Right and Wrong—How Should You Decide?
WHO has the authority to set the standards of right and wrong? That question was raised at the very beginning of human history. According to the Bible book of Genesis, God designated a tree that was growing in the garden of Eden as "the tree of the knowledge of good and bad." (Genesis 2:9) God instructed the first human pair not to eat the fruit from this tree. However, God's enemy, Satan the Devil, suggested that if they ate from this tree, their eyes were "bound to be opened" and they were "bound to be like God, knowing good and bad."—Genesis 2:16, 17; 3:1, 5; Revelation 12:9.
Adam and Eve faced a decision—should they accept God's standards of good and bad or should they follow their own? (Genesis 3:6) They chose to disobey God and to eat from the tree. What did this simple act imply? By refusing to respect the limits placed on them by God, they asserted that they and their offspring would be better off setting their own standards of right and wrong. How successful has mankind been in attempting to exercise this godlike power?

Differing Opinions
After reviewing the teachings of prominent thinkers throughout the centuries, the Encyclopædia Britannica states that from the time of Greek philosopher Socrates to the 20th century, there have been "repeated debates over just what goodness and the standard of right and wrong might be."
For example, the Sophists were a prominent group of Greek teachers in the fifth century B.C.E. They taught that standards of right and wrong were determined by popular opinion. Said one such teacher: "Whatever things seem just and fine to each city, are just and fine for that city, so long as it thinks them so." By this measure, Jodie, mentioned in the preceding article, should keep the money, since the majority in his community, or "city," would likely do that.
Immanuel Kant, a renowned 18th-century philosopher, expressed a different view. The journal Issues in Ethics says: "Immanuel Kant and others like him . . . focused on the individual's right to choose for herself or himself." According to Kant's philosophy, so long as Jodie does not violate the rights of others, what he does would be entirely up to him. He should not allow the opinion of the majority to determine his standards.
So how did Jodie resolve his dilemma? He chose a third option. He applied the teaching of Jesus Christ, whose moral standards have been praised by Christians and non-Christians alike. Jesus taught: "All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them." (Matthew 7:12) To the surprise of his client, Jodie handed her the $82,000. When asked why he did not take it, Jodie explained that he was one of Jehovah's Witnesses and said: "The money was not mine to keep." Jodie took seriously Jesus' words recorded in the Bible at Matthew 19:18: "You must not steal."

From the local paper:

Betts had apparently left her daughter in the vehicle naked so she wouldn't get out of the car while her mom was at work, officials said.

Betts was booked into jail and later released on $15,000 bond. Her daughter was taken into protective custody.

Dominique Prado told the Riverside Press-Enterprise that she and her husband saw the girl and called police.

Is Popular Opinion a Trustworthy Guide?
Some people would likely say that Jodie was foolish for being so honest. But popular opinion is an unreliable guide. For example, if you had lived in a society where the majority believed that child sacrifices were acceptable, as some societies in the past have thought, would that have made the practice right? (2 Kings 16:3) What if you had been born into a society that viewed cannibalism as a virtuous act? Would that have meant that eating human flesh was not really wrong? The popularity of a practice does not make it right. Long ago, the Bible warned against that trap, saying: "You must not follow after the crowd for evil ends."—Exodus 23:2.
Jesus Christ identified another reason for being cautious of adopting popular opinion as a guide to right and wrong. He exposed Satan as "the ruler of the world." (John 14:30; Luke 4:6) Satan uses his position to mislead "the entire inhabited earth." (Revelation 12:9) Therefore, if you set your standards of right and wrong purely by what is popular, you might be adopting Satan's view of morality, and that would obviously be disastrous.

Jesus , you guys and your "birth control" comments. Get off your prochoice platforms. This has nothing to do with having or not having babies. This girl is 12, it's a little late for the birth control argument, don't you think?Anyhow... neither this article nor the link for newsfeedresearcher really discuss the mental aptitude of the girl. Although they do say that she has "disappeared from home before", but when police find her, she IS able to tell them where her mom works and what the phone number is for home. So, she can't be all that disabled.

As for leaving her alone in a car, in broad daylight, NAKED, this woman should NEVER be able to have her child back. She basically advertised her daughter for every pervert walking by that car to see. For this alone, she endangered her.

