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JesusS4ves
Guest
If I’m hungry I’m going to steal food to survive. I’ll break this commandment over and over again, without regret. I don’t care if it is in stone.
Would you?
Would you?
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teachccd
Guest
If you asked, I’m sure most would give you something to eat. Food is a necessity for life so willfully depriving yourself is a sin of charity against yourself. So if you were that hungry and someone refused to give you food the sin is on them. “Stealing” food for survival is not a sin. Social Justice is at play here. Stealing a candy bar from the local grocer after you already ate is a sin. Big difference.
There is always that old " Will work for food" thing.
There is always that old " Will work for food" thing.
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Danny_1
Guest
How about begging for money…that way you don’t break both civil and divine law. Getting a job always helps too.
D
Deacon_Joseph
Guest
In Biblical times, a portion of a farmer’s crops had to be set aside for the poor so they could eat. If we all did what the Bible taught, than you wouldn’t be hungry, and you wouldn’t have to steal your food.
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rwoehmke
Guest
The starving person has the right to take what food he needs from those who have excess and it is not stealing. Only the starving person can know whether bhe is justified in dointg so. Every other time I have seen this question posed on the forums, it seems everyone has to dance around and qualify the taking. People do not normally starve if any other way of getting food is available to them whether it be by working, begging or going on welfare. Starving is starving.
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BobP123
Guest
Give a man a fish and he eats only today.
Teach him how to fish and he lives many days.
Teach him how to fish and he lives many days.
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stbruno
Guest
The sad part is that in this rich country of ours, people never should have to steal to survive.
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tvdxer
Guest
If one really needed the food to survive and didn’t have any alternative, it would not be a sin to take it, and therefore not a true violation of this commandment. In fact, it would be a sin to deny the needy person one’s food.
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burnside
Guest
Our late Cardinal/Archbishop of Glasgow,Thomas Winning,
caused controversy when he said some years ago that it was not a sin to steal food in these circumstances.
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cheeto1
Guest
Of course I wouldn’t steal it. If I was hungry and in need of food,
I would be very much aware that I was in the position of handing
out blessings to all who wanted to help me. I wouldn’t stop asking, and I’d give my family first chance.
I would be very much aware that I was in the position of handing
out blessings to all who wanted to help me. I wouldn’t stop asking, and I’d give my family first chance.
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Jay2
Guest
Hope you’re wearing a Kevlar suit!
If you’ve got enough energy to steal, you’ve got enough energy to work (and ask for a shower & a meal in exchange).
C
carol_marie
Guest
good point.
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Penitant
Guest
Give a man a fire, he’ll be warm for a day.
Set a man on fire, he’ll be warm for the rest of his life.
I’m so sorry. I just had to share that.
Pax Tecum,
Zach
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Mirdath
Guest
I understand this all too well. I nearly starved to death myself when I was too proud to beg, and I truly began to learn about humility then – if I have a ‘favorite’ sin, Pride is it. And yes, that was before I became a junkie – frankly at that point, I felt my death was imminent, and could no longer take the pain. And I learned much, much more about humility under that harsh slavedriver, and even more under the whip of chronic illness. But I somehow lived, and will never ever forget the acts of kindness that kept me alive (friends terrified at how thin I was and made me a sandwich, or who understood that I could not bring myself to ask for food and let me have one precious bite of their burger, or who looked away when I miserably ‘liberated’ a few cans of tomatosauce from the co-op kitchen – I would not be alive now without them all).
I took things too far, of course. When your knees are bigger than your thighs, you can feel your spine when you press on your stomach, and your teeth show through your lips, it’s time to ask, right freaking NOW!
There need be no shame in asking. If you hunger, then you should indeed recieve. The Moralist of Galilee wasn’t only preaching to the Catholics. I am no Catholic, nor a Christian, but I love humankind with a fervor I doubt too many people really know.
Even if one hasn’t much, a little rice and salt goes a long long way to the starving. Needs do must, but one must figure out just what ‘need’ truly means. I knew I was in trouble when I fainted from hunger walking to the bus stop to get to work, and ah my Pride, it would not let me do other than quit without notice. I lay in bed, insane with hunger for days, until finally a couple friends I hadn’t seen for months came and literally carried me away (not hard, since I weighed pretty much nothing), and let me stay with them and eat for a month until I was strong enough to walk again.
