Software and Music Downloads

[Q the Ninja]

LoL, yes...but after you sell the CD, you sell your rights too.

[return2truth]

[quote name='Angel' date='May 3 2005, 04:55 PM'] I have downloaded a few songs off of file sharing, but i dont really feel its a sin. Its legal here in Canada there are no laws against it, so until that day happens i guess its ok. When something is against the law, then i will not do it. The few times i have gotten to listen to the artists music, lets me hear them and really like them then yes i will buy their cd I have money, i just find it good if you want to sample music first before buying the whole album. I can understand with some artists tho like if all their music was being downloaded and absolutely no one was buying it, then it would seem pretty unfair. But many people are still buying, and people are also sampling, but i dont think its a sin. [/quote]
I spoke with my parish priest yesterday who just so happens to be the vicar general of the diocese (second-in-command to the bishop), so I had a great oppourtunity to discuss the nature of sin with him and listen to his esteemed opinion. He told me that one of the biggest moral issues in the world today is when a particular set of actions or behaviors that in and of themselves are immoral are permitted by the law of the land and are not classified as illegal. He told me that people tend to reason that if something is permitted by law then it must also be moral or at least make an effort to justify the immorality.

After his talk, and thanks to all of your opinions, I have decided to systematically buy all of the software that I use that I have downloaded. I cannot outright stop using it, because my livelihood depends upon it, but I am working towards making amends.