Question about software legality

[SeaStorm]

Am I then committing a crime if I listen to a song on YouTube several times, but never actually buy the song?

There's not a lot that's 100% legally settled in this area, but as someone who studied copyright law in school, I'll say that listening to (not ripping) a song on YouTube is pretty close to 100% safe. The problems legally go to those distributing (uploaders) and those copying (rippers). If you're just listening (streaming) and are not creating a copy for yourself to listen to later, I doubt that would ever be held to be illegal.

The book translation issue is sticky enough that I'd be unwilling to hazard to a guess.

 

[Aletheus]

R0b, seriously...don't sweat over it. It's like you said, piracy is a known issue, but the big boys already know they can't do anything to stop it, or maybe they want it to spread and they just pretend they're anti-piracy. If you paid for the material and you can't understand it due to it being in Japanese..then what's the point of you getting it? It seems only fair that you get to read those translations if you've already given money to the creator. Even better yet, by supporting a translation site you're showing the creators (who will eventually find out about it) that their work is appreciated even overseas and they might even publish an English version of the stuff.

 

[R0b]

Okay, so in regard to the YouTube thing:

If I take a video of myself playing a song on the guitar (while simultaneously recording my playing to my computer) and then upload that to YouTube with the original track in the background, does that violate anything, given that the point of the video is to show off my cover, not necessarily provide people a version of the song to listen to for free?

 

[Rawshik]

Yes, that's illegal. Even if you bought the song it's still illegal. You don't own the rights to distribute it.

 

[JayArby]

@Rawshik
Actually, the Bible (and NT specifically) urges believers to be incredibly vigilant about not committing sin. I really don't think I even need to bring up any verses for this. A zillion come to mind.

And just because someone is concerned about small things doesn't mean they can't possibly be concerned with big things as well. That's just an excuse to overlook certain sins.

 

[SeaStorm]

Okay, so in regard to the YouTube thing:

If I take a video of myself playing a song on the guitar (while simultaneously recording my playing to my computer) and then upload that to YouTube with the original track in the background, does that violate anything, given that the point of the video is to show off my cover, not necessarily provide people a version of the song to listen to for free?

Like most legal questions, the answer is "it depends".

Here's a good resource from Wired re cover songs on YouTube:

Criminal Creativity: Untangling Cover Song Licensing on YouTube

 

[Rawshik]

@Rawshik
Actually, the Bible (and NT specifically) urges believers to be incredibly vigilant about not committing sin. I really don't think I even need to bring up any verses for this. A zillion come to mind.

And just because someone is concerned about small things doesn't mean they can't possibly be concerned with big things as well. That's just an excuse to overlook certain sins.

There's a difference between saying "Oh stealing is a sin so I'm not going to do it" and "Oh let me find out if this is a sin to see if I can do it or not". Oh and also, if you want to be REALLY picky and sinless then you shouldn't do anything that you have even the slightest doubts about. The Bible tells us (in 1st Corinthians, I believe) that if we even think a tiny bit that something MIGHT be a sin and you are really unsure then doing that thing is sinning. In this case, sorry Rob, you can't read that stuff anymore.

 

[Aletheus]

God hates manga, buddy.

 

[BM]

I assume you're joking by calling me a crook...

No worries! Of course I am. Maybe just asking the ones who own or create these works of art what they think about it could help?

 

[R0b]

Okay, this might be kind of long, but bear with me here...

Look, I know I have issues. I know I overthink things. It's a problem, to the point that my fiancee disclosed to me the other day that me being like this has caused her to slip in her faith. I don't know why I'm like this, and to be honest I don't like it. Perhaps it's because when I was first saved (and subsequently started reading the Bible) I found myself confronted with a lot of conviction--I knew I had to give up pornography, pre-marital sex, perversion, etc.--and those changes started to feel good. I could definitely feel God working in my life, and I guess I was on a spiritual high. Perhaps I wasn't prepared for when the changes stopped, or perhaps I just read too many Christian blogs/posts/etc. that made me start over analyzing things (one example is a post that stated spending too much time talking to another co-worker was stealing, because you are stealing time from your employer, which made me get really antsy about just standing around at my day job, since I have to account for my tasks and time worked each day).

