SEP 8

James 5:1-6
Memorise Jeremiah 22:13
“Woe unto him… that useth his neighbour’s service without wages”

It is so prevalent nowadays, so convenient. DVDs bought from a rickety wooden table slotted into plastic covers with a cheap colour photocopy insert. Or if you are a bit more internet savvy, anytime you want to watch a movie, you just ‘torrent’ it without paying. Any song or album you feel like listening to, just download it off the internet. Why should I pay for it when I can get it for free? Hard disks and thumb drives are passed around the class, with the latest movies or seasons of Korean dramas. I just plug it in my computer, and it offers me hours of entertainment!

However, have we ever stopped to ask: are all these things wrong? Is it wrong to play games, watch movies or use software that is pirated? Yes, it is true that so many people around us do it. They don’t get caught and, by our standards, neither are they very ‘bad’ people. Well no one is hurt, right? There is no actual physical transaction taking place, and there is no actual victim. In fact, I wasn’t even the one who did the actual pirating; I am merely a consumer of something that has already been done for me.

But really, do all these excuses make it right? The commandment in the Bible is as clear as can be. It tells us, “Thou shalt not steal”! In recent years, media companies and law enforcement agencies have come out very strongly to clamp down on software and media piracy. In the eyes of the law, it is definitely a criminal activity, and punishable by fine, jail or both. In the eyes of God, it is definitely a sin. Even the world considers it a crime! It is not something that should be done as Christians.

When we do use pirated goods or software, we are actually stealing from the companies who spent time, effort and money to produce and market their goods. As in James 5:4, what we are in effect doing is fraudulently keeping back the wages that the labourers (or companies) deserve by not paying for the software or media that we use. Instead we ought to show forth a good Christian testimony, and make a stand against piracy, for piracy, simply put, is stealing.

Thought: I should throw away and delete any pirated software or media in my possession.
Prayer: Lord, grant me the conviction to make a stand against piracy