“Christian” Piracy and the Blinding Effects of Sin
A friend notified me today about a “Christian” website where “Christians” illegally share a variety of forms of digital Christian content—from Christian music to Christian movies to Christian software. Scores of people, many of whom are in seminary training for pastoral ministry, post pirated Bible software on the web and invite others to download it, giving detailed instructions on how to unlock the software and bypass the security features. I’m blown away by how easily “Christians” can steal in order to enable them to have access to biblical resources.1 Something about that just doesn’t make sense. But that’s what sin does to us. It causes us to act in utterly irrational ways.
Take, for example, how one seminary student responds to another who shared stolen software with him: “God Bless You!” Another individual has this in his signature: “Live Hard, Play hard and let your life show WHO u live for.” Hmm. Another has a link to his website, “What Would Jesus Download,” in his signature. Good question indeed. Perhaps those downloading pirated software should ponder it a bit.
The point of this post isn’t to point the finger at others in a condescending fashion. I recall the wise counsel of Jonathan Edwards, who in his eighth resolution said,
Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.
So I use this as an opportunity to search my own heart and ask God to reveal how I might be covering sin. I pray the prayer of David, both for myself and for those who use this “Christian” site.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting! —Ps 139:23–24
Sin is a deceitful (Heb 3:13) and blinding (2 Pet 1:7) poison. How easy it is for our sinful hearts to justify what God abhors. May God graciously shine the light of His holy Word upon us and grant us the gift of repentance.
Footnotes
- I’d image that most of these individuals wouldn’t walk into a Christian bookstore and steal content off of the shelves. The fact that downloadable media and software is intangible makes it much easier to justify. ↩
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- Pirates in Sheep's Clothing » Christians in Cinema BLOG - [...] recent posting at PhilGons.com discusses what he calls “Christian piracy.” A friend told him about a Christian website [...]
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This has always been one of my biggest pet peeves! I really don’t understand the rationalization that goes into this. I’d like to say, “well, everyone has their weak points & struggles,” but this is so clearly a choice to continually download & use. It’s not just a fall and get up, fall and get up issue. Easier to rationalize than stealing a physical book/dvd from a store? Definitely. Does that make it any more right? It clearly does not.
Oh, and the video you posted a little while ago of Tom Cruise made me chortle. :)
I appreciate your posting. I work for Christian filmmakers, and when someone pirates music, or books, or films, they are, in effect, “Muzzling the ox.”
I’m As mind boggled over this as anyone is. I recently read the testimony of a Christian brother who handed over his stolen Bible software to the company and then bought it. The plain truth is that God’s word will not return void. This is the very truth which has lead the Gideon’s to giving away millions of Bibles. They trust in that when people steal them from hotel rooms.
Here’s to joining you in prayer: Search me O God and see if there be any wicked way in me…
I personally started feeling uneasy about any sort of piracy, christian or not, since we are called to be holy because our God is holy. While I used to download most of my music off the internet, I have since stopped and have been buying all my music. I only download programmes which are free – through download.com.
But I do have some questions – when is it okay to download something? How do we check a copyright status? What about old progammes/games/movies which are not sold anymore, and their copyright status is over? Does it make it alright?
My housemate posed me with such questions, and for that I couldn’t find a proper reply. While I felt uneasy about it, I don’t fully know what the copyright law encompasses. Could you please direct me to any possible sources?
Carol, I commend you for heeding your conscience. The secular culture has so influenced the church in ethical matters like this that it is difficult for many Christians to even come to terms with the problem. The fact that many churches don’t deal with this issues in concrete terms just compounds the problem. The church needs to tackle present-day ethical issues like these head on.
In answer to your question, I think it is best to play it safe. If you’re not sure if something is copyrighted or not, assume it is unless you have indication that it’s not. I know copyright laws on books fairly well, but I’m not sure of copyright laws on music and software, so I can’t give you much guidance there. There’s a ton of information at http://www.copyright.gov/ that should be of some help.
The important thing is that you never choose to download something that you don’t have complete freedom in your conscience to do, because Scripture teaches that whatever we can’t do in faith (that it is okay) is sin (Rom 14:23). Just because you have a clear conscience doesn’t necessarily guarantee that it’s okay—it’s possible to sin in ignorance—but it’s never right to go against your conscience.
Hope this helps a little.
I wonder if God abhors Christians copyrighting His word and selling it for profit. Or if God abhors Christians selling sermons which use his word for the gospel and to edify others.
Should we be withholding the truth for money?
Read this good article about this (written pre-web)
http://www.ifla.org.sg/documents/infopol/copyright/decj1.htm
Emperor MAR,
So do you think that every edition and translation of Scripture should be given away for free? On what basis? Doesn’t the Scripture itself teach that “the laborer deserves his wages” (Lk 10:7; 1Ti 5:18)? Doesn’t it condemn freeloaders (2Th 3:10).
Apparently you go so far as to think that sermons in audio or print form shouldn’t cost anything. What about Christian books in general? What about Christian education—schools, colleges, seminaries? Should everything Christian be free? How do you expect Christian translators, preachers, authors, and teachers to make a living? Should they be expected to work full-time jobs and then do all of their Christian work for free? The amount of Christian material would drop off significantly, and it would be to the church’s detriment.
Phil Gons,
Is not spreading God’s truth to the world more important than making a living off of it?
Look at 2 Thessalonians 3 which you referenced. (v7-8)
“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.”
Paul is saying how he worked night and day to not be a burden to anyone and he also tells us to follow his example. Do you think Paul would have charged the Thessalonians for his letters to them?
If spiritual is truly worth more than the physical wouldn’t we consider God’s truth to be priceless and give it away to those who need it? Instead we say “I’ve got life changing truth and I’ll give it to you but it’s gonna cost ya”
In Luke 10 the 72 were spreading God’s word freely. Luke 10:7 says “Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages.”
Whatever they give you it doesn’t say to demand a certain amount of food from them before you give them truth. God is our provider. In Luke 10 they didn’t take money with them and they didn’t know when they would run into men of peace, they were trusting God to provide for them as they share His truth.
I’m not saying everything should be free but everything should be more than readily available to be free. Honestly if I post on the web too much scripture from a copyrighted version of the Bible like the NIV then I have broken the law for exhibiting God’s word? That doesn’t red flag to you as wrong?
It is copyrighting that is the real problem.
I’m going to leave you with this scripture showing that it is ok to make a living from God’s work but perhaps that is not the best way to go about it. I’ll let you decide
1 Corinthians 9:9-19
“For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?
But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.”
In the Bible it says that we should not steal. So if we pirate different softwares, videos, or songs, we are sinning. I think that perhaps what Mr. Phil Gons meant by making a living from God’s works is just to make a point that they too should be paid for what they have done and they also need money to live off of and to provide for their families. Now, I indeed think that the Scripture, the translations of the Scripture and other works related should be given away for free. Especially for those people who don’t have any money and for some reason can not afford to buy a Bible or some reasons like that. So, why can’t we get to know the people who need the materials and the Scripture personally, reach out a helping hand and just buy it for them.