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From: stanwyck@ihuxr.UUCP (Don Stanwyck)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: My previous warning
Message-ID: <1078@ihuxr.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-May-84 10:48:24 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxr.1078
Posted: Fri May 11 10:48:24 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 12-May-84 11:15:30 EDT
References: <9050@mgweed.UUCP> <1074@ihuxr.UUCP> <9061@mgweed.UUCP> <1102@ihuxl.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 46

With regard to my statement noting that not all Christians support the types
of actions carried on in the name of God by some people, I wish to issue a
first clarification (first, because I expect I will have to defend it yet
more).

1.  D. Seifert put it very well when he noted that before disobeying a
    government one should be absolutely certain that one is actually
    acting as God would have you.  I would go a step further and note
    that sometimes our understanding of timing and priorities is only
    our own, and may not be what we want it to be - God's.

2.  The specific action referred to in the original article would be just
    as illegal in the U.S., Canada, or most (if not all) so-called free
    countries.  Smuggling anything across a border, whether it be books,
    drugs, people, or anything else is illegal everywhere.  It is an
    intentional attempt to avoid the tariffs, import quotas, etc., of 
    the target country.  If someone were to attempt to bring a load of
    Bibles into the U.S. for distribution to the citizens of the U.S.,
    and the Bibles were discovered at the border, they would be jailed
    for smuggling, copywrite violation, import law violations, and (most
    likely) a host of other charges.  Would those who encourage it elsewhere
    try to defend their actions here?

3.  Bibles, yeah, even Russian language Bibles, are available in the USSR.
    They are incredibly expensive, not only in terms of money, but also
    in terms of the expected results of purchasing one (persecution of
    various sorts, etc.).  None the less, the USSR has copywrite laws
    that make it illegal to bring in books published elsewhere unless
    the proper permits are obtained.  

I, for one, am not sure that what is being done (smuggling of Bibles)
is what God would have these people do.  I think it could almost as
easily be argued that we should smuggle people into the U.S. so that
can have more "religious freedom" (and some are doing so - see recent
news reports on churchs smuggling in Latin American refugees), another
act I find very difficult to justify.

This is long enough, and I am sure I will be flamed for it, so I will quit
for now.
-- 
 ________
 (      )					Don Stanwyck
@( o  o )@					312-979-3062
 (  ||  )					Cornet-367-3062
 ( \__/ )					ihnp4!ihuxr!stanwyck
 (______)					Bell Labs @ Naperville, IL