I worked like mad as soon as I could and took the two of them to Hawaii for a few weeks. Totally worth it. No, I wasn’t out of hot water by any means, but I wanted them to know just how much I loved them for their kindness and caring. I still had years of pain to work through, but that will always remain a clear, sweet memory and a reminder of how much friendship is worth in every way.
If you have to, you have to, but understand just how bad ‘have to’ is. If it’s that bad, then it’s probably not all on you. Where and when I was during this time, there was a lot of hunger and privation. I remember one morning a year later, walking across the street (yeah, this is in the US) and seeing the emaciated corpse of someone who had simply died in the street the night before, obviously from sheer malnutrition and exposure. There is no excuse for this in this country, if there is one anywhere. My advice is; be kind to others, because even if only ten percent of those you showed such love return any of it when you are in terrible need, you have invested wisely.
I took things too far, of course. When your knees are bigger than your thighs, you can feel your spine when you press on your stomach, and your teeth show through your lips, it’s time to ask, right freaking NOW!
There need be no shame in asking. If you hunger, then you should indeed recieve. The Moralist of Galilee wasn’t only preaching to the Catholics. I am no Catholic, nor a Christian, but I love humankind with a fervor I doubt too many people really know.
Even if one hasn’t much, a little rice and salt goes a long long way to the starving. Needs do must, but one must figure out just what ‘need’ truly means. I knew I was in trouble when I fainted from hunger walking to the bus stop to get to work, and ah my Pride, it would not let me do other than quit without notice. I lay in bed, insane with hunger for days, until finally a couple friends I hadn’t seen for months came and literally carried me away (not hard, since I weighed pretty much nothing), and let me stay with them and eat for a month until I was strong enough to walk again.
I worked like mad as soon as I could and took the two of them to Hawaii for a few weeks. Totally worth it. No, I wasn’t out of hot water by any means, but I wanted them to know just how much I loved them for their kindness and caring. I still had years of pain to work through, but that will always remain a clear, sweet memory and a reminder of how much friendship is worth in every way.
If you have to, you have to, but understand just how bad ‘have to’ is. If it’s that bad, then it’s probably not all on you. Where and when I was during this time, there was a lot of hunger and privation. I remember one morning a year later, walking across the street (yeah, this is in the US) and seeing the emaciated corpse of someone who had simply died in the street the night before, obviously from sheer malnutrition and exposure. There is no excuse for this in this country, if there is one anywhere. My advice is; be kind to others, because even if only ten percent of those you showed such love return any of it when you are in terrible need, you have invested wisely.
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rciadan
Guest
There are no “starving” in this country. Not like in other countries. When someone tells me they are starving and I see them driving the new Jeep Cherokee, for instance, they have chosen to be hungry. The vast majority of the “poor” in this country would be the “rich” anywhere else. Even the poor here, for the most part, have homes and air conditioning, cars, telephones,etc. There are some homeless who are so truly because of mental of phisical problems, and they need to be helped; but I see so many claiming poverty who drive better cars, live in finer houses, and wear better clothes than I do! Yet they say the government owes them something.
I could be wrong; but, last I checked, “Thou shalt not steal” had a period at the end of “steal”. Stealing is stealing. A rose is a rose by any other name.** It is never not a sin**. “Social Justice” is the same reasoning that many are using as a excuse to defraud the welfare system and to break the immigration laws, etc. Hey, as long as we are hypothinising: if you are really hungry and you ask and they say no, then is it okay to rob them and take the food? No, sinning and calling it social justice is the height of hypocrisy and a mockery of true justice.
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Evan
Guest
St Thomas More wrote that a starving man should
- Look for work
- Ask for food
- Go to the Church
If God, after exploring all those channels, does not provide you with food, it may be His way of saying “Come Home”.
L
LDNCatholic
Guest
If a starving person (i.e. someone who is actually suffering starvation, not someone who skipped lunch or is on some insane diet to serve their own vanity) steals food to feed himself or those dependant on him, then God will forgive him. A loving God would not condemn a man for nourishing himself in desperate circumstances (I hope).
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baltobetsy
Guest
From the CCC:
Betsy
Emphasis mine.
Betsy
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BlestOne
Guest
Like Mirdeth, I too understand the pride involved in poverty and starving because you are too proud to ask for help. While stealing is wrong, I do see the need to be able to identify a person that needs help and get them the help I needed.
