Is it immoral to break a law if you feel it is unjust?

Question

for example the old les miserables example of stealing a loaf of bread rather than starve to death.

i think the bread example is a bad one, how about say, someone who is 20 years old and 11 months who decides to drink a beer.

Answer 1

No, morality is in the eye of the beholder. Lawfulness, however, is in the eye of the court, and for a judge and jury to decide should you get caught

Answer 2

Was it fair to the poor baker from whom you stole the loaf? He has to go home to his own starving children that night... "Sorry children, another starving man stole my last loaf of bread. I have nothing to feed you...again..."

If everyone breaks whatever law they feel is "unjust", what will be the impact on society?

What if all the Germans had said to Hitler and his goon squads, "Nope, I'm not going along with that BS."? That would have led to a break-down in society and caused many deaths. Would that have been immoral?

Answer 3

Read Romans 13.

The answer is no. The only law you can break is the law that would make you do something counter to your faith. For example, if the law ordered you to have an abortion, that would be immoral and you would not be obligated, from a moral perspective to follow it. However, that would not give you license to prevent others from following the law.

Answer 4

only you can answer this question ... because its based on your morals


to me it begs the question "would you put aside your morals to survive?" ... if you say yes, you wouldn't be the first, survival is one of our most basic needs


Beer addition: shades of gray ... if you feel it immoral to drink beer, then yes ... if you think its immoral to break state law, then yes ... but up until the late 70's the drinking age in the US was 18, and it wasn't changed because they thought drinking was immoral, but because they thought 21 was a better age to allow the privilege

which brings me to a bigger point ... laws do not equal morality ... if they did, the Christians would make sure that all 10 commandments were laws (only 2 are)

Answer 5

There is a difference between legality and what is right and wrong. Just because something is illegal does not make it wrong or immoral and the opposite also applies; just because it is legal does not make it right. Your example is perfect. Is it right for someone to starve to death because they cannot afford food and it is illegal to steal it. No.

Law does not, as some might believe, dictate morality.

Answer 6

Morality is subjective if you don't feel guilty for doing it. Our actions still have consequences but for instance, I steal music all the time. Doesn't bother me at all so I don't see myself as immoral. People can reach a consensus on morality but it's up to the individual. Laws maintain order. They don't dictate absolute morality because there is none.

Answer 7

No.

Matthew 6:24-32 states: 24 “No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. YOU cannot slave for God and for Riches.

25 “On this account I say to YOU: Stop being anxious about YOUR souls as to what YOU will eat or what YOU will drink, or about YOUR bodies as to what YOU will wear. Does not the soul mean more than food and the body than clothing? 26 Observe intently the birds of heaven, because they do not sow seed or reap or gather into storehouses; still YOUR heavenly Father feeds them. Are YOU not worth more than they are? 27 Who of YOU by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span? 28 Also, on the matter of clothing, why are YOU anxious? Take a lesson from the lilies of the field, how they are growing; they do not toil, nor do they spin; 29 but I say to YOU that not even Sol´o·mon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. 30 If, now, God thus clothes the vegetation of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much rather clothe YOU, YOU with little faith? 31 So never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’ 32 For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. For YOUR heavenly Father knows YOU need all these things.

Matthew 6:33,34 states:“Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these [other] things will be added to YOU. So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness. "

So as long as we are doing the will of God to our fullest ability, he will provide for us. We have no need to steal.

Answer 8

No, it is not immoral in this case, but you have to evaluate case per case.
Some laws are unjust and some situations are too. It is good to have the spirit to criticize them, just as long as you don't hurt anybody.

Answer 9

Some times yes sometimes no. God's law trumps man's. If you feel that God's law is unjust and break it -- yes that will be immoral.

Answer 10

Nothing is illegal until you get caught. At that point it is up to your jury to determine the rightness of your actions. A jury, although it is not widely known, but a jury can determine that a violation of law, is justified.