to Christians/Muslims/Atheists etc :What keeps you from killing your neighbor or stealing from him?

Question

Pretend you had a neighbor who is a complete jerk... who always brags about his nice things, puts music way too loud and thinks he's better than you..spits on your part of the sidewalk and calls you chump everytime he sees you. He's moronic to your kids and harasses other neighbors just the same. You think the world would be a better place without him and contributes nothing to society. What prevents you from killing someone like him?
Your neighbor also has a beautiful and expensive car that you really want and you have no car. You notice he's neglectful and forgets to lock his car whenever he parks it. What keeps you from stealing it?
PLEASE NO BIBLE VERSES.

Answer 1

I believe in Karmic law.
What comes around goes around, Oh and it will.
i have seen it work a fair few times now.

so its learning to carry on, protecting yourself and your family and let the Universe take care of his debt.
Your not here to Judge others.

Blessings from a Pagans outlook.

Answer 2

I'm a Christian. We follow the teachings of Jesus and we are supposed to follow His example. "What would Jesus do?" is a trite phrase, but it is a good question that Christians should ask themselves before reacting to someone when we are treated poorly.

Jesus wouldn't take revenge, so stealing or killing cannot be an appropriate response. This doesn't mean, however, that you have to let anyone do anything they want to you. You shouldn't allow such a person to abuse others or yourself, but you should respond within the law. This may mean that you have to be patient; the "system" doesn't deal with people like this quickly. You may have to suffer a bit and little can be done about that. You have to remind yourself, if you are a Christian, that Jesus suffered a lot more for the benefit of everyone and an annoying neighbor is more tolerable than being tortured and killed for the sins of others.

Answer 3

LOL, I am surrounded by people like that! Ok, to start with, I don't kill because I don't want to go to prison. Seriously. I have days when I wish my ex husband would walk off a cliff, and it's not easy to erase that thinking from my heart, so I just remind myself that I probably wouldn't be able to plead insanity and would have to go to prison.
As far as my car goes... Well, my car IS in serious need of repair, and my neighbor has a brand new one, but they also have a hefty car payment, so I don't covet their car at all.
I probably didn't answer your question very well, but this is how I feel about it. Sometimes I do get into a rage where I could slap someone, but I don't want to get fired or arrested for assault, so common sense just takes over. I'm not perfect, but God isn't through with me yet. :0)

Answer 4

Killing somebody just because he's an annoyance is morally wrong, the same goes for stealing something purely because the opportunity presents itself.

If, however, he physically harmed a member of my family, I would definitely go Mediaeval on his butt.

I am an Atheist. I have no fear of being condemned to spend the after-life in torment.

Of course, a neighbor like this does sound in desperate need of a *****-slapping.

Answer 5

Well, no pretending for me because I have a neighbor like this. This has nothing to do with religion. In my 28 years on this planet, I figured out that people like this are miserable and are better off living. I've done some crappy things in my life and one day I figured out I didn't want to be a butthead for my entire life so I changed. Those people could change too. If they don't, that's their miserable little life.

On a more logicial note, I don't steal or murder because I like my freedom. I don't want to go to prison. You can't do jack in prison and why should I spend the rest of my life in jail for killing some shumuck who was self centered? Exactly. Prison sucks. Believe me. Worked in one for 5 years. You can't undo a murder. It's easier to take the high road. In the end, you'll feel better for it.

Answer 6

im an atheist and what keeps me from doing that kind of thing is the fear of being caught by the police and spending the rest of my life in jail (for killing him obviously not stealing the car). i would first comfront him, be an @$$ to him, and when all else fails, call the cops on his loud music, that should get him a fine and get him a little more humble. plus make me laugh

Answer 7

Simple, what my nieghbor does or doesn't do or has or doesn't have is not very important to me. I do not dwell on others but am happy with who I am and I am a strong, selfsuficent individual who needs no validation from anybody else or anything as to my worth in the world. I have a deep sense of my own values and beliefs and lowering myself to the level of a jerk is not in the picture.

Answer 8

Its called integrity.

If he brags about what he has, then he doesnt have character.
If its about him showing off, then hes only making himself look like an a**.

Now, if hes bothering my kids, I deal with that.
If he has his music loud, a simple call to the police fixes that.
If he bothers the neighbors, thats fixable too.

But you wanting to kill him for being a jerk and having more than you do.
Well seems to me if you work hard you can get what he has.

Wanting to kill him because of what he has more than you, well thats pretty stupid. Is he worth the chance of going to jail?

Its not even about religion here.
Its about common sense, and self confidence and self restraint from the idiots of this world.

Best way to answer this is to ask yourself, what would you tell your kid to do if you had one?

Answer 9

Obviously because Jesus told us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to turn the other cheek (Be slow to anger, and quick to forgive). And both Jesus and Paul told us to love our enemies and let God judge.

And how can you answer a question about Christianity without Bible verses?

Answer 10

I believe that everyone will get his just rewards/punishments for all the things that he did. I'll just wait patiently until the time comes when he receives his punishment.

I won't do anything to him, because if I do, then that'll mean that I've sunk to his level; and I don't want to be a bad guy. ^_^;