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This question may sound like making excuses but please don't down-vote, it's a big issue specially in middle east.

I'm living in Iran and because of the sanctions I'm not able to transfer money using credit cards PayPal etc. I try to use open-source but if it's not open-source it's a pirated version.

Despite not feeling good about doing this I have no other choice. even if I could transfer money, I can't afford all the prices (because of the sanctions and crippled economy).

Piracy is so common here that even government uses it, for example PC's Windows OS.

Again, I have no alternative to stop using pirated version of things, Is this a sin in the situation that I explained?

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    that doesn't really change the questions. If lots of people do action X it doesn't change the question. "Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."- St Augustine (no judgment on sin or not, just a nifty phrase)
    – depperm
    Commented May 10, 2023 at 11:15
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    this site is about Christianity not ethics, global politics, etc. I'm not saying what action should be taken or even that what is being done is wrong (I was pointing out that the excuse that everyone is doing something is a weak one). My comment is that IMO this type of question is off topic.
    – depperm
    Commented May 10, 2023 at 11:26
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    There is no 'Christian take' on moral decisions involving complex situations. Each person must act according to their own conscience in the light of all the aspects of the situation, as known to themselves.
    – Nigel J
    Commented May 10, 2023 at 11:26
  • related philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/34434/…
    – depperm
    Commented May 10, 2023 at 11:38

5 Answers 5

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There are several arguments sometimes made why "piracy" as OP calls it may be sinful. The Bible itself does not directly address the issue.

Some say that it is stealing and therefore forbidden by the Ten Commandments. Stealing in the Bible refers to someone taking something which belongs to someone else. It means the stealer obtaining something he ought not to have, and at the same time depriving the victim of something he ought to have. In the case of piracy it is not clearly the case that it is stealing as meant in the Bible since it does not deprive the owner of that which is his.

Some say that it is important to obey the civil law and that if something is against the law of the country then doing it is sinful simply because it is disobedience to the civil authorities. Not all countries however have such laws and where they exist may apply only to certain other countries. For example, in the current circumstances, the civil and Islamic authorities in Iran may not forbid "piracy". In that case this particular argument fails.

Another argument against piracy is that it effectively deprives a workman of his wages. You are benefitting from his labour without paying for it. Here, the particular circumstances may also be a factor. Due to sanctions it may be illegal for the author, according to the laws of his country, to sell you the software etc. The author therefore has no legitimate right to any payment from you for using his software or reading his book, so you are not therefore depriving him of any entitlement by not paying for it.

A similar argument to render to everyone his due may help in some circumstances, but it does not help address the question of whether anything is due to the author of the "pirate" software. According to the law of his country, nothing is because it would be breaking sanctions, and according to the user's country his government may allow or encourage it anyway.

Islamic scholars have looked at the question of "piracy" in general and come to different conclusions.

In short, where there is no hard and defnite rule in the Bible, the circumstances are always relevant.

Then, too, would not usung "pirated" software have an adverse effect more generally? If so, one would need to be very sure before doing anything drastic.

In Romans Chapter 14 we read of moral dilemmas where different people had different ideas.

For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him

In this case there was contention in the church between vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Paul urged that in such matters everyone's conscience should be respected.

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    Certainly there is a strong message in the Bible that a worker has a right to be paid for their labours. But you could legitimately take the view that Microsoft and its employees have already been paid many times over for their labours in creating the Windows software. Commented May 11, 2023 at 14:15
  • -1 because you are making the statement "and at the same time depriving the victim of something he ought to have" as fact. I would even dare argue this is not the common meaning of 'theft' in the English language (e.g. first dictionary hit "the action or offence of taking another person's property without permission or legal right and without intending to return it; theft"). Like as far as I am aware that addition was specifically added and designed with malicious intent to justify piracy and comes from a bad legal 'translation' of 'no intent to return it'. Commented May 11, 2023 at 15:17
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    @DavidMulder Thank you. I appreciate being given a reason. Not everyone does. I was referring to stealing as understood in the days of the Old Testament. The actual legal definition of theft is dishonestly appropriating property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it. Permanently depriving the victim is essential for theft. See the Theft Act 1968. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theft_Act_1968
    – davidlol
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 15:25
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    I believe it is widely understood that the last 6 commandments are about human beings duty to each other and how we ought not to do things which hurt or harm others. What else? Are you suggesting the Theft Act uses a bad legal translation. If so, a translation of what?
    – davidlol
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 15:39
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    @DavidMulder I have posted a question on Biblical Hermeneutics as to the meaning of the word translated as steal in the commandment Thou shalt not steal.
    – davidlol
    Commented May 12, 2023 at 4:36
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Here is a possible argument. What does the Bible mean by theft? We have "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maid servant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbour's". This sounds like tangible property to me. I imagine that it included not cutting down the neighbour's crops. I am not convinced that the concept of intellectual property existed in the Ancient World. According to Wikipedia:

The earliest recorded historical case-law on the right to copy comes from ancient Ireland. The Cathach is the oldest extant Irish manuscript of the Psalter and the earliest example of Irish writing. It contains a Vulgate version of Psalms XXX (30) to CV (105) with an interpretative rubric or heading before each psalm. It is traditionally ascribed to Saint Columba as the copy, made at night in haste by a miraculous light, of a Psalter lent to Columba by St. Finnian. In the 6th century, a dispute arose about the ownership of the copy and King Diarmait Mac Cerbhaill gave the judgement "To every cow belongs her calf, therefore to every book belongs its copy." The Battle of Cúl Dreimhne was fought over this issue. ...

