Toby Quillin – Loveland, Colorado … From the beginning of creation, laws have been a part of our life. We need to have most laws to function as a society. There are some, however, that aren’t useful at all. Silly and weird laws are everywhere including right here in Colorado. Let’s explore a few of these strange and seemingly unuseful laws.
The first strange law comes from the city of Pueblo. It says it’s illegal to allow dandelions to grow in city limits. The rule states that no pesky weed can be taller than ten inches. If you forget to pull them or let them grow without cutting them, then you can be fined $100 for the labor costs of removing them. A big fine for just one weed.
There is a very ironic law that says it is illegal to roll or throw boulders in the city of Boulder. This law goes on to say that you can’t even move or stack rocks in any Boulder public property. So just remember the next time you go to Boulder, no matter how big or small the rock is, don’t move it an inch.
The third weird and wacky law comes straight from our state’s capital city. In Denver, it is unlawful to lend your neighbor your vacuum cleaner. This rule came around because of the spread of pests caught up in the vacuum like ticks and bed bugs. A reasonable law, but still a strange one.
These laws don’t seem to have any purpose, but there’s always something we can learn from a seemingly useless thing.
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he didn’t respond with one of the 613 laws of the Pharisees. He responded with his own two commandments that should be the basis of every law.
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.’” ( Matthew 22:37-39, NIV).
Jesus didn’t need hundreds of laws to make his point clear, he only needed two. The Pharisees tried to use works to get to salvation by implementing hundreds of laws that had nothing to do with God’s plan for salvation.
In today’s world, there are a lot of rules. Many exist to keep us safe even if they don’t make sense to us. Though we see the many laws in society, it is important to remember the greatest law: the law of love.
Christians are sometimes defined by the many rules they must keep. Let’s not get caught up in all the small stuff that we think will save us like the Pharisees did. Let’s try to change that definition today by focusing on how deep our love for God is and how much we care for our fellow humans.
Toby Quillin is a member of the Campion Student News Team. Photo by Pexels.
