Published on December 22, 2009, 10:03 am
Opinion
I'm sure I'm not alone in finding it bizarre to lean that a British priest should be encouraging his congregation to shoplift, instead of spreading the usual festive message of peace and goodwill.

Father Tim Jones of York, it seems, believes that certain members of society have been left so destitute and impoverished in this country, that they have no alternative but to steal.

The parish priest gave his blessing to members of his congregation to steal, encouraging them to turn to a life of crime, as long as they stick to big companies and avoid thieving from small family businesses.

Since a criminal record is not likely to enhance anyone's job prospects (it's not the sort of detail prospective employers look for on a CV); Father Tim is clearly giving out bad advice.

Worse than this, is the misguided spiritual thinking of one that should know better, that it's okay to break one of God's sacred commandments. What message does that send to society?

It's okay to steal if you're poor, so it's okay to kill someone if they piss you off? I don't think so. Where would it end?

What's interesting when you put the whole thing into perspective, is that a report published in November found that shoplifting has risen to record levels during the recession, as one might expect.

But a lot of people were stealing not to avoid starvation, but to keep themselves in the materialistic style to which they had become accustomed - greed not need.

What would have been far more appropriate and in keeping with the teachings of the Bible is to encourage more people to share. In John 6: 1- 15 Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fishes.

It's meant to symbolize how a little can go a long way if people are willing to share. Has father Jones ever read the Bible? It makes me wonder...