24 Comments
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Alan Dinsmore's avatar

If people go to church and never hear the gospel then it is those churches that are doing the stealing. Jer23v30.

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Christine's avatar

Indeed, Alan. There are many false shepherds in today’s churches.

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Judith Hughes's avatar

Well..when that law was written, it strikes me that there was a very real acknowledgement of the reverence for God..and respect for church premises, even if not a church attender. Don't know that this is so widespread these days.

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Elizabeth's avatar

Well done to South Australia for keeping this law and applying it to offenders.

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Karen Benattar's avatar

Hmm so interesting. I like this law. Meanwhile in parts of Europe I have seen savages break statues and well, did we really even get the the reason or evidence of how Norte Dame burnt? Oh not to mention all the other eglises in France. Funny that how when the Muslim population increased so did church burnings.

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Llanipsa's avatar

"It is unclear whether the law applies to religions other than Christianity."

That last statement is full of ecclesiastical thoughts and not a few sermons, James.

Like most homeowners property, religious property has to have security all around to 'catch a thief' with the goods or at least gather evidence to present to the police for their follow up.....if followed up!

Brutus prowling loose around the perimeter was enough to keep most thieves honest. Gargoyles on Cathedrals may have scared the illiterate.

Most people will tell you that they would never be caught inside a church....the roof might fall on them!

So my interest is sharpened to know how the Hindu Temples with their ornate gods, mosques with scary writing and swords aplenty, fare with enthusiastic break and entries?

I would never leave my guitar at church, and the offering has long been taken by electronic means, so unless the curios thief wants to "be saved", after hours is not the time!

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Paul C's avatar

And here was me thinking that people (criminal ones) held the church with enough regard to not steal from them….when the reality is that stealing a book from a bookshop would be only be an unpunished, petty offence, while stealing a book from a church could result in life imprisonment. Who knew??

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Dianne Bentley's avatar

It is interesting. I heard a story out of South Australia many years ago, a homeless man was taken into a Catholic Priest's house, and during the night, he stole from them. I can't remember what he stole, I think they were something like candelabra. So, in the morning when it was discovered that he was missing with the goods. these priests did nothing except say that his need must have been greater than theirs. It is a story I have never forgotten, well, the ending anyway. There is something about offering refuge and then forgiving the person who steals from the generous person.

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Bob Johns's avatar

No way that I would . Kick arse and take names

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Kate H's avatar

'Amen' to that insight Dianne.

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James Macpherson's avatar

That sounds to me like the storyline from Le Miserables

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Dianne Bentley's avatar

I can’t remember Les Mis. I must watch it. The South Australian story was true

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Elizabeth's avatar

It is also a storyline from Les Mis! That was my first thought when i read Dianne's comment :)

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Dianne Bentley's avatar

Now I am doubting myself! I definitely read it as a story as I wrote, but maybe that is where it came from. I have no idea now. It would have been nearly 40 years ago that I read it and it struck me at the time as to how we need to react when things like that happen to us.

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Elizabeth's avatar

Yes - it is a good story and lesson on how we should react in this siutation. Perhaps the other person needed it more!

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Ian Clarkson's avatar

Obviously a Christian church was meant when that law was enacted, likewise blasphemy laws. The intent was to protect those symbols and utilities of the belief system that undergirded and founded the nature and existence of a Christian society.

(Weird that Islam has taken centre stage in those matters, while lacking any substance for it. Islam contributed nothing to the founding character of SA)

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Bob Johns's avatar

He would have been lynched if it had been a mosque

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Llanipsa's avatar

Which shows a huge difference between the Christian God and the Islamic one!

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Christine's avatar

The Islamic one is a demon

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Axel Hart's avatar

It may be left to a judge to determine what is divine. Watch for a can of worms being opened on that one.

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PezR's avatar

Surely the SA law would also apply if someone broke into a mosque & drew a cartoon depicting Mohammed??

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Kate H's avatar

...and there would most likely be a beheading involved for that cartoon crime!

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Llanipsa's avatar

The fear of jihad would prevent even the hardest criminal from going near one.

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June Hensley's avatar

Yes, Islam is a religion of fear and hate not love which is why Christians are so easy to target.

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