# Time in history when christians broke the law **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258 "2015-05-17T19:48:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![joe.russell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@joe.russell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joe.russell)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/1 "2015-05-17T19:48:31Z")
Was there ever a time in history, excluding bible times, when christians knowingly broke the law? Closest I can think of is morman sects that practiced polygamy. Its my understanding that it was ok during prohibition to drink wine for religois purposes, so that doesnt count as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/2 "2015-05-17T19:55:07Z")
Sure. During the Reformation and later it was frequently illegal to be the wrong brand of Christian, depending on who was in charge at the time in that particular jurisdiction. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/3 "2015-05-17T19:55:58Z")
What on earth do you mean? Are you arguing that theft, murder and general mayhem _can’t_ be done by Christians otherwise they wouldn’t be Christians? ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/4 "2015-05-17T20:04:28Z")
There have been terrorist attacks against abortion clinics committed by Christian fundamentalists. ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/5 "2015-05-17T20:05:27Z")
I’m as confused by the OP as **Grey**. It seems obvious that Christians have of course knowingly broken the law. Some Christians don’t obey speed limits, others engage in activities that are little [more serious](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_terrorism). But if the OP is asking whether Christians have, by virtue of practicing their religion, broken the law, then **Colibri’s** example is a good one (Catholics during the English reformation, for example, had to celebrate mass in secret). ---
**Author:** ![joe.russell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@joe.russell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joe.russell)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/6 "2015-05-17T20:08:37Z")
No, they certainly can be done by christians. But I’m asking if there was ever a time when the practice of Christianity ever conflicted with laws at the time. Given the many versions of christianity I would think there would b examples. Hence polygamy as an example. And also excluding bible times ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/7 "2015-05-17T20:25:48Z")
I suppose Amish persecution for their pacifism might count. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/8 "2015-05-17T20:28:45Z")
> [@joe.russell](#): > > No, they certainly can be done by christians. But I’m asking if there was ever a time when the practice of Christianity ever conflicted with laws at the time. Given the many versions of christianity I would think there would b examples. Hence polygamy as an example. And also excluding bible times Well, the New Testament was probably finished up sometime in the 2nd Century, and Christians were persecuted in the Roman Empire for some time after that. (The [Edict of Milan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Milan) which legalized Chrsitianity in the Roman Empire was promulgated in 313.) And you can find news stories from pretty much right now about Christian missionaries being arrested in places like North Korea for attempting to smuggle in Bibles or religious tracts or proselytize among the locals. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/9 "2015-05-17T20:35:12Z")
During the Cold War, there were Christians–most notably Brother Andrew–who risked imprisonment or worse by smuggling Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. [https://www.opendoorsusa.org/about-us/history/brother-andrews-story/](https://www.opendoorsusa.org/about-us/history/brother-andrews-story/) ---
**Author:** ![joe.russell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@joe.russell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joe.russell)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/10 "2015-05-17T20:43:26Z")
Great answers. Thank you. This is what I was looking for! And even though _most_ people wouldnt consider the kkk christian, its relevant because they believed they were. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/11 "2015-05-17T20:56:23Z")
In some Muslim countries, it’s a crime to convert to Christianity. Some [Recent Examples.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy#Recent_times) There have also been cases of some Christians illegally distributing bibles in Muslim countries. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/12 "2015-05-17T21:14:56Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > (Catholics during the English reformation, for example, had to celebrate mass in secret). Some Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia recently found this out the hard way, too. As for Christians breaking the law, who do you think many of the people were who hid or otherwise protected Confederate slaves, people who belonged to the wrong tribe during the Rwandan holocaust, Jews during the Nazi holocaust, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/13 "2015-05-17T21:17:14Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > In some Muslim countries, it’s a crime to convert to Christianity. Some [Recent Examples.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostasy#Recent_times) There have also been cases of some Christians illegally distributing bibles in Muslim countries. Some Christians have been smuggling Bibles into North Korea, too. They usually stand near the border when the wind is right and attach them to helium balloons, and the Bibles are often printed on paper that has a picture of a Dear Leader on every page, so they cannot be destroyed. I would imagine that other religious groups are doing, or have done, similar things. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/14 "2015-05-17T21:19:16Z")
