"Finders Keepers"?
This is really a question about private property/property rights, and where you personally believe that it begins/stops. If you think that an item is someone else's property, and you take it, then you are stealing and should be spanked.
If you don't think that it's SEP and you find it, it's yours per "finders keepers".
Should you feel public-spirited (or guilty) enough to turn over something really neat (like the Hebrew Ark) to a museum? That's between you and your personal value system. Just remember that museums and universities are just as greedy as individuals, and can be just as unprincipled if it's something of apparent value. They may not "just show it to friends" the way you would in your home, but you can bet they'll charge admission to the public, and/or tax dollars, to exhibit it.
Michael Aquino
This is really a question about private property/property rights, and where you personally believe that it begins/stops. If you think that an item is someone else's property, and you take it, then you are stealing and should be spanked.
If you don't think that it's SEP and you find it, it's yours per "finders keepers".
Should you feel public-spirited (or guilty) enough to turn over something really neat (like the Hebrew Ark) to a museum? That's between you and your personal value system. Just remember that museums and universities are just as greedy as individuals, and can be just as unprincipled if it's something of apparent value. They may not "just show it to friends" the way you would in your home, but you can bet they'll charge admission to the public, and/or tax dollars, to exhibit it.
Michael Aquino