We Need A Law...Or Do We?

“The Indianapolis suburb of Beech Grove is filled with small town charm, despite its close proximity to Indiana's state capital. In this quiet little municipality, the population of 15,000 is subject to one of the  weirdest food laws ever written in the U.S. If you were hoping to one day enjoy some watermelon in one of Beech Grove's public parks, you better think twice — lest you risk breaking the law. 

“In a state where 80% of the land is devoted to farming and woodlands, this law may seem totally outrageous. However, Indianapolis news outlet WRTV reported in 2017 it received confirmation from board members of Beech Grove's local government that a watermelon ban had been instituted several years before. The reason? Those pesky watermelon rinds were tearing holes in the trash bags lining the cans at public parks. Someone had enough! So, a call to action was made and a ban supposedly written into law, though the whereabouts of this written record remain unclear.”* 

Laws are useful, even necessary, in peaceful society. If everyone was left to do what seemed right or what felt good to them, chaos would result. But the answer to lawlessness is not to give in to the temptation to make laws to govern every possible scenario in life. This temptation is prominent in religious circles. Some try to help God out by making laws where He didn’t make any.

Imagine there is a religious belief or practice that I don’t like. Maybe I was always taught it was wrong but, the trouble is, I can’t find any place in the Bible where God specifically condemns it. How should I deal with this? In choosing a way forward, I must guard against making a law where God didn’t. I must guard against drawing unnecessary inferences from general principles in Scripture in an effort to make my case. In areas where God hasn’t made a law, the best course is to act upon my own conscience and let others do the same, even if it breaks MY “law.”

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.mashed.com/1920160/is-it-illegal-to-eat-watermelon-in-beech-grove-indiana-parks-local/