A few people tried to help me in my time of need. It is a shame it wasn’t my own family. I used to eat 2-4 meals per week. A meal was a box of mac and cheese(4 for $1) mixed with a can of cream soup(5 for $1). It was actually 2 meals not one, and never eaten on consecutive days. I can honestly say my grocery bill was 45 cents a week for a few months. The problem with the way some try to help is that it just doesn’t work. My bf’s mother saw that I was starving and her way of helping was to invite me to dinner on weekends. I couldn’t eat that second meal she tried to serve me because I couldn’t eat 2 days in a row. God Bless her Heart for trying, but it just didn’t work.
If you really want to help the starving, perhaps you could befriend the person and find out why. I know it wasn’t from lack of trying to get a job on my part, but have you ever seen anyone hire someone while they have their leg in a cast? Once you are hired…fine, but you simply will not get hired while you have a noticeable infirmity. (We won’t even go into what it takes to get medical care when you have no money).
When I finally totally ran out of money to eat, I can still remember spending my last dime on a piece of Jolly Rancher candy and I made that last 2 days as well! After that… I stole my roommates toothpaste and ate that… an inch a day. At least I had fresh breath as I starved! I tried to apply for food stamps and a medical card… but back then I was told flat out that I was the “wrong” nationality to receive these things… NO LIE!!! Apparently a white girl can’t possibly starve to death.
Thankfully the cast came off and within a week I was working in a restaurant so I could eat. At first, every time I ate, I vomited it right back up. But at least I was eating.
If just one person had the faith that I could still clean a house or do odd jobs, even with a cast on, I would never have gotten to that point. If people didn’t put their heads in the sand so much, they might have noticed that educated white girls can starve. I don’t regret what I went through, because I proved what I can endure. What I wish I had known then was how to ask for help, because I truly didn’t know how. Another thing I wish I knew then… that pride isn’t just a deadly sin… it can just be deadly.
The biggest thing is that nobody should ever have to steal food to survive… but whether it be pride, or ignorance or anything else, we don’t always know how to get the help we need. Be a good steward… look for opportunities to help others to help themselves. Take a chance on someone that “needs” the job…not just wants it… Be a friend and really listen to people. Let God guide your heart!!!
A few people tried to help me in my time of need. It is a shame it wasn’t my own family. I used to eat 2-4 meals per week. A meal was a box of mac and cheese(4 for $1) mixed with a can of cream soup(5 for $1). It was actually 2 meals not one, and never eaten on consecutive days. I can honestly say my grocery bill was 45 cents a week for a few months. The problem with the way some try to help is that it just doesn’t work. My bf’s mother saw that I was starving and her way of helping was to invite me to dinner on weekends. I couldn’t eat that second meal she tried to serve me because I couldn’t eat 2 days in a row. God Bless her Heart for trying, but it just didn’t work.
If you really want to help the starving, perhaps you could befriend the person and find out why. I know it wasn’t from lack of trying to get a job on my part, but have you ever seen anyone hire someone while they have their leg in a cast? Once you are hired…fine, but you simply will not get hired while you have a noticeable infirmity. (We won’t even go into what it takes to get medical care when you have no money).
When I finally totally ran out of money to eat, I can still remember spending my last dime on a piece of Jolly Rancher candy and I made that last 2 days as well! After that… I stole my roommates toothpaste and ate that… an inch a day. At least I had fresh breath as I starved! I tried to apply for food stamps and a medical card… but back then I was told flat out that I was the “wrong” nationality to receive these things… NO LIE!!! Apparently a white girl can’t possibly starve to death.
Thankfully the cast came off and within a week I was working in a restaurant so I could eat. At first, every time I ate, I vomited it right back up. But at least I was eating.
If just one person had the faith that I could still clean a house or do odd jobs, even with a cast on, I would never have gotten to that point. If people didn’t put their heads in the sand so much, they might have noticed that educated white girls can starve. I don’t regret what I went through, because I proved what I can endure. What I wish I had known then was how to ask for help, because I truly didn’t know how. Another thing I wish I knew then… that pride isn’t just a deadly sin… it can just be deadly.
The biggest thing is that nobody should ever have to steal food to survive… but whether it be pride, or ignorance or anything else, we don’t always know how to get the help we need. Be a good steward… look for opportunities to help others to help themselves. Take a chance on someone that “needs” the job…not just wants it… Be a friend and really listen to people. Let God guide your heart!!!
V
vern_humphrey
Guest
No, I’d get a job and buy my food.
Stealing, you know, is a form of rationing – the strong and quick get the food, the elderly and infirm go without. New Orleans during Katrina was a case in point.
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