Which Commandment prohibits vandalism?

[kellie]

Hi all,

I have been thinking lately about the 10 Commandments, and that if everyone worldwide followed them, what a better world we would have.

But can someone explain under which Commandment vandalism is prohibited?

Would it be stealing as it is stealing the look, or functionality of an item or building?

Or are there some immoral things in this world that arent covered by these 10 famous laws?

 

[thistle]

Hi all,

I have been thinking lately about the 10 Commandments, and that if everyone worldwide followed them, what a better world we would have.

But can someone explain under which Commandment vandalism is prohibited?

Would it be stealing as it is stealing the look, or functionality of an item or building?

Or are there some immoral things in this world that arent covered by these 10 famous laws?

The 7th Commandment: You shall not steal.

Willfully destroying or defacing another’s property.

 

[vinarabo]

The 7th Commandment: You shall not steal.

Willfully destroying or defacing another’s property.

I disagree. It breaks the “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” commandment. If you love your neighbor, you would not commit vandalism or any other commandment. I believe our Blessed Lord said it best when He said. “Love others as I have loved you. This is the greatest commandment.”

Mike

 

[Della]

I disagree. It breaks the “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” commandment. If you love your neighbor, you would not commit vandalism or any other commandment. I believe our Blessed Lord said it best when He said. “Love others as I have loved you. This is the greatest commandment.”

Mike

Our Lord’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is one of the two Laws that sum up the Law (Ten Commandments) and the Prophets. The other Law of Christ is to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls. Christ in no way negated or opposed the 7th Commandment, but rather reinforced it with his summation in these two Laws of love.

 

[Fidelis]

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

**ARTICLE 7
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT **

You shall not steal.

2401 The seventh commandment forbids unjustly taking or keeping the goods of one’s neighbor and wronging him in any way with respect to his goods. It commands justice and charity in the care of earthly goods and the fruits of men’s labor. For the sake of the common good, it requires respect for the universal destination of goods and respect for the right to private property. Christian life strives to order this world’s goods to God and to fraternal charity.

2409 Even if it does not contradict the provisions of civil law, any form of unjustly taking and keeping the property of others is against the seventh commandment: thus, deliberate retention of goods lent or of objects lost; business fraud; paying unjust wages; forcing up prices by taking advantage of the ignorance or hardship of another.

*The following are also morally illicit: speculation in which one contrives to manipulate the price of goods artificially in order to gain an advantage to the detriment of others; corruption in which one influences the judgment of those who must make decisions according to law; appropriation and use for private purposes of the common goods of an enterprise; work poorly done; tax evasion; forgery of checks and invoices; excessive expenses and waste. *Willfully damaging private or public property is contrary to the moral law and requires reparation.

 

[Orionthehunter]

Do we really need a commandment to know it is wrong? God inscribed on our souls at conception the ability to know right and wrong. But because of the blindness caused by sin, God had to call Moses to the mountain to get a summary guide inscribed on stone because we needed a good knock on the head. So it is with the coming of Christ. While His Passion, Death and Resurrection had a unique and critical purpose, His Teaching and the creation of the Church were only because we were so blinded by sin that we needed a refresher/reinforcement.

While sometimes necessary to resort to the legalistic reliance on the 10 Commandments and the 2 Great Commandments, usually if we just turn our hearts to God, we can see what is right and wrong. Personally, I like to utilize Scripture as just one more way that I can be united and close to my God. The others of course are in the works I do out of love for those around me, the Priest in the celebration of the sacraments, and especially in the Eucharist.

 

[sires6]

Do we really need a commandment to know it is wrong? God inscribed on our souls at conception the ability to know right and wrong. But because of the blindness caused by sin, God had to call Moses to the mountain to get a summary guide inscribed on stone because we needed a good knock on the head. So it is with the coming of Christ. While His Passion, Death and Resurrection had a unique and critical purpose, His Teaching and the creation of the Church were only because we were so blinded by sin that we needed a refresher/reinforcement.

While sometimes necessary to resort to the legalistic reliance on the 10 Commandments and the 2 Great Commandments, usually if we just turn our hearts to God, we can see what is right and wrong. Personally, I like to utilize Scripture as just one more way that I can be united and close to my God. The others of course are in the works I do out of love for those around me, the Priest in the celebration of the sacraments, and especially in the Eucharist.

Yeah, but when you’re holding that punk up by the scruff of his neck, saying, “because God said to love your neighbor, Moron,” just flies in the face of reason!!! (hee ex-cop here)

annie

 

[Crumpy]

Some good responses here, and the more recent ones seem to approach the ‘natural law’ notion that applies here.

I’m somewhat skeptical about natural law, but the Church uses it a lot to explain things. In a casual way, I’d describe natural law as the ‘common sense’ of human relations.

Vandalism betrays the common sense, that we shouldn’t harm others or their property. If there was no such common sense, then there would be quite a free-for-all of burning each others homes, cars, and other possessions, and there’d be no end of the violence against people.

Common sense, or natural law (a law from God, revealed by our reason, not by revelation), says we should respect others and their property.

If you look at things from biological or an evolutionary point of view, destroying others’ property is not advantageous for the species to survive, and is certainly obvious if taken to extremes.

One of my pet observations since childhood, is that the world needs Christianity, just as a basis for the ‘social contract’ to get along with other people. We’d all be better off if we were all genuinely Christian disciples. I don’t know if you can say that about any other religion or political system. And, we need Christianity all the more, as the world population increases, and the resources get spread out among more people.

You know what I mean, Maynard?

 

[Valke2]

Hi all,

I have been thinking lately about the 10 Commandments, and that if everyone worldwide followed them, what a better world we would have.

But can someone explain under which Commandment vandalism is prohibited?

Would it be stealing as it is stealing the look, or functionality of an item or building?

Or are there some immoral things in this world that arent covered by these 10 famous laws?

The answer is found in Numbers (Chapter 21 I think). There’s a commandment which states that when you beseige a city you are not to cut down its trees. From this we learn that we are prohibited from committing needless destruction of property.

 

[kellie]

The answer is found in Numbers (Chapter 21 I think). There’s a commandment which states that when you beseige a city you are not to cut down its trees. From this we learn that we are prohibited from committing needless destruction of property.

Cool, thanks Valke

 

[didymus]

Some good responses here, and the more recent ones seem to approach the ‘natural law’ notion that applies here.

I’m somewhat skeptical about natural law, but the Church uses it a lot to explain things. In a casual way, I’d describe natural law as the ‘common sense’ of human relations.

Vandalism betrays the common sense, that we shouldn’t harm others or their property. If there was no such common sense, then there would be quite a free-for-all of burning each others homes, cars, and other possessions, and there’d be no end of the violence against people.

Common sense, or natural law (a law from God, revealed by our reason, not by revelation), says we should respect others and their property.

People often fail to realise that crimes against property are crimes against people.
When I saw the OP’s query I was tempted to say the fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not murder.” Vandalism is sometimes just a prank, but more often an expression of anger and hatred, intended to intimidate.