Protestant Ethics Today: The Eighth Commandment
Be sure to check out part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7 , and part 8 of this series on Protestant Ethics Today.
Plagiarism is nothing new, but recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) technology have introduced new difficulties for teachers at all levels of education. What once seemed simpler—copying someone else’s words without proper acknowledgement and attribution—has become murky. AI, when used to write papers and essays, is plagiarism, but of a diffused sort. AI interfaces take bits and pieces from other authors (although they often simply make things up) and present them in a new form that is often more difficult to recognize as plagiarism. Teachers are rapidly recognizing that this new form of plagiarism is rampant, perhaps even the norm. This new reality is prompting many to go back to the time-tested method of written exams given in person. Plagiarism was once recognized as a form of theft, thus a violation of the eighth commandment. AI-style plagiarism is the same thing, though the moral reasoning on offer for many today would probably not even recognize it as such.
To appreciate the ways in which many more things (like AI plagiarism) than a simple taking of an object that belongs to another without permission are theft requires one to consider the deeper significance of the eighth commandment, which is the general approach that has been applied throughout this series on the Ten Commandments. All along, I have been referring to the Westminster Larger Catechism because it so powerfully articulates a fully-orbed understanding of the true meaning and significance of the Ten Commandments as taught by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount.
The Catechism provides many examples with regard to the eighth commandment that might not seem immediately obvious to the Christian. For example, it requires a firm commitment to truthfulness and justice when entering into contracts and engaging in commerce. Even though the early developers of capitalist economics, like Adam Smith, were insistent that moral considerations must remain operative in modern economies, not everyone who would call themselves capitalists today has retained that way of thinking. Smith, even as he defended the notion that self-interest would lead to prosperity and the proper allocation of goods and resources in society, also wrote the following (Theory of Moral Sentiments, I.i, quoted here):
When the happiness or misery of others depends in any respect upon our conduct, we dare not, as self-love might suggest to us, prefer the interests of one to that of many. The man within immediately calls to us, that we value ourselves too much and other people too little, and that by doing so, we render ourselves the proper object of the contempt and indignation of our brethren.
A form of amoral economic thinking, best exemplified in a figure like Ayn Rand, has taught many that morality has no business intruding into economics. The Larger Catechism, rightly reflecting the consistent teaching of the Old Testament law and of Christ himself, recognizes that interpersonal relations can never be engaged in with moral indifference.
Leviticus 6:2, as just one example, speaks of the one who “sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security.” The disciple of Rand might simply say: “They agreed on terms beforehand. That is all that matters. Morality has nothing to do with this.” God’s law says that if subterfuge or trickery on the part of one party was involved, the agreement is sinful, regardless of whether it was entered into willingly by the other party. The Westminster Shorter Catechism (Answer 75) very helpfully frames the basic responsibility flowing from the eighth commandment that one has toward others: “The eighth commandment forbids whatsoever does, or may, unjustly hinder our own, or our neighbor’s, wealth, or outward estate.” The Larger Catechism even puts forward generosity as an aspect of obedience to the commandment, urging believers to adopt a stance of “giving and lending freely, according to our abilities, and the necessities of others.” Making as much money as is possible, though sadly seen as a foundational moral truth in some circles, is not a virtue independent from consideration of how that money was procured and the effect its procurement has on others. Economics, business practices, and personal wealth development are not morally neutral realms. All of life must be subject to God’s moral law.
The Catechism on this commandment, as with all the rest, aims for the heart. Actual theft, or its many more subtle iterations, begins with a lack of “moderation of our judgments, wills, and affections concerning worldly goods.” Jesus warned repeatedly about how easy it is for wealth to become a snare for the soul. In Matthew 6:24 Christ preached that “no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other,” which he followed with the stark warning: “You cannot serve God and money.” The Apostle Paul wrote similarly: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Tim 6:10). An inordinate affection for wealth and possessions, as well as discontentment with what one has, is the first step toward outward violation of the eighth commandment.
Some of the “sins forbidden in the eighth commandment,” as stated in Answer 142 of the Catechism, include manstealing, “false weights and measures,” and “vexatious lawsuits,” which are practically the defining feature of our legal system today. Price-gouging is mentioned, as is “envying at the prosperity of others,” another sure inducement to actual theft if not quickly repented of. The Catechism even prohibits anything that would lead to “defrauding ourselves of the due use and comfort of that estate which God hath given us.” Gambling is one of the main examples it provides in this connection.
Wealth and possessions are a gift from the Lord to be used in service to him. Being wealthy is not a sin. In fact, wealth can be used mightily in faithful service to the Lord. There are several examples of this in the Bible and throughout history. But money is also dangerous. An idolatrous fixation on wealth and possessions has led many to their temporal and eternal ruin, and is at the root of all theft. Breaking the eighth commandment, it turns out, starts with covetousness, envy, and discontentment. There is, then, no better place to close than with Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