Sounds like, yeh, the Beemer is the family car, also. They have a house, tho it's been in default by the sounds of it, and the family has enough money in the bank to be able to post 1500.00 bail (1/10 of the 15,000 bail set to get her released till court). There is a father in this picture also, since he came running when the police notified him. So we have two parents, money in the bank, a really decent vehicle, a home.... if these people wanted to keep the girl safe, there are sitters. But, I have to wonder, if the "mom" was working at a school , why the hell wasn't the girl in school? Even if she's mentally handicapped, she should've been in school on this day.

Okay, I have a son mentally ill and this is just bizarre, even to me. She worked for the school district- she has some mental where with-all or they wouldn't have hired her to work with children. She should have known better than to leave a child alone like that. Why was the child not in a mental facility or in school? The mother was charged .... doesn't that say she was negligent? Also people, you don't think your child is going to ever be mentally ill... it just happens and parents have to learn to deal with it ... and part of that is getting an education regarding the type of illness they are dealing with, the correct medication and what ever else that child needs. I do believe the child was mentally ill and the mother didn't know how to cope with it and was doing a very poor job at it.

Can You Trust Your Own Judgment?
Should each individual, then, decide for himself what is right and what is wrong? The Bible says: "Do not lean upon your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) Why not? Because all humans have inherited a fundamental flaw that can warp their judgment. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they adopted the standards of the selfish traitor Satan and chose him as their spiritual father. They then passed on to their offspring a family trait—a treacherous heart with the ability to recognize what is right but with the tendency to pursue what is wrong.—Genesis 6:5; Romans 5:12; 7:21-24.
The Encyclopædia Britannica, in discussing ethics, observes: "It does not seem surprising if people know what they ought morally to do but then proceed to do what is in their own interests instead. How to provide such people with reasons for doing what is right has been a major problem for Western ethics." The Bible correctly puts it this way: "The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) Would you trust someone who is known for being both treacherous and desperate?
Granted, even those who have no belief in God have the ability to behave in a morally upright manner and to develop practical and honorable ethical codes. Often, though, the noble principles embedded in their codes simply mirror the moral standards of the Bible. Although such individuals may deny God's existence, their ideas demonstrate that they have an inherent potential for reflecting God's personality. This proves that as the Bible reveals, mankind was originally created "in God's image." (Genesis 1:27; Acts 17:26-28) The apostle Paul says: "They are the very ones who demonstrate the matter of the law to be written in their hearts."—Romans 2:15.
Of course, it is one thing to know what is right; it is quite another to have the moral strength to do what is right. How does one come to have the necessary moral strength? Since actions are motivated by the heart, cultivating a love for the Author of the Bible, Jehovah God, can help a person to develop that strength.—Psalm 25:4, 5.

so mommies got a job and still let her kid starve and run around naked

gotta wonder if 12 yr old girl has health/mental issues ,

never get the full story just the headline that leads to a crappy article

are these writers getting paid or are they 12 yr oldstudents

Why is this national news?

I'm so thankful that I don't have children who could potentially be in the care of people such as the 'mother' and teacher's aid in this story or some of those making their idiotic comments.

Finding the Strength to Do Good
The first step in learning to love God is to discover how reasonable and practical his commandments are. "This is what the love of God means," states the apostle John, "that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3) For example, the Bible contains practical advice that can help young ones discern right from wrong when deciding whether they should drink alcoholic beverages, take drugs, or engage in sex before marriage. The Bible can help married couples discern how to resolve differences, and it can provide parents with guidelines for raising children. When applied, the Bible's moral standards benefit young and old alike, no matter what their social, educational, or cultural background.
Just as eating nutritious food gives you strength to work, reading God's Word gives you strength to live by his standards. Jesus likened God's utterances to life-sustaining bread. (Matthew 4:4) He also said: "My food is for me to do the will of him that sent me." (John 4:34) Feeding on God's word helped equip Jesus to resist temptations and to make wise decisions.—Luke 4:1-13.
At first, you may find it difficult to feed your mind on God's Word and to adopt his standards. But recall that when you were young, you might not have liked the taste of food that was good for you. To grow strong, you had to learn to enjoy such wholesome foods. In the same way, it may take time for you to acquire a taste for God's standards. If you persist, you will grow to love them and become spiritually strong. (Psalm 34:8; 2 Timothy 3:15-17) You will learn to trust in Jehovah and be motivated to "do good."—Psalm 37:3.
You may never face a situation like the one that confronted Jodie. Nevertheless, each day you make ethical decisions, both small and great. The Bible, therefore, urges you: "Trust in Jehovah with all your heart and do not lean upon your own understanding. In all your ways take notice of him, and he himself will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5, 6) Learning to trust in Jehovah will not only benefit you now but also open up to you the opportunity to live forever, because the path of obedience to Jehovah God leads to life.—Matthew 7:13, 14.