BTW, I found out last night that Kent Hovind, the crackpot who among other things built those Creation Museums and promotes the Young Earth philosophy, is serving a very long prison sentence, as is his wife, for tax evasion. My former pastor (no, he didn’t get in trouble; he got a better job in another city) is permanently banned from a local truck stop that is notorious for prostitution and human trafficking, a cause he’s very vocal about. If he showed up, he would be arrested for trespassing, and I think his wife is on their no-fly list, too. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/15 "2015-05-17T21:58:58Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > As for Christians breaking the law, who do you think many of the people were who hid or otherwise protected Confederate slaves, people who belonged to the wrong tribe during the Rwandan holocaust, Jews during the Nazi holocaust, etc.? I don’t think those qualify under the conditions laid out by the OP. “Hiding Jews from Nizis” can’t reasonably be called “Practicing Christianity”. Same with protecting slaves in the antebellum south. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/16 "2015-05-17T22:26:10Z")
The Cathars, Albigensians, etc. practiced a form of Christianity that went so far to “break the law” that a crusade was raised against them. Christianity, _per se_, was outlawed in Japan for a long period following the initial attempts at proselytization. Numerous Catholics and Lutherans were prosecuted under various Nazi laws. Various Christians have been prosecuted for “crimes against the state” in China, the U.S.S.R. and associated regimes. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/17 "2015-05-17T23:05:37Z")
In the U.S. many christian churches were at the forefront of fighting for Civil Rights during the 1950s and '60s, breaking the laws of man. White and Black churches. So also were communist organisations; but for other reasons. Where were your Satanists then ? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/18 "2015-05-17T23:47:07Z")
[Jehovah’s Witnesses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_in_Nazi_Germany) suffered religious persecution in Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945 after refusing to perform military service, join Nazi organizations or give allegiance to the Hitler regime. An estimated 10,000 Witnesses—half of the number of members in Germany during that period—were imprisoned, including 2000 who were sent to Nazi concentration camps. An estimated 1200 died in custody, including 250 who were executed. They were the first Christian denomination banned in the Third Reich and the most extensively and intensively persecuted. Unlike Jews and Gypsies who were persecuted on the basis of their ethnicity, Jehovah’s Witnesses could escape persecution and personal harm by renouncing their religious beliefs by signing a document indicating renouncement of their faith, submission to state authority, and support of the German military. Historian Sybil Milton concludes that “their courage and defiance in the face of torture and death punctures the myth of a monolithic Nazi state ruling over docile and submissive subjects.” ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/19 "2015-05-18T00:01:24Z")
Jehovah’s Witnesses were prosecuted in the US for refusing to salute the American flag. The case went up to the Supremes, was lost, and then overturned later following mob violence against the sect. [Minersville School District v. Gobitis - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minersville_School_District_v._Gobitis) Jehovah’s Witnesses were also arrested in the US for seeking religious exemption from the draft. Eric Rudolph cited biblical passages as justification for his series of terrorist bombings during the 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258/20 "2015-05-18T00:45:31Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I don’t think those qualify under the conditions laid out by the OP. “Hiding Jews from Nizis” can’t reasonably be called “Practicing Christianity”. Same with protecting slaves in the antebellum south. I don’t see why not? If your religious convictions lead you to believe that a particular behaviour is an ethical imperative, and you accordingly engage in that behaviour, and it happens to be illegal, how is that _not_ a case of your religious faith requiring you to break the law? The fact that other people might engage in the same behaviour for non-religious reasons seems to me to be irrelevant. Christians who engage in illegal anti-war or anti-violence protest activities would be a comtemporary example of people breaking the law for religious reasons in western democracies. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-in-history-when-christians-broke-the-law/720258.md?page=2)