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Writer's picturePaul Condello

Rules And Complaints

It should be kept in mind that people can complain about rules that really are useful and aren't too much extra work.


Consider some new employees at a supermarket who start to complain when they find out they are required to straighten up shelves when they walk down an aisle so that products don't fall on the floor--they feel that it isn't really necessary to do that and that it adds extra work they weren't anticipating.

In trying to maintain Christian organizations today, it is valuable to keep in mind that many people who complain about or scoff at rules also complain about or scoff at what happens when the rules have been removed. Especially in recent times, unjustified complaints against Christian organizations and rules in general have eroded both religious and general public institutions. Christians in positions that maintain, build, and govern Christian organizations want to be careful not to yield to pressure from complaints that haven't been closely analyzed because the right rules can end up being thrown out for bad reasons.


Here is a general example from the public. Consider some new employees at a supermarket who start to complain when they find out they are required to straighten up shelves when they walk down an aisle so that products don't fall on the floor--they feel that it isn't really necessary to do that and that it adds extra work they weren't anticipating. The manager ends up deciding to no longer make that duty mandatory. However, the same employees end up making fun of how messy their new work place is starting to look after several weeks go by. This might seem like contradictory behavior, but it makes sense in terms of a common mindset.


People who complain about rules that are fair by painting them as too much work, too strict etc., often aren't thinking about what is best for others and don't want to think about the problems that can result from putting their own needs first. They will make fun of a mess if they don't like looking at it, but they also aren't interested in going through a little extra work to prevent it from happening because they ignore the connection between many self-centered behaviors and the problems they cause. This happens in many ways across spheres of life. Christians who govern Christian organizations want to keep this in mind so that they don't remove rules and policies because of complaints about certain rules not being necessary when the people who complained about them may just laugh at the result.








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