Some postal workers in Ramat Gan encountered an unusual situation when they went to work the other day. They found, among the packages of mail they were scheduled to deliver, pamphlets of the New Testament mailed out by Christian missionaries.
It happens to be illegal to distribute missionary material in Israel. On the other hand, the Postal Authority is in a bind, as, they say, they are legally obligated to distribute whatever they receive, and they have no right to differentiate or discern what should or should not be delivered.. I wonder how that would apply if someone mailed packages of cocaine or marijuana through the mail. Would they be supportive of delivering that mail or would they call the police?
The mailmen who encountered the pamphlets refused to take them for delivery. They said it goes against their beliefs, some said it is prohibited, and some said it was illegal. The mailmen who refused were able to get out of doing it, and their supervisor chose not to force the issue at that time. They did say that similar materials found in other post offices were delivered. (source: Ynet)
I commend them for standing strong, though I don't know how this might play out in the future. Can a mailman, or should a mailman, be allowed to decide what he will deliver and what not? if someone is receiving an item that the mailman does not approve of, let's say for moral reasons, does the mailman have the right to say he will not deliver? It seems almost like anarchy to me. In this situation they might have it easier because missionary material is illegal for distribution in Israel, and for the general revulsion among the general public for such materials. They might not have it so easy in other situations.
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Unfortunately I am not sure that it is truly illegal to disseminate missionary material. As far as I know it is illegal only to offer material benefit in order to encourage converting.
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