I understand, and sympathize fully with the sorrow this causes, but the question was about civil disobedience. We all know that governments make mistakes (sometimes that's putting it mildly). I could see myself disobeying a law, but with the feeling that I darn well better have a good explanation for it to the Lord. My younger brother served a mission in French Polynesia, and while there there was a group of ind�pendantistes who wanted to "liberate" French Polynesia from French rule (technically speaking FP isn't a colony, but part of "la France m�tropolitaine" but to me that's just so much French window dressing [ha ha]). But the Church cracked down on members joining this group and threatened them with excommunication.
Like my example of the red light, to bring it down from lofty heights to something we might all face. I remember running red lights in the middle of the day to get my wife, who had just suffered a miscarriage, to Foothills Hospital in Calgary. I had my flashers on and was rhythmically tooting my horn. Now, I had every good reason to do this. But I still broke the law, and if a policeman had decided to follow us to the hospital, and give me a ticket, he would have had every right to do so. And I would have paid it. (In actual fact, as I'm sure most people would assume, 99% of cops would, upon hearing of the circumstances, not only forgive you the violation, but provide a police escort to the hospital, but that's not my point.) In fact, as Mark can attest, we've just had a famous case here in Edmonton where a police cruiser smashed into a minivan while the cruiser was making an illegal left turn. I think it had its lights on, but not its siren, but it was on official business (not just trying to beat the lunchhour crowds to Tim Horton's ;-)) No criminal charges were laid, I don't think -- I can't remember, but there *was* disciplinary action taken by the force against the officer who was driving, and the family who was hit, and lost at least one family member, successfully sued the city police. "Elmer L. Fairbank" wrote: > At 09:43 10/6/2002 -0600, M Marc wrote: > > > > What about China's "One Child" policy? When a couple already has a child > > > (or several) and the wife gets pregnant she is required to submit to having > > > an abortion. Would you sanction Civil Disobedience (perhaps sanction is too > > > strong a word, maybe the term, "looking the other way" is better?) If the > > > couple keeps the pregnancy secret, goes to full term and eventually bears > > > the child? > > > > > > >Not if I were a Chinese living in China I wouldn't. > > There's a young woman in our building who was a second child in a Chinese > family. She was sent to the provinces (read poverty) because of that to be > raised by an aging grandmother. She has seen her mother but a few times in > her life. The cost of such civil disobedience can be fairly high to > others besides the disobedient. Somehow, she has managed to rise above the > poverty (parents money? backing her) and come to America for a first class > education, but the emotional scarring is quite deep. > > Till > > ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// > /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// > /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// > ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// > -- Marc A. Schindler Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada -- Gateway to the Boreal Parkland "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." --Michelangelo Buonarroti Note: This communication represents the informal personal views of the author solely; its contents do not necessarily reflect those of the author�s employer, nor those of any organization with which the author may be associated. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// /// ZION LIST CHARTER: Please read it at /// /// http://www.zionsbest.com/charter.html /// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ==^^=============================================================== This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aaP9AU.bWix1n Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^^===============================================================
