4 ms·

Actually, for a person who considers themselves a good Christian ("he takes pride in being a more responsible person than his parents—paying his bills on time,

Actually, for a person who considers themselves a good Christian ("he takes pride in being a more responsible person than his parents—paying his bills on time, going to church on Sunday, and taking care of those close to him") that threat is kind of hypocritical. The truly correct outcome would have all the stolen money back to the victims (together with their wasted time and moral damage), and safeguards placed to make sure this never happens again. Ruining someone's life would serve no purpose in that direction. EDIT: Since people have trouble understanding my point: it's not justice (morally or legally) to ruin someone's life. This guy isn't a hero for making a threat. He's a hero for making a change which would actually help other people.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
frgtpsswrdlame 9y ago
>safeguards placed to make sure this never happens again Safeguards are great but there should be a penalty for bypassing them, we need to take people who commit crimes like this and throw them in prison.
- rootlocus 9y ago
  If they don't work, they're not actually safeguards.
cgmg 9y ago
Haha, what? Please explain how ruining someone's life, which he believes deserves to be ruined due to their taking advantage of the poor, is 'hypocritical'.
- rootlocus 9y ago
  Christians are supposed to turn the other cheek not slap back. You either take a vengeful stance and declare you want payback, or you take a pious stance and abide by whatever your religion tells you. Taking both is hypocritical.
  - burkaman 9y ago
    "But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise." I don't think anybody here really understands what you're arguing for. Maybe you can rephrase it?
  - grasshopperpurp 9y ago
    The verse deals with insult, not injury. >Striking on the right cheek refers to a back-handed slap to the face. In Jesus' time, and still today in the Middle East, such a gesture is one of the highest forms of contempt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_5:39 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_5:39
marnett 9y ago
don't forget Jesus' rage at the tax collector.
- djrogers 9y ago
  You've got your stories a little mixed up - Jesus ate with a tax collector and showed brotherly love for one whom society saw as evil. He expressed his rage at the money changers and merchants in the temple, those who commercialized a place of worship.
username223 9y ago
The Lord our God is hardly a stranger to raining down holy vengeance upon those who defy His will. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." (EDIT: I'm an atheist, but there's wisdom in the Bible.) EDIT: "This guy isn't a hero for making a threat. He's a hero for making a change which would actually help other people." Please don't downvote this person.
- rootlocus 9y ago
  There's a lot of fucked up shit in the old testament, including stoning your children if they misbehave.
  - will_brown 9y ago
    How about the New Testament when Jesus cleaned the temple by over turning the tables of money changers and accusing them of turning the temple into a den of thieves. Interpret the threat of ruining lives however you like, but at the end of the day the man conducted a factual investigation and turned over the information he collected to proper authorities. Seems proportional to someone threatening to rape his wife in the attempt to collect a non-existent debt. But tell us what a good Christian in your eyes is supposed to do?
    - rootlocus 9y ago
      Surely you understand I was referring to the actual threat as being hypocritical. > the man conducted a factual investigation and turned over the information he collected to proper authorities. And I agree, he is a hero for that, regardless of what religion he fancies. > Seems proportional to someone threatening to rape his wife in the attempt to collect a non-existent debt. Well, it's not actually the same guy who threatened his wife, that guy went unpunished. Moreover, it wasn't necessary to ruin Joel Tucker life. If Tucker had enough money to pay back everyone he stole without having to suffer crippling depression that would've been sufficient.
  - adrianN 9y ago
    Please don't start a discussion about religion on HN. It's just flamebait.
oh_sigh 9y ago
How much do you know about Christianity? "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to bring peace, but a sword."
- rootlocus 9y ago
  "But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." See, I can throw quotes from the bible too.
  - aswanson 9y ago
    It's a Roscharch test. You get what you want out of it.
  - oh_sigh 9y ago
    Okay. Now do you get my point? You don't get to call someone a bad Christian if they don't hold up to your idea of Christianity. Especially when (guessing here) that OP is not a Christian but an atheist.
openasocket 9y ago
Someone can be Christian and imperfect, that doesn't make them a hypocrite.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

frgtpsswrdlame 9y ago

>safeguards placed to make sure this never happens again Safeguards are great but there should be a penalty for bypassing them, we need to take people who commit crimes like this and throw them in prison.

rootlocus 9y ago
If they don't work, they're not actually safeguards.

cgmg 9y ago

Haha, what? Please explain how ruining someone's life, which he believes deserves to be ruined due to their taking advantage of the poor, is 'hypocritical'.

rootlocus 9y ago
Christians are supposed to turn the other cheek not slap back. You either take a vengeful stance and declare you want payback, or you take a pious stance and abide by whatever your religion tells you. Taking both is hypocritical.
- burkaman 9y ago
  "But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise." I don't think anybody here really understands what you're arguing for. Maybe you can rephrase it?
- grasshopperpurp 9y ago
  The verse deals with insult, not injury. >Striking on the right cheek refers to a back-handed slap to the face. In Jesus' time, and still today in the Middle East, such a gesture is one of the highest forms of contempt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_5:39 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_5:39

marnett 9y ago

don't forget Jesus' rage at the tax collector.

djrogers 9y ago
You've got your stories a little mixed up - Jesus ate with a tax collector and showed brotherly love for one whom society saw as evil. He expressed his rage at the money changers and merchants in the temple, those who commercialized a place of worship.

username223 9y ago

The Lord our God is hardly a stranger to raining down holy vengeance upon those who defy His will. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." (EDIT: I'm an atheist, but there's wisdom in the Bible.) EDIT: "This guy isn't a hero for making a threat. He's a hero for making a change which would actually help other people." Please don't downvote this person.

rootlocus 9y ago
There's a lot of fucked up shit in the old testament, including stoning your children if they misbehave.
- will_brown 9y ago
  How about the New Testament when Jesus cleaned the temple by over turning the tables of money changers and accusing them of turning the temple into a den of thieves. Interpret the threat of ruining lives however you like, but at the end of the day the man conducted a factual investigation and turned over the information he collected to proper authorities. Seems proportional to someone threatening to rape his wife in the attempt to collect a non-existent debt. But tell us what a good Christian in your eyes is supposed to do?
  - rootlocus 9y ago
    Surely you understand I was referring to the actual threat as being hypocritical. > the man conducted a factual investigation and turned over the information he collected to proper authorities. And I agree, he is a hero for that, regardless of what religion he fancies. > Seems proportional to someone threatening to rape his wife in the attempt to collect a non-existent debt. Well, it's not actually the same guy who threatened his wife, that guy went unpunished. Moreover, it wasn't necessary to ruin Joel Tucker life. If Tucker had enough money to pay back everyone he stole without having to suffer crippling depression that would've been sufficient.
- adrianN 9y ago
  Please don't start a discussion about religion on HN. It's just flamebait.

oh_sigh 9y ago

How much do you know about Christianity? "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to bring peace, but a sword."

rootlocus 9y ago
"But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." See, I can throw quotes from the bible too.
- aswanson 9y ago
  It's a Roscharch test. You get what you want out of it.
- oh_sigh 9y ago
  Okay. Now do you get my point? You don't get to call someone a bad Christian if they don't hold up to your idea of Christianity. Especially when (guessing here) that OP is not a Christian but an atheist.

openasocket 9y ago

Someone can be Christian and imperfect, that doesn't make them a hypocrite.