Is this stealing?

[buddhalovely]

In my opinion, though it brings merit to set up your own alter but the fact that this person took its merits away from many others, this causes it to be a sin. I believe that this statue was there to benefits others, when this person took it with him, it took away the many chances of others to sprout their seed of dharma. Although this also depends on the persons motivation, whether he took it away to set up another alter in a more public, open area to bring this statue to many others OR he stole it and decided to sell it or keep it all to himself. Even if he wanted it for the right reasons and have thoughts of bringing it home with him, he could just snap a picture, print it out and stick it on his alter instead of taking the whole statue with him.

[ratanasutra]

Taking something from other without permission is consider stealing either your motivation is right or not. Then how heavy of the negative karma is up to the motivation.

If taking thing from other without permission is not stealing then we can go to take other people money and things to give to other that we think they need it ie take money from rich but selfish people to give to the poor, and ultimately everyone can take other people things to give to other because we have a good motivation, just imagine how this world would be.. i don't think there will be any one who will work so hard to earn money to buy things as it can be taken by other any time and everyone will just go to take things that they want.. as it no karmic cause..   

[negra orquida]

Does anyone recall the story of Robin Hood? He stole from the rich to give to the poor. His motive for doing that is because he believed that the rich was stealing from the poor and he took justice into his own hands.  So it appears that he was taking away something from someone (by force) to return it to its rightful owner.

What do you think about this scenario?  Robin Hood gave all the loot he stole from the rich to the poor, he did not consider the loot to be his.  Is this considered stealing?

On another note, you may have heard of celebrity shoplifters such as Winona Ryder and Lindsay Lohan, who are diagnosed as suffering from kleptomania.  According to Mayo Clinic online resource, kleptomania is "the irresistible urge to steal items that you generally don't really need and that usually have little value" (I suppose trivial value is subjective here, since these celebrity shoplifters do not shop at regular malls like us...).  Some kleptomaniacs apparently do not even realise that they are stealing and there is no apparent motive for them to steal.

What is the "karmic classification & treatment" of kleptomaniacs then?

[Tammy]

Positive Change,

I can imagine your feeling upon seeing the beautiful statute stolen! yES I think it is STEALING to take the statue home to make offerings and for prayers!

Instead of being available for general public to pray and make offerings, hence collect much needed merits, this people had selfishly remove it for his or her own benefit, if this is not stealing, I don't know what is ?!
The negative karma created by taking away (stealing !!! I am just being nice here) is extremely heavy!

I feel sorry for the thief!

[RedLantern]

A bad action ,like stealing,even where with good motives is behind it,is still action that will receive a reaction corresponding to it's nature.The reciprocal action resulting from this action will be greatly mitigated or reduced by the rays of good motive motive which emanating from the spirit forms a protective layer around the individual.It is different with one who doesn't have a good motive.Such person will be more severely hit by the reciprocal action resulting from the bad action,because he has no protection aura due to his lack of good motive.Every evil action( no matter the motive behind it)will give rise an evil reciprocal action.
Therefore,no evil action is ever justified.

[Positive Change]

Positive Change,

I can imagine your feeling upon seeing the beautiful statute stolen! yES I think it is STEALING to take the statue home to make offerings and for prayers!

Instead of being available for general public to pray and make offerings, hence collect much needed merits, this people had selfishly remove it for his or her own benefit, if this is not stealing, I don't know what is ?!
The negative karma created by taking away (stealing !!! I am just being nice here) is extremely heavy!

I feel sorry for the thief!

Well... I am still of two minds if this would constitute stealing. Perhaps it was put there to be taken... if the motivation was that and the motivation behind the person taking the statue was to perhaps revere it in a proper shrine... is it really wrong?

Fundamentally perhaps but if it does not harm anyone in the process, surely it is something "permissible"?

I understand taking something that does not belong to us constitute as stealing... however, what happens if one finds a puppy by the side of the road? Do we feed and shelter it? Or do we leave it be thinking it may belong to someone hence we could be stealing? I seriously do not know the answer to the question but what I would like to illustrate here is there are many different aspects to it and it is not always black and white. The karma may be but the motivation behind it may vary and hence the repercussions not as heavy?

[Dondrup Shugden]

It is so often that our tainted views will find ways to justify our wrongful actions.

Not only in actions but also in our every moment thoughts, we will find ways to justify our wrong acts and thoughts.

In the practice of Dharma, we must be honest and not take unless it is for free distribution. Free distribution arises from sponsorship, so even if we are to take religious items on free distribution, it is good practice to still donate some financial assistance for replacement so that some one else can partake in this benefit.

Therefore taking without permission is stealing whatever the motivation may be. 

[maricisun]

Taking something that doesn't belongs to you is stealing. Either a holy item or some other material object.
Both causes bad negative karma and karma has it cause and effect.

If someone has taken the holy statue of Dorje Shugden then maybe they have an affinity. Let's hope that that someone will be bless by Dorje Shugden and do more dharma work.

But to steal is definitely not an option.

[Tenzin Malgyur]

If the statue was taken away by someone without consent of the owner or the people who installed it, it is surely an act of stealing. Moreover, he/she have deprived the opportunity for others to make their offerings and prayers. Surely the purpose of having the statue at that particular location was to have it bless the area and all who catch a gaze at it. It would be so selfish to take the statue home.
Or could there be other reasons for the disappearance of the Dorje Shugden statue?