The first copyright privilege in England bears date 1518 and was issued to Richard Pynson, King's Printer, the successor to William Caxton.

So there is a case to be made that Christianity doesn't have a position on copyright. IMHO the OP is doing the best he can, if he uses Open Source whenever practicable.

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    The author would only be affected ("deprived of his property") if there was a way for the OP to pay but the OP had chosen to not pay instead. But if the OP has absolutely no way to pay for it, then the author is completely unaffected whether the OP downloads it or not, as it was not a physical object which was stolen.
    – vsz
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 8:41
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    @vsz That is certainly a valid point. However, I am arguing that the folk who wrote the OT & NT books may not have recognized the concept of intellectual property. For instance, if someone wrote his own copy of a psalm without paying royalties to King David, was he in breach of copyright? IMHO the Bible has no position on IP, any more than it has a position on whether a nation should drive on the left of the road, or the right.
    – user59106
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 9:04
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    There were no such things as we understand now as "royalties" in this context, neither in Antiquity nor as late as the Middle Ages. Those who wrote poetry and composed songs, were either paid by wealthy patrons, or were wealthy themselves and did it for fame and glory. They did not make their earning by the number of copies sold. If people were spreading the songs and poems they composed, the authors were happy about it because it was a great honor to have their works reach a wider audience. (and most music was "authorless" anyway as people added their own flavor, like in folk songs)
    – vsz
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 9:13
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    It's worth noting here that the origin of copyright law in England was not to reward authors, it was to give the State control over the dangerous technology of the printing press. Commented May 11, 2023 at 14:19
  • @MichaelKay Good point. Interestingly the Diamond Sutra, which was the first book to be printed (868 CE), was also "...the first known creative work with an explicit public domain dedication, as its colophon at the end states that it was created 'for universal free distribution'".
    – user59106
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 19:17
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What you are describing boils down to stealing. It matters not whether such things are acceptable in the society in which you live. Here is what God's word, the Bible, has to say:

Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness." (Matthew 19:18)

Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. (Romans 13:7)

For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”(Romans 13:9)

The Christian life is not easy because we have such high standards to live up to. Christians are called to live lives that are “holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). But help is always at hand:

“the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

It is essential that Christians spend time studying God's Word, not just so we can learn how to behave in Christian fashion, but also so we can battle against the schemes of Satan and the temptations that befall all of us.

To call oneself a Christian means we have to act in a Christ-like manner. We can't do that by our own efforts - we need God's wisdom, grace and strength to enable us to overcome temptations. That is something you can take up in prayer the next time you speak to God. Meanwhile, trust in this promise:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:16-17)

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    Judaism has a life-first principle. The usual example is that if one is starving to death, then "choose life" by eating unkosher food. Do you see Christianity as sharing this? I won't comment about this specific case, but "I have no alternative to stop using pirated version of things" could literally be a matter of life and death in some circumstances. Commented May 10, 2023 at 12:43
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    @RayButterworth - I understand what you are saying and acknowledge that in some countries Christians face life and death situations. Thank you for mentioning this.
    – Lesley
    Commented May 10, 2023 at 12:47
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    I should have added that in Judaism, one would choose death if the choice were a deliberately forced test of faith. E.g. a gun to the head and "eat this pork". And a common addition to the first example is "but don't gnaw the bones". I.e. if you must sin, don't enjoy it. (Also, +1). Commented May 10, 2023 at 12:59
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    If the OP has absolutely no legal ways to pay the author of the software, then pirating it is not strictly stealing in the way of depriving someone of something: whether the OP downloads it or not, the author is not affected at all. The author would only be affected if there was a way for the OP to pay but the OP had chosen to not pay instead. Btw. the concept of intellectual property is very new, when the Bible mentions stealing it means depriving someone of his property.
    – vsz
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 8:40
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    The question isn't merely whether stealing is wrong, but whether this constitutes stealing. A thousand years ago there was no concept of intellectual property, so it wouldn't have been then. Is it now, in this case? Why or why not? Whatever the answer, let's address that question.
    – Maverick
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 13:38
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It is a sin because some people will hate you for it - so you will lead others into sin. But the sin is much lesser than the sin of refusing to help people save their lives (e.g. for $100 you can buy few Personal flotation device and food rations for people who try to escape from Libya to Europe), instead of giving them to those who already have mountains of money.

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  • Welcome to Christianity.SE and thank you for your contribution. When you get a chance, please take the tour to understand how the site works and how it is different than others. I would also recommend reading the Help Center's sections on asking and answering questions.
    – agarza
    Commented May 12, 2023 at 1:11
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You're already saved, so it doesn't matter. In fact, by even contemplating the morality of using pirated software, you are demonstrating a lack of faith in the salvation that you already have. The fear of "doing the wrong thing" suggests that you feel like you will be less deserving of salvation, or that God would be less justified in saving you. But He has already saved you in your sinful condition. Your works are as filthy rags to him - you can't be a "better" person by not pirating software. God saved you regardless, according to His grace.

You should not be fretting over what is or is not sin. You have been freed of sin by Christ! Do you believe Him? If so, why are you continuing to worry about sin?

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    "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans 6:1b-2) There is truth to the claim that obsessing over our sins is not good, but Christianity is not a license to stop caring or to sin as much as we want.
    – Matthew
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 18:00
  • Welcome to Christianity.SE and thank you for your contribution. When you get a chance, please take the tour to understand how the site works and how it is different than others. I would also recommend reading the Help Center's sections on asking and answering questions.
    – agarza
    Commented May 11, 2023 at 20:45

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