Slip Slidin’ Away
This is a classic application of the slippery slope argument: It is wrong for Seinfeld to take this (seemingly) innocent first step because it will slide uncontrollably into a morally undesirable situation.
This is a classic application of the slippery slope argument: It is wrong for Seinfeld to take this (seemingly) innocent first step because it will slide uncontrollably into a morally undesirable situation.
Entrapment is a nasty business. As much as we might want to put bad people away, law enforcement officials are not allowed to force someone’s hands through subterfuge or enticement. As we read in sixth chapter of Daniel, this is what the officials of Darius’ court were trying to do. They conspired to craft a law Daniel could not keep. Daniel knew exactly what was going on. He saw the trap, and walked straight in. The king was tricked into signing a law aimed squarely at his favorite minister.
Last Sunday night I was overly cautious in saying that a church could not recommend voting one way or another on ballot issues. Actually, according to a Fact Sheet published by the IRS, “501(c)(3) organizations may take positions on public policy issues, including issues that divide candidates in an election for public office.”{1} If a congregation wants to hang on to its non-profit status, it must stay away from opposing or promoting any particular candidate. The church, however, can still talk about important issues. So I would like to be more specific about the items I mentioned on Sunday, and add a third issue that seems to crop up every voting season.