Is it a sin to buy from a lemonade stand?

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Well, I can’t say I didn’t expect such a response to the question. 😃 I realize that this is a really stupid question, but it’s getting at something more. The gist of the question is: are we morally bound to obey secular law (unless it opposes moral law, of course) even if it is something so trivial and ridiculous as is the case with buying from a lemonade stand?

Where do we draw the line as to where moral obligation exists in regards to following civil law?
 
McatholicN said:
Well, I can’t say I didn’t expect such a response to the question. 😃 I realize that this is a really stupid question, but it’s getting at something more. The gist of the question is: are we morally bound to obey secular law (unless it opposes moral law, of course) even if it is something so trivial and ridiculous as is the case with buying from a lemonade stand?

Where do we draw the line as to where moral obligation exists in regards to following civil law?
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Technically, it isn’t against the law to buy the lemonade without a permit, it’s against the to sell lemonade without a permit. So, it’s actually the little girls who are the hardened sinners.
 
McatholicN said:
Strange question, of course. As far as I know, breaking the law is a sin, and this means the technical, pointless, andor harsh ones, too. So, would a sin be committed by buying from a lemonade stand which almost certainly lacks a permit?
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Perhaps you should study the law to verify if certain small businesses do not need a permit. Perhaps if the business is held on private property, if it is operated and managed by children under 18 years old, if the business has a profit of less than $50 per year, and/or maybe if it is offered for free with voluntary donations, it does not need a permit.

Keep striving for perfection and you will spend less time in Purgatory!
 
What about the lemonade entrepreneur down the street who went through the proper channels, got a permit, got his operation inspected and licensed by the board of health, makes sure to do background checks on his staff, pays social security taxes and provides insurance for his workers, uses sustainably harvested fair trade organic lemons, etc.

I think you would be morally remiss in patronizing the unlicensed lemonade stand, who is able to undercut the legitimate, licensed purveryor precisely because he didn’t do all the right stuff.

Besides do you really want to catch salmonella or Asian citrus psyllid or whatever from some kid selling unlicensed lemonade?
 
Bobby_Jim said:
What about the lemonade entrepreneur down the street who went through the proper channels, got a permit, got his operation inspected and licensed by the board of health, makes sure to do background checks on his staff, pays social security taxes and provides insurance for his workers, uses sustainably harvested fair trade organic lemons, etc.
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With all that effort and overheads. I doubt i would be able to afford a glass of his lemonade.
 
Lemonade stands may be legally operated by children without permits, regardless of the occasional bozo cop who thinks otherwise. Anytime someone shuts one down a major flap ensues and the nation voices the right of children to run lemonade stands. So, yes, it is entirely permissible to buy lemonade from a lemonade stand.

A better question is whether or not it is a sin to pay a lawn service which is not legally established. They often pay no taxes and operate off the radar.
 
I think it takes a bit of vigilance on our part not to hold various silly or inconvenient laws in a sort of disgust. That disgust can lead to our ignoring them now and then.

In a way, though, I blame those in government for this. A law ought not be so silly it inspires disgust and anger, lest it further inspire people to see even the fair and reasonable laws in the same foul light.
 
To the OP: If the local government doesn’t require a permit for minors, then there is no sin. Call your city hall to check… I’d be very interested to know what they tell you.
 
white_sheep said:
A better question is whether or not it is a sin to pay a lawn service which is not legally established. They often pay no taxes and operate off the radar.
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Would this include teens who mow lawns and get paid in cash? 😉
 
McatholicN said:
Strange question, of course. As far as I know, breaking the law is a sin, and this means the technical, pointless, andor harsh ones, too. So, would a sin be committed by buying from a lemonade stand which almost certainly lacks a permit?
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Looking at some of your previous posts, I think it is safe to say you have a serious problem with scruples.

Here is an online pdf of a booklet which you may find helpful

fatherdoyle.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/scruples-and-their-treatment.pdf
Fr Doyle didn’t just write about priests and religious, the concerns of lay people were also of importance for him. It is not very well known that he had sketched out notes for a booklet on the treatment of scruples before his death. This booklet was an adaptation of a previous French work by a Fr R.P. Dupois SJ. The manuscript for this booklet was found amongst his papers and was published after his death. Perhaps the pendulum has swung in the other direction today; instead of being scrupulous perhaps this generation has lost something of the sense of sin. Nonetheless this booklet will still be of interest to many.
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In case the pdf does not load, a link to it can be found here:

fatherdoyle.com/writings/

Good luck and God bless
 
You people are too funny! I highly doubt the God of the Universe is going to send you to the fiery pits of hell because you paid your neighbor kid 50 cents for an unlicensed glass of lemonade. It’s all under the table. Otherwise I would not be able to pay my own kid 25 cents to clean my room. Mwahahah
 
Hi!

God’s laws are not the same as laws made by people. It is God’s law that matters not whether you break a law by having a lemonaide stand when you are a kid. lol

I never ever heard that breaking the law was defiinitely a sin. It is only a sin if it is one of the ten commandments that are from God.

Kim
 
catholicgirl08 said:
Hi!

God’s laws are not the same as laws made by people. It is God’s law that matters not whether you break a law by having a lemonaide stand when you are a kid. lol

I never ever heard that breaking the law was defiinitely a sin. It is only a sin if it is one of the ten commandments that are from God.

Kim
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I think they are thinking about the part in the Bible that says to be careful to follow all the laws of the land. But that is not saying that not doing so is a sin. It is in the context of getting along with all people, and not getting put in prison for something legitimate rather than Christian persecution. So either way, that doesn’t apply to this! And BTW, it is actually impossible to obey every single law on the books. There are so many ridiculous laws. You are probably breaking one right now.
 
Hi!

Oh ok. I agree it is not a sin that was all I was really trying to say. :o

Kim
Christian4life said:
I think they are thinking about the part in the Bible that says to be careful to follow all the laws of the land. But that is not saying that not doing so is a sin. It is in the context of getting along with all people, and not getting put in prison for something legitimate rather than Christian persecution. So either way, that doesn’t apply to this! And BTW, it is actually impossible to obey every single law on the books. There are so many ridiculous laws. You are probably breaking one right now.
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A cryptic CCC passage applies:

1903
Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit means to attain it. If rulers were to enact unjust laws or take measures contrary to the moral order, such arrangements would not be binding in conscience. In such a case, “authority breaks down completely and results in shameful abuse.”
So, how do people here feel that a requirement to have a permit to operate a selling stand measures up to that paragraph?
 
Rascalking said:
Not only is it a sin, it’s a mortal sin of the worst kind. Unforgivable. People have been condemned to hell for eternity because of it. Murder? No. Adultery? No. They all take a back seat to buying Lemonade from someone without a permit.

Are you kidding me?
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:rotfl: 👍

… 🍿
 
Pug said:
So, how do people here feel that a requirement to have a permit to operate a selling stand measures up to that paragraph?
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I think have a permit is unjust. I think it prevents our natural right to engage in commerce. Anytime you have to have a permit to do something you are not free to engage in that act. Being able to trade basic food stuffs is in my mind a very fundamental right.

What bothers me is that people get outraged over proper enforcement of the law. These laws tend to have no exceptions, nor should they, if they are good laws. The laws are based on the premise that the state has a right to register any business and/or to inspect food preparation businesses for the health of the community. If the law makes sense for the local restaurant a lemonade stand, run by kids who are generally considered irresponsible under the law, should surely be under the law.

Personally I think the greatest sin is the people who support these laws and then get outraged when they are properly enforced. That is hypocrisy and supporting inequality before the law.
 
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