How far must rules be obeyed?

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Box_Car_Racer

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Alright, I’m just wondering if it’s ok to disobey minor rules/laws. To give examples, skateboarding on school grounds on weekends or during the summer (hey, at least we wont get run over, right?), skateboarding in apartments (pretty much the only place where you will find stairs besides offices), bringing water guns to school, and eating or listening to music in class if your teacher lets you or doesnt care.
 
Box Car Racer:
Alright, I’m just wondering if it’s ok to disobey minor rules/laws…
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It can be, if obedience to such would impede a more necessary good. Example, the speed limit in the city is 30 MPH on most streets, however, if I am rushing someone to the emergency room I would be justified in exceeding this limit (while still driving carefully, of course.) The examples you cite do not seem to serve any greater necessary good.
Box Car Racer:
…To give examples, skateboarding on school grounds on weekends or during the summer (hey, at least we wont get run over, right?)…
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Schools don’t ban skating because they don’t want you to enjoy yourself, they ban it because injuries on school grounds can leave the school open to liability; because skateboards damage property that the schools have to spend time and money repairing or replacing (time and money that could have been used more profitably elsewhere); and because schools care for the physical safety of children. These hazards and damages do not cease to occur during weekends or summers.
Box Car Racer:
…skateboarding in apartments (pretty much the only place where you will find stairs besides offices)…
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Landlords generally do not care to have their property damaged or to be exposed to civil liability any more than do schools, and tennants who pay rent have the right to enjoy a peaceful and safe home.
Box Car Racer:
…bringing water guns to school…
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Unless your school has allowed for this in some controlled environment, such as a PE class, please leave such toys at home. There is no reason that someone who has spent considerable time writing some assignment and considerable money on books should have to tolerate those being soaked just because some classmate wanted to play with beach toys in school.
Box Car Racer:
…and eating or listening to music in class if your teacher lets you or doesnt care.
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This may not be objectionable if it is not distracting to others, if you clean up your mess, and if you bring enough to share with everybody.
 
One always needs to care about the rights of the others and about his own attitude towards rules.

For example, crossing the street on red light when there are absolutely no cars coming is legal in some countries but illegal in others. Personally, I think it should be legal but shouldn’t make an argument against a driver who hadn’t been noticed by an injured jay-walking pedestrian. Still, I will tend to stand and wait if there’s no hurry (for the sake of practicing humility and obedience to the rules), but I won’t if I’m in a hurry.

Next example: my country’s law says you can only use more or less the same kind of weapons if you’re attacked by someone. Or barely sufficient for the purpose of defending yourself. Still, I’d rather have more certainty and I’d rather risk the assailant’s health or life than mine. I firmly believe a woman should be excused for killing a rapist wannabie and anyone should be excused for seriously maiming an armed robber, an arsonist etc. It’s criminal law and not a civil lawsuit and we are punishing people, so we should apply a subjective measure (someone thought he/she was in danger) rather than objective (someone thought he/she was in danger but the assailant was a sissy playing tough or a guy with a water gun looking real – who looks out for such things when being threatened, for decency’s sake?!).

But regulations which are not contrary to their own purpose in the given situation, don’t require you to commit a sin… that’s a tougher matter.
 
As a parent, I give my child freedom based on his level of responsibility. That responsibility is measured in inches – before I will leave him on his own for a weekend, I’ll leave him at home alone for an hour. If he can handle that responsibility, I will leave him for a few hours, or overnight, working up to the time when he has demonstrated he is responsible to care for our home while mom and dad take off on a weekend…

Jesus taught us of the servant who was rewarded with his master said “you were faithful over small things, I will make you ruler over many”.

Some young people want to instantly jump to being treated as a responsible adult, yet, have not learned to be faithful over the small things. By keeping rules set by those in authority over you (parents, schools, city officials) – even those that seem small – you prove to yourself and others that you CAN be trusted.

The rules are there for a reason, understanding that is a sign of maturity
 
Alright, I can understand stuff like speeding and littering, but I just don’t get skating. You guys have no idea how hard it is to find a good set where there is not a no trespassing sign. (a set=stairs). There are specific factors, like how many steps, how wide, and how tall. This will determine how hard it is to jump or trick over it. If I keep skating on little wimpy stairs, I’ll never advance. If I try one that’s too big, I’ll be too scared. Isn’t it okay just to skate there until they tell you otherwise? Please, my friends are getting better and I want to get better too.
 
As long as the rules are not in violation of the moral law, you are bound by pain of sin to obey them.
 