I dont even leave my dam DOG in the car!!! And this dumb bitch is teaching kids???? OMG!! please tie her tubes!

A future Democrat... she'll fit right in.

Good grief. Fix this women so she can't produce anymore. She is worthless. God help this child.

I have a 12 year old daughter -- she will be 13 in a few months... I would never DREAM of letting her go outside NAKED! WTF?! The mother is a teaching assistant -- she MUST be a smart woman if she is helping teach students. I can not fathom why she would allow her daughter to go outside naked! Why wasn't the girl in school? This is just shocking!

From NBC Los Angeles:

"Betts had apparently left her daughter in the vehicle naked so she wouldn't get out of the car while her mom was at work, officials said."

This so called mother has a job and drives a BMW so I guess there are a few logical questions that need to be raised.

1) Why wasn't the child in school

2) If the mother can afford to drive a BMW, Shouldn't she be able to afford child care? If she can't, then get a Kia and pay for child care.

Just the fact that she "locked" her 12 year old in a BMW while momma went to work tells me that this child is of no consequence to the mother. She should be jailed for the next 20 years for this dispicable act!

If you think your way is right , well , this is the totality of observation to this life , STRUGGLE, SUFFER, and DIE . Not pretty .

Well I believe in and eye for and eye and tooth for a tooth. Lets put that poor excues for a mother through what he child has gone through and put her out on the street naked too! Being a teaching assistant she should have the knowledge, skills and resources to provide help for that child if she could not handle her. Child abuse and abuse if women in this country is everyones business! Get involved, stand up for something and stop being complacient. If we accept the abuse of children in "America we will lay down and accept anything. Remember you may not be a victim today but tomorrow is another day! learn from history. Those who were not victims in the begining of the holocost and stood by doing nothing because it didn't effect them later became victims. Who is to say that you won't become a rape victim or victim of domestic violence. Have the courage to stand up and do what's right!

Could she be autistic, perhaps? There was a special ed program in my high school for severely autistic kids and there were more than a few instances where a few suddenly ran into the courtyard in the pouring rain and took off their clothes, while the special ed teacher chased them around trying to get them back into their clothes. Once, one of the autistic girls was in the bathroom going through the sanitary napkin disposal canisters. I ran out and alerted the special ed teacher, so she could stop her and wash her hands. The girl may have run away from her caretaker, we don't know if she suffers from autism or a mental disorder. Until the story tells us more about her condition, we can't know who is to blame, as the article is not very informative.

A child is found naked and starving and the discussion on this board is about birth control. Really ?

I say take away all the Mom's clothes and money and make her look for food in the garbage cans at the local prison.

Details are really limited on this. A 12 year old can stay at home alone but why wasn't she in school. Is it possible that drugs were involved here? Did this child have a mental condition and if so why was she alone? Is it really possible that the mother never bought her child clothes and didn't feed her but still worked for a school?

There is far more to this story than MSNBC is giving us and it sounds to me like they aren't going to give us any more details.

The most popular book in all history , is the BIBLE . The Holy Scriptures, the inspired Word of Jehovah, acknowledged as the greatest book of all times because of its antiquity, its total circulation, the number of languages into which it has been translated, its surpassing greatness as a literary masterpiece, and its overwhelming importance to all mankind. Independent of all other books, it imitates no other. It stands on its own merits, giving credit to its unique Author. The Bible is also distinguished as having survived more violent controversy than any other book, hated as it is by many enemies.

I think I'll wait for the whole story.

Kid should of sold the BMW and bought some food instead and lived in a cardboard box.