Calling the Cops on Kin

The conflict between a person's loyalty to their family versus their loyalty to the State, celebrated in the Greek drama Antigone by Sophocles, now has a modern, albeit minor corollary in Quincy, Massachusetts.

A six year old boy called 911 to report his Dad running a red light.

The family felt is was more of a comedy than a drama. And it was.

But, it brings up the question: "When should indiscretions within a family be shared with those outside it?"

There is a passage in the New Testament that provides some applicable guidelines here (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). Church family members are asked to judge church family matters among themselves and not sue each other before the eyes of those outside of it. This way family unity is preserved and the church family is spared defamation from those outside it.

Also, Matthew 18:15-17 teaches that conflicts within the church family should be resolved on the lowest level possible. They can be escalated to the next level, when, and only when, they could not be resolved on a lower level after multiple attempts.

I think that these principles regarding the church family should be applied to our personal families as well.

Boy calls 911 to report dad running red light