Atheists, is it wrong to steal from the dead?

Question

Let's say you have the opportunity to take an expensive ring off a dead person's hand right before they're buried. Would you do it?

Why, why not?

Answer 1

No, it's stealing (against the law).

Answer 2

If there were no rules about it, probably the dead person's family would not bury the ring with them. But when you steal from a corpse, you are stealing from the person's estate. So it is still wrong.

People sometimes put it in their wills that they be buried with a certain piece of jewelry or other beloved object. My guess is they want to avoid a squabble amongst their heirs as to who would get such an heirloom. Since we have a valid interest in a person's will being carried out as written, then they should be buried with whatever it was they specified in their will. That's why I said "if there were no rules about it" above.

Answer 3

I'm not an atheist. Theft is wrong whether it be from a living or dead person. It's the families to decide whether that person be buried with the ring.

Grave robbers have been stealing since time began.. Just cause it happens doesn't make it right.

Answer 4

It would be crimially bad manners, whether it was the right hand, left hand, nipple, penis, toe or anywhere else they were wearing a ring.

There are usually very sensible laws, and deep cultural taboos against stealing in general and from the dead in particular.

I wouldn't do it because I have too much self-respect. I can't answer for all atheists, but I try to act ethically because I understand that it is the technically correct and civilised thing to do, not because there is a big bloke with a beard in the clouds who will smite me if I do wrong.

Answer 5

That's not really a religion question, more of an ethics question. But why bury someone with an expensive item? Even if you believe in an afterlife, it isn't going to do their body any good. Unless you believe in an afterlife like the ancient Egyptians, but I don't think there's too many people around worshiping Osiris and getting mummified today.

They're not going to miss it, and if their family doesn't want it, why shouldn't it go to someone who can use it? On the other hand, their family can always decide to dig them up later to get the ring, so maybe you'd better not.

Answer 6

Firstly good question and this is purely an opinion , I certainly don't claim to have all the answers.
The fact that they are dead is irrelevant, stealing is in itself unjustifiable.
The exception might be if one were to steal purely for the "greater good" rather than personal gain. For example stealing food from someone who had a more than enough to prevent others from starving. Just to steal it because its expensive and you covet it would be morally wrong.
Your question does raise ethical problems with all these archaeological digs, as to when it becomes justifiable to put artifacts (and in some cases the dead people themselves)in a museum for others to ogle at.Does the knowledge we obtain from these things create a benefit that we can truly say is for the greater good?.................The more you think about it the harder it is to resolve

Answer 7

Well, the dead person really won't care because they are dead

However, in this rare exception I would say that to steal from a thing (for that is what a body is) is wrong, simply because it did belong to some one when they were alive, and even if they are dead, I assume they would not approve of you stealing it.

Stealing in general (starving man situations excluded) is wrong, or at leas that is what I was raised to believe.

Answer 8

Do not mistake "atheist" with "amoral." Just because a person is an atheist doesn't mean they can't be a good person with a sense of honor, respect, and the difference between right and wrong.

I've known plenty of Christians who didn't really believe in the morals they were taught, or who only obeyed because they feared punishment rather than out of a personal standard of excellence, so I hope you aren't trying to paint a picture of Christians all being fuzzy little God-fearing do-gooders.

Answer 9

This is a bit of a stupid question.
Of course it is wrong to steal from a dead person. It is wrong to steal period it is against the law.

I have respect for the dead and think it is disgusting that people are out there doing these things to corpses.
It needs to be stopped.

Answer 10

Sorry but that is theft. Not from the dead person but from the person who owns the body and of course the ring. NOthing to do with being an atheist or any other belief just plain theft

Answer 11

It won't do the dead guy any good, but I would not do it because I would consider that stealing from the family- they are still alive you know, and they are the ones that wanted the ring left on his (or her) hand.......