Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 1
The Montana Council of Defense decided enlarged-portrait soliciting was “not a useful and legitimate business,” yet a merry-go-round might be legitimate if licensed; what does this reveal about how governments can redefine “useful” and “legitimate,” and where Christians today may be tempted to let the state (or the crowd) tell them what “counts” as worthy work?
Another way to ask: Montana said one job was “not useful,” but a licensed merry-go-round could be. What does this show about how governments can decide what work “matters,” and how might Christians today let the state or popular opinion define what counts as worthy work?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript shows how a government can redefine “legitimate” work in ways that are inconsistent and tied to its current goals, not to an objective moral standard. The speaker uses this to challenge Christians not to let the state—or social pressure—become the voice that determines what “counts,” but to measure life by God’s kingdom priorities.
- Montana’s order required “every adult person…shall work in a legitimate occupation for at least five days a week during the period of the war,” making “legitimate” a legal category.
- A court ruled portrait soliciting “was not a useful and legitimate business under your said order,” and men were fined $25 each.
- A local council asked if they could arrest “six men…running merry-go-round,” and the state replied it was “presume…legitimate” if they had “a license,” showing “legitimate” could hinge on paperwork and approval.
- The speaker admits, “I don’t know what the difference is between a merry-go-round and the photographer,” highlighting how arbitrary these judgments can be.
- He pivots to a Christian evaluation: “If I’m not working for God’s kingdom, whose kingdom am I working for then?”