Priest: Thou shalt not steal (unless it's from big business)

London, England (CNN) -- A UK priest has defended his comments that it is acceptable to steal from large companies.

Tim Jones, parish priest of St Lawrence and St Hilda, told his congregation in York, northern England: "My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift." continue reading @ CNN.com

Info courtesy: Dr Roderic Vassie + his comment:

Father Tim Jones ("It's okay to shoplift" December 21st 2009) has a point. The Bible teaches, in the Torah, that landowners should leave a portion of their crops to the poor, the needy and the traveller to enjoy, which is clearly distinguished from stealing (Leviticus 9:9-11).

In this context, anyone familiar with the Gospel stories (Matthew 12:1-2) will recall how, when Jesus's disciples picked ears of corn in a field, they were accused not of theft but of breaking the Pharisees' interpretation of the Sabbath laws.

Likewise, under Sharia law in Islam, a clear line is drawn between stealing to enrich oneself and "stealing" to preserve life. The former is punishable by the state, the latter not. Instead the state has the duty to ensure that everyone has enough to survive with dignity.

Perhaps the real problem is the inability of secular law to regulate greed of supermarkets which screw the people at the bottom of their supply chains so they can afford to destroy mountains of food, and still turn a healthy profit for their shareholders.

• 'It’s okay to shoplift' says Father Tim Jones, parish priest of St Lawrence and St Hilda
  By Gavin Aitchison » 21st December 2009, York Press
  

WORSHIPPERS at one York church got a shock when their parish priest used the last Sunday before Christmas to advocate shoplifting.

Father Tim Jones, parish priest of St Lawrence and St Hilda, broke off from the traditional Nativity story yesterday, and said stealing from large national chains was sometimes the best option many vulnerable people had.

He told the congregation: “My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift. I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither.

“I would ask that they do not steal from small, family businesses, but from large national businesses, knowing that the costs are ultimately passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices. I would ask them not to take any more than they need, for any longer than they need.”
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See also:

• Father Tim Jones was helping himself, but not helping the poor, Telegraph.co.uk - Liz Hunt
  
• Not wholly Moses: British priest causes uproar by saying ...
  
• Thou shalt shoplift, priest tells congregation
  U.K. clergyman advises poor people to target large national chain stores
  LONDON - For a priest in northern England, the commandment that dictates "thou shalt not steal" isn't exactly written in stone.