Here’s a challenge for you:
how many of the Ten Commandments are violated when a person poaches a
deer?
I was taught when I was growing up that poaching was not
only illegal, but it was also unethical and immoral. That was my dad’s view, but not all our
extended family members agreed with that position.
A distant relative lived a life of poaching in Missouri and
elsewhere, including Yellowstone National Park.
He taught his son to poach. Often
such behavior is passed from generation to generation. But in 1997 his crimes caught up with him to
the tune of a $20,000 fine and a lifetime hunting ban.
In 2010 right down the road at Birch Tree, a conservation
law enforcement sting found 425
wildlife violations in seven Ozarks counties: Oregon, Howell, Shannon, Dent,
Miller, Crawford and Iron.
In the Ozarks, poaching is common. For some it is a way of life.
So, how about my question? Does poaching violate any of the Ten
Commandments?
I believe poaching violates Commandment Number 8: You shall not steal. The game a person takes illegally does not
belong to him.
The wildlife of the land belongs to all the people, not to
the landowner. That was confirmed early
in American history by the U. S. Supreme Court.
Non-migratory animals are the responsibility of the state in which they
reside. Migratory species come under the
responsibility of the federal government.
But the people are the owners.
The primary purpose of game laws is to protect the wildlife
population from over-exploitation. The
secondary purpose is to fairly distribute the harvest among the hunters. The poacher is stealing from the people of the United States
in general, and in particular from his neighbor or friend who will never have a
chance to harvest or even to see the game he has stolen.
Poaching violates Commandment Number 9 also: You shall not give false testimony. The poacher probably will. I doubt if any poacher can keep quiet about
his actions among other outlaws. But
when he is among law-abiding citizens and law enforcers, the poacher must
lie.
Poaching violates Commandment Number 10: You shall not covet. Coveting seems to be the basis for all the
commandments. Covetousness is based on
selfishness, self-centeredness, and desiring to have someone else’s property,
such as their game animals, and their recreation.
What else does the Bible say that might relate to the
behavior of a poacher? Keep in mind that
the first game law was written in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 22:6-7 says: “If a bird's nest happens to be before you
along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with the
mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with
the young; you shall surely let the
mother go, and take the young for yourself, that it may be well with you and that
you may prolong your days.” God
expresses concern for his creation in many places in Scripture.
How about the Golden Rule, which says “do unto others as you
would have them do unto you”(Matthew 7:12).
The poacher should consider others.
Christians are commanded to submit to human government. (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-14, Matthew
22:15-22) The only exception for a
Christian is found in the example of Peter and John in the book of Acts. When confronted by religious opposition,
Peter replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey
you rather than God.” (Acts 4:19)
Much has been written about the Christian justification for
civil disobedience. In my opinion, game
laws do not rise to the level to justify civil disobedience for a
Christian. Joe Poacher is not Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Why would I write about this subject? Probably because it has always bothered me
that my Sunday School teacher when I was a young teenager was a known
poacher. And he liked to brag about it.