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Trelow:
As long as the rules are not in violation of the moral law, you are bound by pain of sin to obey them.
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:yup: :clapping: 👋
Can ya tell I agree??
~ Kathy ~
 
😦 then how am I supposed to get better? That really bites that I’m going to be the only one to ever suck at my favorite sport just because some people felt like making some rules. It just doesn’t seem like something God would force you to do. I know this seems whiney but what would you do if you couldn’t play golf or whatever you love to do in your favorite field or wherever and you wouldn’t get better just because some people said no? It’s just something so natural, going out to skate at schools and apartments. How can something thats such a huge part of being a kid be wrong? Not even rule makers follow little rules.
 
Where I live, the mayor got together with the kids and asked them what they wanted. The kids gave the mayor some suggestions

Then city did what the kids suggested. The city built a skateboard park, opened a youth center, and with volunteer help, built a dirt bike track.

Also, the mayor designated a parking lot where the kids can hang out with their cars in the evening.

My suggestion is to form a group, meet with the mayor, and ask the mayor for help.

(Incidently, it is not a sin to disregard someone else’s arbitrary rules.)
 
Well, for one, a skatepark is not the same. There may not be the number of stairs you need, if there are any. Also, the skating is different. Park skating is closer to vert, which is what Tony Hawk does. There are too many ramps and stuff. The other kind of skating, street skating is what you see in most videos nowadays. The perfect environment for it is well, you guessed it, things not designed with skating in mind. Where to find it? Where people may not want you. I know you’re thinking just learn to vert, but street and vert are waaay different, they’re almost like different sports. Competitions are actually divided into vert and street. In street you get to be creative and hang with your friends at different spots. If you get bored of a spot you just move on. To recreate that you would have to build like a million spots. Secondly, do cheap laws count as arbitrary?
 
Box Car Racer:
Well, for one, a skatepark is not the same. There may not be the number of stairs you need, if there are any. Also, the skating is different. Park skating is closer to vert, which is what Tony Hawk does. There are too many ramps and stuff. The other kind of skating, street skating is what you see in most videos nowadays. The perfect environment for it is well, you guessed it, things not designed with skating in mind. Where to find it? Where people may not want you. I know you’re thinking just learn to vert, but street and vert are waaay different, they’re almost like different sports. Competitions are actually divided into vert and street. In street you get to be creative and hang with your friends at different spots. If you get bored of a spot you just move on. To recreate that you would have to build like a million spots. Secondly, do cheap laws count as arbitrary?
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Arbitrary or not, as long as they are not in conflict with the moral law, we are bound to obay them.
 
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Trelow:
Arbitrary or not, as long as they are not in conflict with the moral law, we are bound to obay them.
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If you can’t follow “little” rules, what happens when the “big” ones come into play? Soon you find excuse for not following all sorts of rules and the result can be unpleasant.
~ Kathy ~
 
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Katie1723:
If you can’t follow “little” rules, what happens when the “big” ones come into play? Soon you find excuse for not following all sorts of rules and the result can be unpleasant.
~ Kathy ~
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1. The authority of the Church is the only authority which is directly intended to help us attain eternal happiness with God in Heaven​

  1. All other authorities are intended for the earthly good of man
  2. All authority in Heaven and on earth is given to Jesus Christ - He is the true Ruler of Church and State alike; and of all the authorities within them. It is because He is our Lord, that all commands and rules which do not conflict with His Will, are to be obeyed. He Himself was obedient to the Will of His Father in Heaven. The more we seek to obey Him, the more we will want to. Obedience makes what was objectionable, easy.
  3. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” - there is any number of ways to do this. Paying taxes is one - obeying traffic laws is another: IOW, obeying all the rules to which we are subject. ##
 
My advice is to offer your hobby/sport up to our Lord. Look at what you are doing, we are commanded to do everything to the Glory of God - does breaking the law to do better skate tricks bring any glory to God? Pray about it, practice every way you can without breaking laws (go to the dumb skateparks) and if you are called to be a skater who needs training on a million kinds of stairs, God WILL provide a way for you to do it. When you are tempted to break a law, offer that suffering up – you will find a new outlook on every single aspect of your life. Maybe you could start a skate night at your Parish? Meet other Catholic skaters for fellowship?
 
