Duty From on High vs. Life, Part 364

At Slate, Jenée Desmond-Harris takes the following question in her Dear Prudence column. The letter comes from a woman who is concerned about the safety of her sister and nephew:

My sister is married to a fundamentalist Christian idiot. Three weeks ago, he brought a homeless man to live with them because "it's their Christian duty." "Homeless Hank" has so far stolen from them, urinated on a neighbor's lawn, used drugs in their home, and brought in shady people who have commenced turning their place into a drug den. It would be bad enough if it were just the two of them, but they have an 8-month-old baby and I fear for his safety. I've told my sister she and my nephew are free to move in with me any time and stay as long as they need to, but she says it's her "duty" to obey her husband. What are my options for keeping my nephew safe? [bold added]

I mostly concur with Prudence's answer: These fools are obviously putting their own child in danger.

That may or may not even be the full extent of the propriety of involving law enforcement in the matter. The theft and the fact that the couple is harboring criminals come to mind.

That said, endangering their infant son is just the tip of the iceberg of immorality here. This couple faces numerous consequences stemming from their primitive view of morality as a set of orders from on high to be practiced formulaically, and that have nothing to do with living their lives.

The next time you hear someone babble something to the effect that "there is no morality without god," remember that this is an example of what that really means, when taken seriously and put into practice.

-- CAV