What occupations are not appropriate for Christians?

[Jim1999]

Without guns OR cars......

________________________________________________

I grew up with limited use of motorcars. WOuldn't it be lovely to-day? There was a greater sense of community and citizen interchange. We did all our travel by train, but as a Londoner, we seldom went more than a few blocks from home. The famous seaside resort was not that far from London centre, but we needed a holiday to go there.

To-day,and in North America, we think nothing of driving 40-80 miles and more each day just to go to work, or visit friends, or go shopping.

Sorry for the aside, but memories were coming back with the thought of no motorcars.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Tim]

Jim,

No wonder you don't like auto racing!

Tim

 

[Johnv]

One job that stands out for me is motorcar racing.

I dunno, Jesus was quite the car officianado:
He drove the people out of the temple in a Fury.
He instructed his followerd to leave in one Accord (it must have made a lot of trips).
And Jesus often drove Demons out.

 

[wizofoz]

Originally posted by InHim2002:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />What would be the problem working in an arms company?

I believe that it is wrong to profit from the killing of other human beings </font>[/QUOTE]So guns are manufactured only to kill humans.
Using that reasoning, I wouldn't go to work in an automobile assembly plant, since car wrecks kill people, too.
Or a water bottling plant, since people have died by water too.

Iamblessed 16, I posted this before I read your post.

 

[Jim1999]

I think the point was that guns are designed with one purpose; to kill.

A motorcar is not designed to kill. It is designed for transport. There is a huge difference in design purpose.

Cheers,

Jim

PS, I am ambivolent about motorcar racing. I just see it is a terrible waste of fossil fuels, and a terrific pollutant. It is rather amazing how much expended rubber remains behind even on motorways, along the sides and in the atmosphere.

 

[Tim]

Another inappropriate, yet legal job for a Christian:

Priest

 

[td]

So Jim...I guess you won't be attending the Canadian Grand Prix this year, huh?

 

[Jim1999]

hahahahaha

Cheers,

Jim

Hey, I went to the Indiana 500 when it was actually a brickyard. I was the guest of a driver named Johnny Parsons. I think they were breaking 100 mph in those years....fifties.

 

[Gib]

While posting late at night and trying to find something on TV, I would have to say that a Christian should not be a late night tv host.

 

[Major B]

Cal Thomas is, Sat nights on FoxNews, "After Hours"

 

[IfbReformer]

Originally posted by Artimaeus:
The point of the discussion is whether a legal job CAN or CAN'T be done with Christian ethics.

Pornography Industry - CAN'T
Casino Worker - CAN'T
Bartender - CAN'T

Artimaeus,

On the pornography(easy -displaying nakedness is sin and sex outside marriage is sin) issue I completely agree with you but I will take issue with you on the Casino Worker or Bartender(no I am neither and don't have relatives or friends that are).

I realize this could spiral into two different topics but so be it.

First lets deal with Casinos:
Why is it wrong for someone to work at a Casino?

Is it wrong because people are putting their money into machines hoping for a big return?

Well than along that logic you can't work for a school or any other organization that has raffles.

You can't work in an area affiliated with the stock market and you especially could'nt be a stock broker because people are giving you their money each day hoping for a big return.

If it is wrong for them to work in a Casino because people might spend too much of their money then along the same lines these occupation would be wrong too:

Can't work in a Video Arcade because someone might spend too much of their money there.

Can't work in a Resterant because someone might eat out too much when they can't afford it.

Can't work in a Toy Store because some parents might spend too much money on toys for their kids.

And the list could go on....

Just because something can be abused and is abused does not make the thing in and of itself wrong.

Now on to Bartenders:
(bearing in mind that a good bartender who is
ethical will not serve someone who is clearly drunk)

Drunkness is a sin, drinking in moderation is not.

Gluttony is a sin, eating in moderation is not.

Adultery is a sin, having relations with your wife is not.


If you can't serve someone alchohal because they might get drunk then you can't serve someone food because they might overeat and get fat.

If you can't serve someone alchohal because they might get drunk then you can't work at a gun
shop and sell people guns because they might go out and kill someone.

I know I will get a lot of responses here. I am looking forward to good dialoge - not name calling.

IFBReformer

[ May 19, 2003, 02:12 PM: Message edited by: IfbReformer ]

 

[mark]

Though not a CHristian organization, in the US, in the 1880's a labor organization arose that embraced ANYONE who did an honest day's work. Besides all the traditional trades, housewives and farmers joined the KNIGHTS of LABOR. It was all embracing. There were only 4 professions deemed unworthy to be associated with good labor. They were of couse: prostitutes, gamblers, lawyers and bankers. It's true , look it up.

 

[Artimaeus]

ifbReformer,

The point of my examples was that if an industry itself (prostitution, pornography, gambling, alchohol production, etc.) is contrary to Christian ethics then any job within that industry is also contrary to Christian ethics because IT'S purpose is to foster the goals of that industry. I was not trying to stretch the concept to include the paper boy who delivers the paper which has an advertisement for a theater which once showed a movie starring a woman who was once in a film which had a scene in which something was definitely unChristian.

You said:

a good bartender who is ethical will not serve someone who is clearly drunk

I agree, a good bartender will serve a person after they are actually intoxicated (which is sinful) and will not stop until they are "clearly" drunk. Is that not true? A bad bartender will serve even past this point.

Drunkness is a sin, drinking in moderation is not.

The purpose of the bar is to serve as much alcohol as they can get by with and this is way beyond what even the most liberal Christian would consider moderate.

Gluttony is a sin, eating in moderation is not.

You got me there, a lot of restaurants are just as guilty as bars of trying to get people to overindulge (commit sin).

Adultery is a sin, having relations with your wife is not.

Shouldn't that one have been "Adultery is a sin, Adultery in moderation is not"

(just kidding)

Can a Christian ethically gamble? No. (Short and Sweet)

 

[InHim2002]

Following that logic; would it also be wrong to work for a car manufacturer? They are responsible for many deaths every year.

Yes, it is the driver who actually does the killing. Just like it is the person behind the gun who does the same. Without guns OR cars, we could cut down on the death rate considerably

that is not following my logic - arms (ie a cruise missile) are designed to kill, that is their primary purpose - I believe it is morally wrong to profit from the killing of others.

The primary purpose of a car is not to kill.

 

[crazycat]

Kinda thinking a bar tender or gogo dancer