Hate, sin, and sinners
Submitted by Dirk Gently on February 04 2000 at 22:55:57
In reply to Thanks Cherub Submitted by Chris on February 04 2000 at 21:42:49
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I used to think that "Hate the sin, love the sinner" was a really neat attitude to take. Now I'm not so sure. Or rather, the only sins I believe I ought to be hating are the ones I fall prey to myself. The thing is, I fall prey to them precisely because there's something in me that finds them attractive. I suspect the same is true for others. The reason I'm a little dubious about hating the sins of others is that I'm assuming an attitude of judgement and condemnation. If the person agrees that the behaviour in question is in fact sin, then there will be little harm in it. It seems, though, that the most troublesome sins in my life are the ones that I consider to be fairly minor, not really sins at all -- just "lapses." If someone were to walk up and tell me that my behaviour was revolting, disgusting and abominable, I would have serious doubts about the person's sanity. It's true that people are rational, but I think it's even more true that people rationalize. I'm not saying that sin isn't a serious matter. I mourn the fact that an acquaintance of mine died of a heroin overdose. I regret the fact that at least one of the people I went to college with is HIV positive. Read the newspaper and see for yourselves the results of sin in the world. (Good news is heavily under-reported.) But as Heather pointed out in an earlier thread, it's a fine balance between supporting people and condoning behaviour. I don't have a "one size fits all" answer. There may be times when what someone needs most of all is to be told that this particular behaviour (whatever it may be) is sinful. There is a time for everything. (I love Ecclesiates -- it was the first book of the Bible I read all the way through as a Christian.) Yes, I know how Christ addressed the scribes and Pharisees. I know that he cleared the moneychangers out of the temple. But he knew what he was doing. My own motives are almost always mixed. The most subtle and dangerous sin of all is that of spiritual pride, because those who succumb to it view themselves as being "righteously indignant" when in fact they are heaping up judgement upon themselves. Well, I'm rambling now, but perhaps some of these stray thoughts will spark a response or two... Dirk |