my indian friend ( i think hes a seek) owns a shop , hes a good loving honest person( somtimes lol)-( cheeky little devil,you got to love em) and he doesn't smoke,,drink alchol,,or eat meat,,,but hes quite happy to sell it in his shop, is this right , because i don't think it is , that's like a police man stealing a car and thinking its right,,,,,i believe this is world wide and no one really thinks about it , so to him its not an issue, but i predict in the future he might wake up and see what hes doing,,, some one who thinks drinking , smoking, and eating meat is wrong,,,must have unevolved thoughts running through his head , which blind him from the truth???? I WONDER MORE AND MORE EACH DAY??
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**is it right for my indian friend to sell things his religion disagrees with?**
- Thread starter natsy
- Start date
FunctionalAtheist
Hammer of Reason
Does the religion teach that the the smoke, the beef, the alcohol, itself is defiled? Or is the restraint related to the betterment of the individual? For a New Testament perspective I suggest you read 1 Corinthians chapter 8.
I personally don't think it's right. If you are against something, don't try and get other people to do it.
That's like being against heavy drugs but being a drug dealer.
But I know a lot of people like that, for instance, a lot of my Hindu friends have worked for McDonalds.
That's like being against heavy drugs but being a drug dealer.
But I know a lot of people like that, for instance, a lot of my Hindu friends have worked for McDonalds.
One very common rationalisation for this is, "Other people will do it anyway." So the tee-totaller just says, "well, they'll just buy it elsewhere, if not here."
Just where does one draw the line? If taken to an extreme, most people couldn't work in a bookstore, because they'd be 'against' some philosophy that was presented in books. Spo no self-respecting capitalist could work there because it sold books on socialism.
Just where does one draw the line? If taken to an extreme, most people couldn't work in a bookstore, because they'd be 'against' some philosophy that was presented in books. Spo no self-respecting capitalist could work there because it sold books on socialism.
It is difficult to judge such situations without personal knowledge. I would attempt to ask him if I had the chance. It is not that difficult to conceive that there may be a misunderstanding here.
Assuming for a moment that he is indeed selling things whose use he disapproves of... I suppose it would be good for him to realize how adharmic that is. But it takes a certain kind of skill to constructively make a person realize such a thing.
Assuming for a moment that he is indeed selling things whose use he disapproves of... I suppose it would be good for him to realize how adharmic that is. But it takes a certain kind of skill to constructively make a person realize such a thing.
Levite
Higher and Higher
My question would be whether his religion forbids such things universally, to all humanity, or whether it forbids them specifically to practitioners of his religion.
In Judaism, for example, we must eat only kosher meat, but non-Jews are permitted non-kosher meat, and Jews may sell it to them.
It depends on the particular belief and the approach, IMO. For instance, a defense attorney can defend a murderer not because he supports murder but because he thinks that even murderers are entitled to a fair trial. A capitalist bookseller might also value the free exchange of ideas, so censoring his inventory list to only include books he agrees with might violate his principles even more than the risk that he's enabling socialism.
And even if something is considered universally bad, this doesn't necessarily oblige a person to stop selling it.
For instance, in some versions of Christianity, they believe that the critical thing is salvation, and once someone is saved, the "indwelling Holy Spirit" will guide them to act righteously. Therefore, anyone who comes into your store looking for some "sinful" product is damned anyway regardless of whether you sell it or not.
My take is this man chooses to abstain from products he considers harmful.
But he accepts that not everyone thinks like him and as a merchant he must carry the products his local community expects. He is compromising himself morally a little though. But are we to say practicing Hindus of his beliefs shouldn't have general convenience stores that thrive either? It's a judgement call and I wouldn't criticize either way.
But he accepts that not everyone thinks like him and as a merchant he must carry the products his local community expects. He is compromising himself morally a little though. But are we to say practicing Hindus of his beliefs shouldn't have general convenience stores that thrive either? It's a judgement call and I wouldn't criticize either way.
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
Why would having a belief in something necessitate imposing said belief upon others?
I kind of like and agree with this.
A friend of mine from India tole my they have several celebrations in India during Dec. Everyone celebrates their own belief and they may celebrate of some others as well. No need to impose their beliefs on others. No problem in sharing in someone else's religious celebration if you choose to.
I see religious belief as a personal thing. No need to impose one's own belief on others nor judge others for theirs.
I kind of doubt I'd personally sell meat though. That's just my morals.
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
Well, the animal is already slaughtered, so wouldn't the meat going to waste be more immoral than if it were sold and consumed? The animal's death would've been in vein, after all.
Not to point out the obvious, but if a lot of meat was being wasted and unsold wouldn't that result in less slaughter in the first place?
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Your friend has to make up his own mind as to what he does; it's his life and his livelihood. Each person has to make his or her own decisions in life.
Good advice.
Sounds like he isn't too sure what ethical principles his friend holds. Without this knowledge, it's hard to say what actions would or wouldn't be in accordance with those principles.
Treks
Well-Known Member
Meat is not forbidden to Sikhs. Halal meat is forbidden to initiated Sikhs due to war with Turkish invaders when the instruction was given. So no problem selling meat.
Alcohol is not forbidden to non-initiated Sikhs. Alcohol and other intoxicants are forbidden to initiated Sikhs as they were considered to be part of an army.
I don't see a logical reason for cigarettes to be forbidden to initiated Sikhs, but they are.
Avoiding those forbidden things are only for the individual initiated (Khalsa) Sikh's discipline.
If he is a Sikh, I personally see no direct contradiction between his religion and his merchandise.
Alcohol is not forbidden to non-initiated Sikhs. Alcohol and other intoxicants are forbidden to initiated Sikhs as they were considered to be part of an army.
I don't see a logical reason for cigarettes to be forbidden to initiated Sikhs, but they are.
Avoiding those forbidden things are only for the individual initiated (Khalsa) Sikh's discipline.
If he is a Sikh, I personally see no direct contradiction between his religion and his merchandise.
It comes down to why the person thinks it's wrong. Like maybe you think it's wrong to kill and eat human babies. So why would you sell baby meat? If the person was against it morally, I don't understand why they would sell it in their store. Selling it is supporting the industry. However, if it is only something that you do because your religion says it's 'unclean' (for example) then you won't put it in your body but you wont care if others put it in theirs. Like junk food.