is that right?

Normally my blog is about me or my family, but this morning I am compelled to talk about other things, Gas prices and right versus wrong.

Now I can tell you that the price of filling up our minivan and 4 cylinder SUV has gotten to be about $140.00 a week. This is not good when you have 4 kids who all want stuff and now there isn't really extra funds to spend on frivolous items. While this is going on in society I have been teaching Emma about energy in her Science curriculum. We have discussed oil, coal, solar, wind and other forms of energy. WE have also been discussing alternative energies or fuels. She wants to invent a solar powered car or water fueled car, good luck Emma!
In our discussions about the earth and the ways we human beings make fuel we have also discussed the fact that God has created everything we use, and gave the Human race dominion over it all(Genesis 1:26, I think).

Elizabeth, our 8th grader has been interested in our lessons and usually listens in but doesn't say much. Well, yesterday we were driving in our gas guzzling van and listening to a nationally broadcast Christian radio station that presented their news as good news. The news they reported was about a gas station that thought it was selling gas for 3.49 a gallon and had a line of cars going into the street. They told how the stores owner and employees all thought they were doing some good business. Well, the jist of the story was that the employee that fixed the price on the pumps had made a mistake and misplaced his decimal and the gas station was actually selling gas for .349 a gallon. Thirty-Four Cents!!! So, on a 25 gallon tank you would spend $8.72 to fill your tank. Elizabeth, listening to the story said to me that this would be cool. At first I agreed. Then after thinking about it for a few seconds I told her that this was not a positive story. That I didn't think the Christian music station had the right perspective. Even though oil companies have been raking in billions of dollars a year on gasoline, I am fairly certain that the local gas stations don't rake in that same money. In fact, they struggle to break even I am sure. Just look at how many gas stations go out of business, do you think if they were real money makers they would go out of business so regularly?
Anyway, I told Liz that I thought that a true Christian, even though they didn't like the price of gas being $3.49/gallon, would let the station attendant know that there is a problem at the pump. I know this would be difficult to do. It would be easier to go along with the rest of the crowd and in effect "steal" some gas without the station being able to legally do anything about it. But as a true Christian we are taught that honesty and integrity are some very important ideals, and the action of taking advantage of the gas station to save money is not honest and in my opinion kind of "sneaky"!
I am mostly disappointed in the radio station for reporting this as a positive story rather than using it as a chance to teach some Christian morality and honesty. I'll still listen to the station, after all they are the best option when it comes to music around here, I'd rather the kids sing along with Christian songs that with the local hip-hop station. I just pray that they will actually take heed to what they profess to do, spread the gospel message with their broadcast. Unfortunately, they didn't this time.