To be honest, for some time after my salvation I continued using my manga reader and Baka Tsuki apps on my phone to read manga and light novels that were unavailable in English but were fan-translated with no issue of conscience, other than the occasional question of whether particular content was 'okay' for a Christian. I don't think it ever really struck me as stealing. Whether it is or not, I don't know, and whether it's truly a sin or I'm just making it to be in my mind, I don't know. I get the feeling that most of you guys wouldn't sweat something like this, especially with my proposed idea of officially buying the Japanese book and then using the fan-translation as a means to understand what I own (I know Aletheus wouldn't, at least).

Even my fiancee feels I'm being ridiculous on this--I believe her opinion was that if anyone was doing something illegal it would be the people translating it, and if it was illegal it would be taken down. I believe it does technically violate international copyright laws, but I think part of the lack of action is that Japanese companies know they aren't losing anything by allowing it to continue, so they just take an attitude of indifference. The manga market is a bit different--I know there was previously a push against manga scanlators, but I'm digressing from my point. The point is that, if I understood her point correctly, she feels that as long as it's up then I'm not doing anything wrong by utilizing what's there.

I even contacted my young adult's pastor about this previously, and she said that she didn't see any issue with it, though ultimately it was between me and God. I prayed about the issue, and I can't say I really felt any kind of response to the issue one way or the other. Quite frankly, my initial thought of it being sinful to read these scanlations could have been genuine conviction, or it could be the result of legalistic though, or perhaps it could simply be condemnation from the enemy. I don't know. What I do know is that I overthink everything, to the point that I would barely touch my fiancee for a while. I've caused a lot of emotional suffering for both myself and others because I overthink things. I have ultimately failed to rest in God's grace, instead trying to micro-manage every little activity and detail as to whether or not it's sinful.

It's gotten to the point that I don't even know what to confess during prayer time. I wrack my brain because, quite frankly, I believe I must have sinned at some point. The Bible says that anyone who says they are without sin is a liar, after all. Perhaps wanting to play a video game was idolatry? Maybe talking to my co-worker for five minutes was stealing time? Perhaps because I rounded my time off for a job (we do billing in 15 minute increments) I was lying? Most times my confessions end up being something like, "God if I did x please forgive me, and if I did y please forgive me", with the ultimate end of it being, "Please forgive me for all of my sins, and please expose them to me". This is really affecting my relationship with God and my relationship with other people. My over-thinking things is so bad that, not long after my salvation, I was thinking about cutting ties with my three closest friends because they aren't Christians. Do I need help? Yes. Is this the place to find it? Honestly, no. But you guys are, as far as I know, all Christians (or at least the majority of you are), and I'd rather seek Christian advice from other Christians.

EDIT: It should also be noted that I have (and I think I can say still somewhat) struggled with the idea of, "Are thoughts sins?" Such as, "Oh no, I thought a vulgar word; is that a sin just as if I had said it?" or "That was a sexual thought. Was that equivalent to sexual sin?" You get the idea.

TL;DR: I over think a lot of things. Seriously though, there are details in that essay above, so maybe at least skim it.

God hates manga, buddy.

I'm sure there are some people that feel that way.

 

[Rawshik]

Definitely not reading that and the fact that you had to make such a long post proves that you're not learning anything and just trying to convince yourself that what you are doing is okay.

 

[R0b]

Actually, that was me trying to explain the fact that I overthink everything and cause undo stress for myself, especially on issues that most people probably wouldn't focus on. I wasn't trying to justify anything. Also, "what I'm doing"? I've made it clear that I'm not reading these things at this time because I'm unsure.

Now did I discuss that topic in that post? Yes, because it's relevant. But the point was not to convince myself of anything. If you do not want to read the whole post that is fine, but please don't assume that you know what my purpose in writing it was.

