Taking down a poster a sin?

[strngrnrth]

If you were walking by a public bulletin board and saw an ad for a job for kids, and you knew the person who put it up was a violent convicted child molester, and the address to “try out” for the “job” was his house on the edge of town, would you feel content to post your own message, knowing he might tear yours down? Or would it seem more responsible to remove the lure from where vulnerable eyes could see it? Bear in mind he doesn’t own the board. It’s public property, yours as much as his. What has greater moral importance: ownership of a bit of posterboard or the safety of the innocent?

 

[TOP]

So by some statements here, it’s okay to steal and vandalize, if YOU don’t agree with it. Nice.
So if I have a sticker on my car for a candidate you disagree with strongly, you have the right to remove it?
No wonder Christians get labeled intolerant and crazy.
From both this forum, and several protestant forums I visit, I will say that it is good that I am firmly grounded in my faith.

If I were NOT already Christian, coming from a religious-less or pagan backgroundand, and were investigating it with genuine interest, I can say almost certainly that I would NOT choose to follow it, based on such mess as this.

We all need to think about how our actions look to others, BEFORE we act.

Based on the assassination of the poster by a 16 y.o… The horror.

 

[coleraine]

It costs money to make those posters, and it does not belong to you. That is vandalism and it is illegal.

~Liza

im not saying that commiting a crime is ok…but come on. we cant go by the laws of man (by this i mean government) over the lwas of god. it would have a purpose to tear it down. sometimes, you have to look at things through the eyes of faith, and not through the united states law making system.

-coleraine

 

[coleraine]

Stealing, defamation of property, ect…

I am assuming that this poster ‘offends’ you.
By this, then it is fine for a non Christian to pull down and
destroy pro Catholic or Christian advertisements, if they
are ‘offended’.
Why not ask to create your own display a/b why this
movie is not a good choice? Offer other, better options.
IMO, this is a much finer way to handle such things.

the catholic faith is the true faith. non-christians may have reasons for wanting the poster down, but they dont belong to the true faith. they may be offended, true, but it wouldnt really matter as much as a catholic being legitametly offended.

 

[TOP]

This confused public high school is now ready to start a “bible literacy” class. I just found out about this tonight. I asked my son “based on what bible and who’s interuptation?”. He could not comment on that yet as they are just introducing the idea to students. Notice, nothing has been said to the parents. I’m sure there will be more to come on this one. You folks have to realize this is a backwoods WV high school that plays by its own rules. So your idea’s of civility may not apply. Tim

 

[blacktiger057]

For the record, my 16 y.o. son already did this and I can’t fault him because I would have done the same. But I would also take the punishment for it as well. I see a conflict still. Was there not just a feast day for a martyred Saint who tried to stop a procession for a pagan god? Was he sinning as well?

You need to be a lot more tolerant. I don’t go down my school halls ripping up all Christian posters about God I see. Just leave it alone! How can it bother you that much?! Live and let live, for once!

Yeah, I think it was wrong for a Christian to disrupt someone else’s worship. But I also think it was wrong when the Christian was killed. But life was violent back then…Two wrongs do not make a right. Both sides did something wrong. But today, while it is very common for Christians to disrupt public pagan ceremonies, we pagans certainly refrain from killing them. Times have changed since two thousand years. The point being, you must learn to increase your tolerance.

 

[Mirdath]

the catholic faith is the true faith. non-christians may have reasons for wanting the poster down, but they dont belong to the true faith. they may be offended, true, but it wouldnt really matter as much as a catholic being legitametly offended.

So basically you’re saying that all non-Catholics are subhuman and don’t matter as much as you and your club?

 

[blacktiger057]

the catholic faith is the true faith. non-christians may have reasons for wanting the poster down, but they dont belong to the true faith. they may be offended, true, but it wouldnt really matter as much as a catholic being legitametly offended.

It’s people like this who make catholics look bad. What you basically said was that if a catholic is offended, it matters much more than if a jew is offended. Totally ridiculous…very sad if you actually think that

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

If a public high school put up an “anti-christian” poster, in this case a poster for the movie “Golden Compass”, would it be a sin to take it down and throw it away? Thanks, Tim

Based on Jesus kicking the money changers out of the temple, I honestly believe that Jesus would tear down that sign out of righteous anger. Also, check the sign to see if it has your school’s approval stamp on it. In most high schools today something can not be posted with permission or at least acknowledgment by the office which is done with a rubber stamp, usually in the lower left hand corner. If it does, go to the office with your own posters for your church Easter musical. If they reject it, contact a lawyer, and take a picture of the offending poster for your lawyer. Be sure the school knows that you consider the poster to be “anit-chrisitan”, they will likely remove it themselves. Once you explain the nature of the authors’ books.

 

[TC2]

It’s things like this that make Christians look bad.
Everyone else must be tolerant of Christianity, but
Christianity doesn’t have to do the same?

Don’t like the books/movies/posters? Don’t watch/read/look.
Offer folks other alternatives, with a kind heart, not by sneakily
removing such things.
Did your son admit what he did? Why not? If it were the right thing to do, then he should stand up for it, loud and proud.
And also deal with the consequences of stealing. Because, like it or not, it’s what he did.

 

[jmcrae]

It’s things like this that make Christians look bad.
Everyone else must be tolerant of Christianity, but
Christianity doesn’t have to do the same?

