Peter Mackay wrote:
I mean, the bible
says it's adultery if you look at someone not your spouse with lust in your
heart
Actually, for the excessively literalistic among us (that would be all
of you, I expect), the text of the Bible only says looking upon "a
woman". You're already adding your own interpretation by using
gender-neutral language and adding the "not your spouse" bit, even if it
can be inferred from the fact that the topic is adultery.
This makes a nice case study on how important it is to know the
_meaning_ of rules, not just the _definitions_ of the words they
contain. Deliberately ignoring the meaning when it's obvious, as in the
example I showed, places you outside the law and risks losing its
protections.
If people would work to *understand* rules instead of trying to lawyer
them, they would find them much easier both to follow and to enforce.
Those who are clearly trying to circumvent the rules, we can do without.
--Michael Snow