 

[Aletheus]

Nah, Rawshik is in the wrong. You're far from convincing yourself what you do is right.
Honestly, at this point the only thing I'm thinking is that you need some rest because this whole ordeal is going to get the best of you.

Maybe my simplicity might be of service to you:
if you strive for perfection you show signs of vanity, so why fuss over something that's clearly a lesser sin than vanity?

Besides, even the tiniest light can illuminate the darkest room so focus on doing good and living a good life and everything will come into place.

 

[Rawshik]

Actually, that was me trying to explain the fact that I overthink everything and cause undo stress for myself, especially on issues that most people probably wouldn't focus on. I wasn't trying to justify anything. Also, "what I'm doing"? I've made it clear that I'm not reading these things at this time because I'm unsure.

Now did I discuss that topic in that post? Yes, because it's relevant. But the point was not to convince myself of anything. If you do not want to read the whole post that is fine, but please don't assume that you know what my purpose in writing it was.

Oh yeah? As if I wouldn't be speaking without experience. I've done literally the exact same thing as you, questioning every tiny thing to be a sin (there's probably some posts of mine about it on here), and every single thing can seem sinful if you really think about it in all aspects. One day I realized that what I was doing was complete bullcrap. Face it, you are literally sinning right now just sitting on the computer and asking these questions. Being on these forums is a sin if you aren't supposed to be here. How? You're not in God's will perfect will. Sin is literally doing something that's not in God's will. Have fun not sinning anymore.

 

[R0b]

Then what would you advise me to do, in both in this situation and in general? I'm looking for help, that's it. I know I'm being ridiculous. Please just help me out here that's all I am looking for.

 

[Rawshik]

Stop caring? I would say take Aletheus' advice and focus on doing good rather than not doing bad. When worrying about something minor being sinful, don't look at it like God will be angry cause you went to see The Avengers with false gods in it, instead look at it from a perspective of how it will affect you. Like, will reading illegal things online affect your spiritual life negatively? Will it give you apathy towards more important things of God? Or will it just entertain you for the time being? That's what you have to decide.

You have to understand that this is an area of Christianity that, along with countless others, has no direct answer and is therefore rendered entirely up to you on what to do. This might be an offensive analogy but The Bible is almost like Mad Libs. You have the basic structure of what to do and believe but there's tons of holes along the way that need your personal taste to fill in.

 

[SeaStorm]

R0b, at this point I would suggest that you look into more formal help for your problems with scrupulosity, whether that be through your church or through the many books and organizations dedicated to the problem.

You're unlikely to resolve this on your own and, IMO, you are not getting healthy advice here.

 

[BM]

Hey ROb, the irony is that with your focus on not sinning, more and more you've become a slave of sin, because the concept of sin now rules your life. Nothing wrong with trying not to sin, but the stuff you talk about is something different. If you want something to read now, read Romans, then read Romans again.

 

[R0b]

The other irony is probably that, in worrying about sinning, I am sinning. Think about it: if I spend time worrying about whether x, y, or z is a sin, my mind gets absorbed in that. I get worked up over trying to solve it. I come to forum sites and try to find answers. The biblical solution, I would imagine, would be to take it to God in prayer and trust that He, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, would provide the answer(s) that I seek. Instead, though, I worry about it, trying to find the answers myself. Is this not idolatry? Is this not putting the responsibility (and trust) on myself and on other people?

The problem, though, is that I haven't really figured out how to just "let go and let God". Is it simply asking for God's guidance and then letting the situation go, trusting that God will deliver an answer in His time? You hear all of these people talking about "feeling" God's presence or "feeling" guided by the Spirit (and yes, I know, we shouldn't rely on feeling), that it makes it very discouraging when you don't "feel" these things yourself.

 

[Parched Earth]

R0b, at this point I would suggest that you look into more formal help for your problems with scrupulosity, whether that be through your church or through the many books and organizations dedicated to the problem.

You're unlikely to resolve this on your own and, IMO, you are not getting healthy advice here.

+1 to SeaStorm's advice. For what it may be worth, I am a counselor, and I don't think it is likely you will be able to resolve this issue via this forum.