Box Car Racer:
Alright, I can understand stuff like speeding and littering, but I just don’t get skating. You guys have no idea how hard it is to find a good set where there is not a no trespassing sign. (a set=stairs). There are specific factors, like how many steps, how wide, and how tall. This will determine how hard it is to jump or trick over it. If I keep skating on little wimpy stairs, I’ll never advance. If I try one that’s too big, I’ll be too scared. Isn’t it okay just to skate there until they tell you otherwise? Please, my friends are getting better and I want to get better too.
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Perhaps it would help to look at this from the another angle. What would you think of someone who took your skateboard without your permission and used it in such a way that it became damaged and less safe for you to use (requiring you to spend your own money to repair or replace it.) When you object to this abuse of your skateboard this person responds that he or she needs to keep using and damaging your skateboard or this person will not advance. (Your skateboard is just the right difficulty to use. Other skateboards are too wimpy or too hard.) Would it be okay for people to abuse your skateboard in this manner without your permission until you tell them not to?

The purpose of stairs is not to provide an arena for skateboards, but to provide a safe ascent and descent for pedestrians. In my church and school we have slippery spots where skateboards leave some kind of residue on the steps. We have had to repair and replace banisters and railings damaged by skateboards, and the edges of some of our older concrete stairs are showing signs of crumbling where skaters use them. Do you want to help pay for these repairs and cleanups?
 
Box Car Racer:
Isn’t it okay just to skate there until they tell you otherwise?
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Well, it seems they HAVE told you otherwise. A “No Skateboarding” or “No Trespassing” sign is, indeed, telling you to move on. If you are skating on someone else’s property (whether it be the city, or private property), they have the right to tell you that you cannot be there, or that you cannot do certain things there. It is just a fact of living in a civil society. Instead of whining that you aren’t allowed to do as you wish, why not do as another poster suggested and get a group together and approach the landlord or city council about possibly creating some kind of agreement to be able to use the facilities you like. You (or your parents, more likely) would have to sign contracts stating you are responsible for damages, etc, but you are more likely to succeed that way than by whining about how unfair things are.
 
Alright here goes, I didn’t use quotes, but you will know what I am talking about.
  1. What if you are skating there and nobody tells you anything even if there are signs. Somebody tells you something, you leave, that simple. There are spots where nobody has told me anything.
  2. The city would never do anything like that because a lot of people are messed up and you barely touch their drive way and they want to blow you up. There are too many of those people to be outnumbered by skaters.
  3. Yes, I would be willing to pitch in a few bucks for repairs and paint jobs. They should put a sign up list or something and when you use the spot you pay like 50 cents or something. Damage it, you pay so and so.
  4. How is that not loving my neighbor? Isn’t that their fault for being greedy with their property? I don’t graffiti things or break benches. They should get after people who do it, not people who want to skate.
  5. What if you aren’t damaging the property? What if you’re just jumping stairs? You aren’t de-painting any rails of anything. All you’re hitting is concrete when you land.
 
Box Car Racer:
Alright here goes, I didn’t use quotes, but you will know what I am talking about.
  1. What if you are skating there and nobody tells you anything even if there are signs. Somebody tells you something, you leave, that simple. There are spots where nobody has told me anything.
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So if there is a sign saying “No shooting of homeless peoples feet” and I just shot their feet until someone told me to stop, then left, then it should be ok?
  1. The city would never do anything like that because a lot of people are messed up and you barely touch their drive way and they want to blow you up. There are too many of those people to be outnumbered by skaters.
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You don’t know until you ask. Collect siginatures, see if you can get your local board shop to underwrite a portion of it in exchange for exclusive rights to advertise, and so forth. What is wrong for one to want others to respect their private property? Would you appreciate it if some stranger would just start fussing around with your stuff?
  1. Yes, I would be willing to pitch in a few bucks for repairs and paint jobs. They should put a sign up list or something and when you use the spot you pay like 50 cents or something. Damage it, you pay so and so.
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Just because I’m willing to help pay the doctors bills is it ok for me to shoot an unwilling person in the foot? Should they have to wear a can around their neck so I can drop $20 in every time I want to shoot their foot?
  1. How is that not loving my neighbor? Isn’t that their fault for being greedy with their property? I don’t graffiti things or break benches. They should get after people who do it, not people who want to skate.
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Dang people not wanting their foot shot, shouldn’t they be more upset with those who want to knife their ears?
  1. What if you aren’t damaging the property? What if you’re just jumping stairs? You aren’t de-painting any rails of anything. All you’re hitting is concrete when you land.
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What if I wasn’t actually shooting his, foot, just shooting near and around it?

Here is a simple rule; if you have to ask, it’s most likely the prompting of the Holy Sprit.
 
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