Jaywalking is a sin!

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2003-10-19 10:05pm

Amused me at any rate..perhaps it's cos it entails pensioners..who knows?

source

Thou shalt not cross on red, Church tells pedestrians
By Julius Strauss in Moscow
(Filed: 16/10/2003)

The Russian Orthodox Church in the Urals has declared jaywalking a sin in an attempt to cut rising pedestrian deaths.

The move came after traffic police complained that dozens of pensioners were being killed in the region every year by flouting the Russian equivalent of the Green Cross Code.

The sight of the elderly shuffling across busy roads is common in Russia. The problem is compounded by an epidemic of careless driving in a country where zebra crossings are all but ignored.

Now the Church has stepped in. In a service in Yekaterinburg on Sunday a priest told parishioners at the Church of Nikolai the Miracle-Worker that God would frown on them if they crossed the road on a red light.

Father Germogen told the congregation: "We are always rushing, and there seems to be no end to it. But by violating these mundane laws, you are violating the law of God!"

He said later: "After the service an old woman came to me crying, saying she had never dreamt that crossing on a red light was a sin."

He admitted that he had an ulterior motive as a driver himself. "I cannot but be angry when people just throw themselves under my car," he said.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-10-19 10:07pm

It boggles the mind to think that there are people out there who are so stupid that they need religious reasons not to walk in front of traffic.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-10-19 10:08pm

I jaywalk.......when there are no cars in sight.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-10-19 10:19pm

Darth Wong wrote:It boggles the mind to think that there are people out there who are so stupid that they need religious reasons not to walk in front of traffic.

Keep in mind who we're dealing with here. These people spent most of their lives in a country where the only traffic was buses and the occasional government car. It's only in the last ten years that those giant boulevards that the Commies loved to build have actually had any traffic on them. They're not used to the idea that now they live in a country where they won't be killed for badmouthing the government but they might get killed crossing the street.

And from what I understand, drives from the former Soviet bloc aren't that great, either.

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-10-19 11:01pm

Hey, even Los Angeles is seeing a rise in elderly deaths due to jaywalking...

AylaKat · Post by **AylaKat** » 2003-10-19 11:57pm

There's always old fogies trying to cross the street, and their poor little legs always seem like they're going to fall off into dust piles. But to make it a sin... do people take that seriously?

Strate_Egg · Post by **Strate_Egg** » 2003-10-20 02:35am

Why is that a sin. God knew there were going to be red lights?

Vertigo1 · Post by **Vertigo1** » 2003-10-20 05:02pm

All I can say is, if they're stupid enough to not watch where they're going and what's going on around them.....

(then again, its a whole different story if they're caught in the middle of the road)

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-10-20 07:08pm

"Hey, let's run across that road with fast-moving cars!"

"No, it would be an affront to God!"

"If that's the case, then I'm not going to do it."