Causes of Crime and Views to those who break it

Poverty

• steal to provide and care for those who love as they can not afford daily items, like food or water

Mental Illness

• people could be mentally ill and not physically be able to control themselves

Greed

• people want more than necessary, so steal or commit fraud to earn money

• selfish and causes addiction

Addiction

• addicted to drugs or alcohol, and steal to satisfy this addiction

Unjust law

• protest against a discriminative law (Rosa Parks)

Views about people who break the law due to poverty

• wrong as it is against the law to steal and judgement should be strictly upheld to those who break it

• could be deemed acceptable if they are stealing from absolute poverty - stealing to care and provide for those who they love

Views about people who break the law due to mental illness

• did not mean to commit the crime

• Instead of being punished, they should be sent to therapy to reform

Views about people who break the law due to greed

• should be punished as they are thinking about themselves

• not caring or loving in any shape or form as they want more than necessary

Views about people who break the law due to addiction

• some circumstances can lead to addiction, and it is not necessary their fault - should be sent to rehab, not prison to change

• still committed crime - law should be strictly upheld

Views about people who break the law due to unjust laws

• if a law is unfair and discriminative, it should be allowed to be broken

• contrasts God’s will

• Rosa Parks breaking segregation law

Views about people who break the law

• should be punished based on the severity of the crime

• law should be strictly upheld to those who break it

Views about murder

• all life is sacred so humans should not destroy life

• impacts victims loved one’s severely, and impacts society by creating a sense of fear

• could be viewed as understandable if killing someone like Hitler out of love (Bon Hoffer)

Views about theft

• if one is stealing out of absolute poverty, deemed acceptable as one can’t afford daily items and must steal to provide for themselves and family

• Wrong because God and the law states to not steal, and if one breaks this they should be persecuted and punished proportionally

Views about hate crime

• wrong as no one should be singled out to inferior treatment as everyone was made equal in God’s image

• Jesus encourages love and compassion - hate crimes contrast this as it is an extremely personal and negative insult specific on one’s race, sexuality or religion