinful?
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No. That a human law declares an action illegal does not confer sinfulness to it. Right and wrong, virtue and sin, are only what God determines, not legislators. Anyone who tells you otherwise is giving to Caesar what is God’s.

.
 
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