You’re kidding, right? We’ve been taking and taking and taking these insults for years - the Lord’s Prayer is banned because it’s a Christian prayer; the Ten Commandments are removed from court houses because they come from the Christian God; the word “Christmas” is banned because it contains the name “Christ”; Christian children and young people can’t study the Bible, or discuss religion, or wear crosses in public because others will be offended (but nobody is offended by Jews wearing yarmulkas, or by Muslims stopping to kneel on their prayer rugs and pray every three hours) - every time I turn around there’s a “science special” on that speculates in serious tones about how something about my faith probably isn’t really true (although there’s no evidence either way) - and now they have this movie and these books out that portray the Magisterium of the Catholic Church as child murderers or whatever, and again, we’re just supposed to smile and take it.

If Muslims or Jews get mad, everyone falls all over themselves making it right, but when we get mad, we’re the intolerant ones? Huh-uh.

I’m glad that kid took the posters down at his school. It’s a step in the right direction.

 

[TOP]

It’s things like this that make Christians look bad.
Everyone else must be tolerant of Christianity, but
Christianity doesn’t have to do the same?

Don’t like the books/movies/posters? Don’t watch/read/look.
Offer folks other alternatives, with a kind heart, not by sneakily
removing such things.
Did your son admit what he did? Why not? If it were the right thing to do, then he should stand up for it, loud and proud.
And also deal with the consequences of stealing. Because, like it or not, it’s what he did.

I can always have him tape a quarter to the wall for payment in damage’s. I told him that if he felt he should hide it then he has to work this out in his conscience. He said that he would tell his Principal because, “my Principal wouldn’t care anyways” then went on to tell me that in advisery class, they where feeling out the students about starting a “bible literacy” class. This high school is a little confused. I asked him “what bible they would use and who’s interuptation?”. He could not answer that. I guess if it’s ok to kill God, it’s ok to remake Him in our image!? I think this is the program they are looking at. bibleliteracy.org/Site/index2.htm?gclid=CI2-gd-dpZACFR9cIgodNlb_pg

 

[TOP]

It’s things like this that make Christians look bad.
Everyone else must be tolerant of Christianity, but
Christianity doesn’t have to do the same?

Don’t like the books/movies/posters? Don’t watch/read/look.
Offer folks other alternatives, with a kind heart, not by sneakily
removing such things.
Did your son admit what he did? Why not? If it were the right thing to do, then he should stand up for it, loud and proud.
And also deal with the consequences of stealing. Because, like it or not, it’s what he did.

How “loud and proud” was St. Paul in this case? (Cor 11:32 At Damascus, the governor of the nation under Aretas the king, guarded the city of the Damascenes, to apprehend me. 33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and so escaped his hands.)

 

[Sir_Knight]

You asked about going to the confessional while at the same time still defending these actions. I see a conflict there. One confesses sins that they are truly sorry for. How sorry can one be if they still defend the actions done?

 

[Mirdath]

How “loud and proud” was St. Paul in this case? (Cor 11:32 At Damascus, the governor of the nation under Aretas the king, guarded the city of the Damascenes, to apprehend me. 33 And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and so escaped his hands.)

Not very. 1 Cor 11:30: If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Are you comparing your son’s petty vandalism to Paul’s escape from a vengeful governor? Overdramatizing things just a tad, are we?

 

[MH84]

If a public high school put up an “anti-christian” poster, in this case a poster for the movie “Golden Compass”, would it be a sin to take it down and throw it away? Thanks, Tim

Tim, I understand the dilemma you are going through. I myself in a university, saw the misuse of an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. What I did was rip them down, then I emailed the leader of the guild group telling him I was offended as would be other Catholics. He basically said that he did not intend to offend etc. and then he offereed to take them down, but he couldnt find them anymore . Someone must have taken them down already :dts:.

However, **if **I could distinguish your case it would be that the Golden Compass doesnt seem to be an outright “anti-Christian” movie. But I could be wrong.

I would advise you to complain first to the relevant authority, and get permission to take the posters down if you can. Or even better, approach those first who put the posters up in person or by phone or by email if you are comfortable. (Just dont be a martyr over this issue ) Otherwise, you may end up sinning. For starters, you dont know the intention of the people putting them up, you may find yourself enjoying tearing down someone elses property without their permission, also if you are a well known Catholic some people might accuse you of bad intentions.

Tim, I know some people here do not support what you’ve done/ or about to do, but I for one understand that you want to do the right thing. Just make sure that you dont do this for the sake of rebellion, but as a service to God. Good on you.

 

[TOP]

You asked about going to the confessional while at the same time still defending these actions. I see a conflict there. One confesses sins that they are truly sorry for. How sorry can one be if they still defend the actions done?

The op was if this was a sin or not. I didn’t ask how I felt about this. Tim

 

[TOP]

Not very. 1 Cor 11:30: If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

Are you comparing your son’s petty vandalism to Paul’s escape from a vengeful governor? Overdramatizing things just a tad, are we?

Not just a tad, but alot. . Next would have been about how Jesus passed through the crowd that tried to seize him. Tim

 

[Sir_Knight]

The op was if this was a sin or not. I didn’t ask how I felt about this. Tim

You asked here if it should be brought up in the confessional …

… should it be brought up in the confessional?

… why would one confess something if they felt that it was not wrong? Asking the question of whether it should be confessed, implies that one believes that there action was sinful. If it wasn’t sinful, then there would be no reason to confess it.

 

[TOP]

You asked here if it should be brought up in the confessional …
… why would one confess something if they felt that it was not wrong? Asking the question of whether it should be confessed, implies that one believes that there action was sinful. If it wasn’t sinful, then there would be no reason to confess it.

Yes, 13 post’s after the op. And as the father of the cuprit, I have only some influence of the formation of his conscience at this time. Again, how I feel about it doesn’t make it a sin or not. Tim