Those who enter into a relationship thinking that they are going to be the one to change the jerk still made the decision to enter.
Yes, but the decision is made largely in ignorance.
True, but at that point -- if there is a marriage -- there are more factors involved. Scripture tells us to stay in a marriage with a non-believer in the hopes that our witness (meaning example) will help bring about conversion.
I agree that separation is appropriate in an abusive relationship. Also, involving third parties. Personally, though, I would not choose to divorce, particularly if there are children involved.
And
my point is that while you can call these decisions objectively bad, they are made in ignorance and therefore are not believed to be bad by the one making the decision.
We're not responsible for what we don't know. Not every person is addictive -- plenty of people use drugs and put them down with no difficulty. My grandmother smoked for 30 years and just put it down one day. I have a friend, on the other hand, who has "quit" smoking at least 50 times and still can't give it up.
So these people who become addicts go into it thinking that they're like my grandmother, but discover that they're like my friend.
Does this make their decision to use drugs a bad decision?
Objectively, yes.
Subjectively, only two people know for sure -- that person and God Himself. For all the rest of us know, the person believed he or she was doing a good thing (in doing what had to be done to survive or "belong", in numbing some kind of pain so that they could function in their job, in appeasing someone they fear, etc. etc.)
Hindsight is 20/20. The proof is in what they do if they are released. A vast majority of released prisoners reoffend in one way or another.
These things extend beyond "bad decisions". There is an entire culture today based on drug activity. Some don't even know a life without drug involvement. Is it surprising that they become addicts? Can we call their decision "bad" when all they did was listen to dad's (or coach's, or their best friend's) voice instead of mom's?
You asked about pregnant mothers who continue to self-abuse.
There is a line that is crossed between choosing to self-abuse and addiction. Most of those mothers have crossed that line, and are no longer choosing -- they feel that they cannot survive without the drug. And in many ways, they may be right... many addicts
cannot stop using without help -- they literally would die if no one was around to make sure they stay fed, clean, etc.
Those I have talked to are repentant. The vast majority are not.
Exactly. They did not choose to be locked up.
In your mindset, yes. But it also furthers my point.
Read my quote. We aren't just talking about the law and prison. We are also talking about faith and death.
In the language of faith and death, here is the translation of your statement:
Not knowing that what they did was a sin is completely different from expecting to not be punished for their sins.This is exactly my point. Not knowing is ignorance. Expecting not to be punished is foolish. Doing (or saying) particularly wicked things and expecting not to be punished is evil.
We agree on the first one. But on the second, I say that there are levels of culpability. If a person knows there are consequences but believes them to be avoidable or minimal, that person is not as responsible as the one who knows the seriousness of the consequences and accepts the possibility of getting caught.
Again, you are mixing up people. Most do not fall into this category -- and the few who do, most likely are reoffenders who no longer fear the prison culture.
Exactly. And I restate -- I doubt they do this desiring to spend their lives there. Rather they most likely want the relief of an environment they've adjusted to -- they've already relinquished life for existence.