Ethics 101?

A vicar has been taken to task for suggesting, from his pulpit, that shoplifting from a large supermarket would be preferable to burglary, mugging or prostitution if you were desperate for money. Obviously this man is far too sensible to be a vicar! The problem with the Church - indeed with religion generally - is that it sees everything in terms of right and wrong, black and white, whereas those of us in the real world are faced daily with dealing in shades of grey. Turn this argument round, and those who are criticising what was said are presumably saying that if you're going to do wrong, then there's no difference between nicking something from Asda and thumping an old lady and stealing her purse, so you might as well flip a coin to see which to do. And if you really believe that, then I'm sorry for you.