Is it a sin to break rules prohibiting things that aren't evil in itself?

[ILoveTheLordGod]

I know it sounds stupid, but let’s take for example, a classroom policy that strictly prohibits bringing cellphones. If I bring a cellphone, do I sin or not? Bringing a cellphone is not evil in itself, but most people would say it’s still a sin in this scenario because it’s a disrespect to authority.

But then thinking of that entraps me in the thought of North Korea’s policy against Christianity and Bible smuggling. Would it be a sin of direspecting authority if a North Korean reads a Bible, which is prohibited by Kim Jong-Un himself?

Please shed some light. Thanks.

 

[Viki63]

The will of God trumps laws.
So it’s not a sin to read a Bible, even if it’s against the law.
It’s legal to abort your child, but a sin to do so.

Per the Catechism, sin is an offense against God, It is an utterance, a deed or a desire contrary to the eternal law.

Taking a cell phone to class, IMO, would be a venial sin, since it’s flouting the teacher’s or school’s rule. Unless, of course, you have a good reason: for example a need to be available to a sick family member. Your mother’s at home alone, ill, and you told her to call you if she needs help. In that case you could ask the teacher’s permission to keep your phone, and no sin occurs.
If the teacher denied your request. you would have to leave the class and go home to take care of your mother in case she needed you. See, it all depends, and charity rules.
Sin is turning your back on what God wants.

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[Piney_Woods]

I know it sounds stupid, but let’s take for example, a classroom policy that strictly prohibits bringing cellphones. If I bring a cellphone, do I sin or not? Bringing a cellphone is not evil in itself, but most people would say it’s still a sin in this scenario because it’s a disrespect to authority.

But then thinking of that entraps me in the thought of North Korea’s policy against Christianity and Bible smuggling. Would it be a sin of direspecting authority if a North Korean reads a Bible, which is prohibited by Kim Jong-Un himself?

Please shed some light. Thanks.

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it true that we are not bound to obey unjust laws (e.g. the number of people being forced out of their livelihood for not providing services for same-sex ‘wedding’ events)? I think forbidding the importation of the Holy Bible would fall in that category, whereas a teacher is well within his or her rights to ask you to leave your cell phone outside the classroom.

 

[GEddie]

As I understand it, we are to obey the rules of legitimate authority (i.e., not just some bully) unless the rule is evil, or there is serious reason not to.

The school is a legitimate authority. So unless there is a serious reason i.e. family emergency, it’s phone rules should be obeyed.

Laws banning the Scriptures need not be obeyed because such are evil.

ICXC NIKA

 

[mikekle]

As I understand it, we are to obey the rules of legitimate authority

Ive always felt that is curiously convenient for the powers that be.

I have read a good deal of the bible (not the entire bible though) and what I get from it, Gods laws are more important than mans laws, but oddly, we are told to OBEY secular authority…?? I can understand some of this, but for it to be such a ‘blanket’ statement, is beyond me, if Gods laws were the priority, why would he care about mans laws at all, or if anyone followed them?

It seems to me the bible was one thing and then later on, various ‘interpretations’ came along to ensure no threats to the secular society/ Govt would ever come about…sort of like, we are told to have complete faith and trust in God alone, but oh yeah, also make sure you follow mans law as well, make sure you pay your taxes, etc…just kind of strange a book such as the bible would be that ‘convenient’ ( or beneficial) to the secular world.

Hopefully I am getting my point across successfully, having trouble putting into words what Im saying here.

 

[Viki63]

I think I get what you’re saying, Mike. But I don’t think the Bible was corrupted by governments to encourage people to obey their laws. Catholics believe the Bible is the word of God, it’s a live thing that can influence our behavior.

Of course people in authority can misuse Scripture, as slave owners famously did. They also, you notice, forbade slaves to learn to read, because they knew there was more in the Bible than what they allowed slaves to hear in Sunday school. Things about kindness, and charity, and treating one another as brothers,

Jesus told us to pay our taxes and obey those in authority because anarchy leads to chaos, which hurts people.
If laws are wrong or unjust, we are to follow God’s laws instead. That is clear enough. But meanwhile we should obey just authorities, and if we dislike the laws, use legal methods to change them.

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[mikekle]

I think I get what you’re saying, Mike. But I don’t think the Bible was corrupted by governments to encourage people to obey their laws. Catholics believe the Bible is the word of God, it’s a live thing that can influence our behavior.

Of course people in authority can misuse Scripture, as slave owners famously did. They also, you notice, forbade slaves to learn to read, because they knew there was more in the Bible than what they allowed slaves to hear in Sunday school. Things about kindness, and charity, and treating one another as brothers,

Jesus told us to pay our taxes and obey those in authority because anarchy leads to chaos, which hurts people.
If laws are wrong or unjust, we are to follow God’s laws instead. That is clear enough. But meanwhile we should obey just authorities, and if we dislike the laws, use legal methods to change them.

.

Yes, some good points, but I do sometimes wonder, just like the slaves were prevented from learning to read (so they would not discover the other things), keep the ‘machine’ going as long as possible kind of mentality…maybe people today are being prevented from ‘reading’ as well, so to speak, as to keep the modern machine/ system, going as long as possible.

Have to keep in mind, history is only written by the victors.

This sort of thing COULD have been accomplished a number of ways and kept going, but I guess it comes down to whether you believe what the Vatican tells us is correct or not, maybe there are some ancient books, or works written that should have been included in the bible, maybe over time, those things were discouraged by our religion ( thru a third party) for a reason?

 

[Theo520]

I know it sounds stupid, but let’s take for example, a classroom policy that strictly prohibits bringing cellphones. If I bring a cellphone, do I sin or not? Bringing a cellphone is not evil in itself, but most people would say it’s still a sin in this scenario because it’s a disrespect to authority.

But then thinking of that entraps me in the thought of North Korea’s policy against Christianity and Bible smuggling. Would it be a sin of direspecting authority if a North Korean reads a Bible, which is prohibited by Kim Jong-Un himself?

Please shed some light. Thanks.

If your parents are sending you to school to learn, and they instructed you to obey your teachers, and your teachers disallow cellphones because they disrupt the learning environment, then you are disobeying your parents at the end of the day. Right?

 

[e_c]

There is actually a special virtue of knowing when and how the civil (or human) law is actually supposed to apply. It’s called “equity” (or “epikeia” if you like Greek). If a man stores his gun in a public safe, then he loses his mind, it would be wrong for the owners of the safe to give him his gun back, even though the law says they are supposed to. The law simply can’t account for every little detail of life (although the size of some of these bills going through congress would have us think differently).