Should you always obey the law?
	This question could be used as a basis for general discussion. It is clearly possible to imagine many situations where disobedience of law could, in fact, be the right thing to do. What are the implications of this? How are they different, or more or less effective, than using other, legal, means of protest? The next step could be to organize a formal debate using a contemporary/particular situation.       http://www.debatabase.org/ The IDEA Debatabase is dedicated to providing ideas and material for such debates. It gives, for example, arguments for and against the practice of civil disobedience at:       http://www.debatabase.org/details.asp?topicID=86 The question of 'non-violent-direct-action' has been highlighted by environmental and anti-globalisation activists.
	Apart from straightforward criminality, questions of obeying the law are ultimately to do with attitudes to authority - and with conscience. Each of us respects some form of authority - even the greatest rebel accepts his or her own authority allowing any other form to be ignored! In faith communities throughout history, and today, tensions have arisen through different manifestations of conscience among their members. So where does 'authority' come from? How is it known and understood? Will it succeed if imposed without consent? Can people accept authority from more than one source simultaneously? What are the different levels of authority that govern our lives? Jesus said 'No man can serve two masters' - what did he mean? This is a deeply fruitful subject for a discussion, which could be started by brainstorming sources of authority and how the authority is established (by law, by personal respect, by tradition etc). Then try to establish a hierarchy of authorities, with the one for which people would be prepared to sacrifice most at the top. Give reasons for each. How has each authority been established? And where does your conscience fit in? This activity could be done from several viewpoints, e.g. for individuals, for 'everyman' and for society, or for a specific topic. Conscientious Objection For an interesting specific example, the issue of 'conscientious objection' was very controversial in Britain during the First and Second World Wars. The law said that you must serve King and Country in time of war if called upon to do so. Some, notably Quakers, believed that under no circumstances could their conscience allow them to fight. In fact the principle of 'conscientious objection' was tolerated on condition that a price was paid either by imprisonment or by serving in a non-combat role, such as ambulance or rescue worker.