In the contemporary world, the issue of identity theft is a serious one. People can be greatly harmed by having their identities stolen, by having people attempt to borrow the credit rating of others to set up credit lines for themselves. I remember one time, when I was working in Lakeland, that my going out to eat during lunch led to an attempt by someone (perhaps a waiter or waitress) to get a money order from Western Union, which led my debit card to be frozen (without anyone telling me until I had tried to go grocery shopping a couple of days later), which then led for me to be sent an entirely new debit card thereafter. Of course, it would have to be a desperate identity thief to want to take my identity, if he (or she) truly knew anything about it.

Of course, being the sort of person who likes to make fun of myself from time to time, not least because if I joke about myself it steals the thunder from those who would wish to make fun of me, I find much (if grim) humor about my own identity. After watching one of the many commercials about identity theft that exist to scare people into paying for various services, I made the joke (which, honestly, is not too much of an exaggeration) that if someone stole my identity they would quickly give it back with apologies. Of course, however many difficulties I may have with my reputation and the credit that I am held in by others (which is no small concern), there are certainly at least some ways that someone would wish to steal my laurels for their own purposes, and certainly those who would wish to do my reputation harm, even if for motives (they presume) of defense.

This is not necessarily a new problem. It is not without reason that the third commandment against taking the name of God in vain is intricately related with the eighth commandment against theft [1]. Both theft and taking the name of God (or others) in vain, through attacks to honor and reputation, are matters of theft of great seriousness. When we rob the name of others we attack the reputation of others, stealing from them the ability for them to serve and live as God created them to live, with their gifts and according to their inclinations, largely because of the damage that has been done to them. Likewise, the theft of property harms people by attacking their security as well as their resources for surviving and thriving. If we were as concerned with the more intangible resources of peace and mind as well as reputation as we are with physical possessions, we would be much more considerate of others, and likely much better at building up others rather than tearing them down.

Let us also note that the idea of stealing identity is not a new matter [2]. In ancient history, gnostics and heretics of various stripes routinely sought to bolster the credibility of their works by appropriating from the reputation of others for their writings. Once someone has achieved a certain level of popularity and reputation, their name itself becomes a sign that their work is worthwhile without prior investigation or a great deal of scrutiny. Likewise, the acquisition of a bad reputation often means that one is condemned or ignored simply on reputation alone, without investigation, because the reputation itself short-circuits the time-consuming processes that verify information if that reputation is believed. For that reason, I doubt anyone would attempt to steal my reputation. If anyone even tried, I have little doubt that they would regret that decision and tell me, “I’m sorry, you can have it back.” Let us hope it does not remain that way forever.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/on-naboths-vineyard-thoughts-on-eminent-domain-and-theft/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/10/09/donde-estan-los-ladrones/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/borrowed-feathers/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/book-review-the-telephone-gambit/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/the-five-point-biblical-covenant-model/

[2] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/religious-copyright-infringment-sins-against-man-and-god-an-examination-of-pseudographia-and-pauls-autographs/