Stealing...Way Back When

I remember WAYYY back in the early 2000s.  File sharing was all the rage.

A co-worker of mind talked about how easy it was and convinced me that it wasn't so bad, since you're only getting a few songs you hear on the radio anyway.  (I'll be honest, like most temptations, it didn't take a lot of prodding to convince me it was "OK.")

So, a couple of days later, there I was setting up an account on a file sharing website and finding music online FOR FREE.  I didn't download hundreds of songs, but I downloaded enough, about 30 or so, to fill up two burnable CDs.  (You have to remember, this was pre-iPods.)

So for weeks, I listened to my new CDs full of musics I didn't have to buy. I justified it because I wouldn't have bought these songs on my own anway.  Most of it was just one or two songs I liked from a band that I otherwise didnt like. (Remember, pre-iTunes too, so the only way to buy music was on full CDs.)

It wasn't long before I was back on the site, hunting for more music.

All the while, my conscious nagged at me.  Was this truly right?  Was it OK?  Was it sinful?

In the end, I decided burning music was stealing.  It was taking something that I didn't buy, that the artist didn't make available for free, and as a result, I TOOK something that someone intended for me to buy.

I'm glad to say that I stopped downloading music.  It made other decisions much easier too.  Decisions like not watching bootleg DVDs (which were readily available when I served in Eastern Kentucky), not copying music for friends and not giving away free CDs to students.

It's amazing how one compromise on your ethics and morals can lead to compromises elsewhere.  It's just as amazing that standing up for your ethics and morals in one area helps you to do it in other areas of your life as well.

Since my journey into downloading music, I've since sold several of my secular CDs on eBay.  I decided I didn't need to listen to music which poluted my mind with filthy language and overtly sexual messages.  I've also purged myself of most of the 'R' rated movies in my DVD library, especially any movie with an explicit sex scene or nudity.  Standing up saying downloading music was wrong has helped me to see other areas of my life that were poluted and needed cleaning.

The Bible is clear in Exodus 20:15.  You shall not steal.  We can justify our actions anyway we want, but the Bible is crystal clear:  stealing is wrong - whether you're watching a bootlegged DVD, listening to free downloaded music, robbing a jewerly store or ripping off a friend.  Stealing is wrong.  It's not of God and it is sinful.

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