[Asurai]

Originally Posted by Loy

OK, say I have a moral perogative that forbids me from stealing. Yet, say I have two kids who are hungry, and I'm poor and the only way to put food in their mouths is to steal a loaf of bread. Is it immoral for me to steal the bread? How does one justify stealing in a case like that? Simple, "my kids were hungry". Therefore, stealing is no longer an immoral act, even though I formerly had a perogative against it.

If one would, in that case, say that stealing is an immoral act, he never held it to be truly evil; he simply believed that it was evil as long as he had no reason to commit it, and I can think of nothing more narcissitic than that.

Even in that case, stealing would be wrong. Why? Your being hungry does not give you the right to steal what belongs to someone else, even if he's Bill Gates and would never notice the loss. Again: the fact that you do not possess something, does not give you a moral blank check to take it from someone who does possess it.

(And before you pull the "you would let your kids starve" line, I answer: if it became absolutely necessary for me to steal, if nobody would extend the slightest charity by free will, then yes, I would steal a bit of bread to feed my kids, but I would still consider the act evil, I would simply willingly commit an act that I knew to be evil and hope that I'd done enough good to make up for it.)

Originally Posted by CptSternn

Never said what 'I' would do, just said what you're 'supposed' to do. What I do and how I deal with it is between me and 'my' God.

Just saying morally, there is no grey area.

I agree with Sternn on those points.

I doubt people here would have any problems with executing violent criminals

None whatsoever. Actually, every time a first-degree murderer gets off with life in prison, I lament the injustice that his life was spared.