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Penstemon_Dean
Guest
I’m posting this to the Moral Theology forum because I am wondering if I have committed a grave sin of omission by being afraid to do anything about a situation which made me really uncomfortable.
I’ve lived for many years in a mobile home park where the houses are very close together. Several years ago an elderly couple moved in next door. For various reasons, I assumed they belonged to a large well-respected evangelical church here in town but I was mistaken: they belong to a denomination that isn’t evangelical. This couple tried endlessly to bulldoze me into giving them personal information about myself that was none of their business, and to get “chummy” with me when I just wanted to keep my distance. As a convert, I’ve always tried to be loving and tolerant of other faiths, and in addition, I haven’t wanted to complain because their front door is 10 feet from my back door and in a living situation like this it wouldn’t be any too smart to start trouble. And to be frank, I’m afraid of them. A couple times in the past, I did try to talk to them about some of the things that have gone on, but the man came right into my face, just a couple of inches away, very righteous, and backed me down the driveway.
Some time ago, I was out front doing chores when a van came into the cul-de-sac and drove up onto my lawn, right in front of where I was working. I was rather shocked at this, and as soon as the woman driving got out I asked her to please not park on my lawn. She kind of looked at me without seeing me, like she was really distracted or distraught, so I asked her again if she would please move her car off my lawn. She got in and drove away. A couple minutes later she was back again and parked in exactly the same spot, and this time she refused to move. While I stood there, she pulled open the sliding door of the van and lo and behold, a tiny little girl hopped out. She was one of the most adorable-looking children I’ve ever seen: as neat and clean as a pin, and all dressed up with every article of clothing coordinated and in lovely colors. She talked with a lisp, and couldn’t have been more than 4 or 5. I thought she must be the driver’s grandchild, but then the woman began talking to her, asking her what her name was and if she went to nursery school, etc. This woman was driving around with a completely strange child in her vehicle! I was just kind of standing there staring at the two of them when here came my neighbors in their car, pulling into their driveway, which was vacant because the van was parked on my lawn. They got out and helped a third person out of the car, and it was a very elderly lady from my parish. It’s a huge parish, and we’d never really known each other, but we did recognize each other, and we boh waved. I started forward, to go say hello to her, but the woman grabbed the child and shoved past me, and the neighbor man grabbed the elderly lady and half-shoved, half-carried her into the house, and they all vanished. I’ve not seen that elder lady anywhere, not here nor in the parish, ever since then.
I’ve felt uneasy about this ever since it happened. Can someone tell me if it was illegal? Should I have called the police?
I’d really appreciate whatever information you could provide.
I’ve lived for many years in a mobile home park where the houses are very close together. Several years ago an elderly couple moved in next door. For various reasons, I assumed they belonged to a large well-respected evangelical church here in town but I was mistaken: they belong to a denomination that isn’t evangelical. This couple tried endlessly to bulldoze me into giving them personal information about myself that was none of their business, and to get “chummy” with me when I just wanted to keep my distance. As a convert, I’ve always tried to be loving and tolerant of other faiths, and in addition, I haven’t wanted to complain because their front door is 10 feet from my back door and in a living situation like this it wouldn’t be any too smart to start trouble. And to be frank, I’m afraid of them. A couple times in the past, I did try to talk to them about some of the things that have gone on, but the man came right into my face, just a couple of inches away, very righteous, and backed me down the driveway.
Some time ago, I was out front doing chores when a van came into the cul-de-sac and drove up onto my lawn, right in front of where I was working. I was rather shocked at this, and as soon as the woman driving got out I asked her to please not park on my lawn. She kind of looked at me without seeing me, like she was really distracted or distraught, so I asked her again if she would please move her car off my lawn. She got in and drove away. A couple minutes later she was back again and parked in exactly the same spot, and this time she refused to move. While I stood there, she pulled open the sliding door of the van and lo and behold, a tiny little girl hopped out. She was one of the most adorable-looking children I’ve ever seen: as neat and clean as a pin, and all dressed up with every article of clothing coordinated and in lovely colors. She talked with a lisp, and couldn’t have been more than 4 or 5. I thought she must be the driver’s grandchild, but then the woman began talking to her, asking her what her name was and if she went to nursery school, etc. This woman was driving around with a completely strange child in her vehicle! I was just kind of standing there staring at the two of them when here came my neighbors in their car, pulling into their driveway, which was vacant because the van was parked on my lawn. They got out and helped a third person out of the car, and it was a very elderly lady from my parish. It’s a huge parish, and we’d never really known each other, but we did recognize each other, and we boh waved. I started forward, to go say hello to her, but the woman grabbed the child and shoved past me, and the neighbor man grabbed the elderly lady and half-shoved, half-carried her into the house, and they all vanished. I’ve not seen that elder lady anywhere, not here nor in the parish, ever since then.
I’ve felt uneasy about this ever since it happened. Can someone tell me if it was illegal? Should I have called the police?
I’d really appreciate whatever information you could provide.
