Hypocrisy
I was listening to a story the other evening about Pope Benedict. They mentioned that the Roman Catholic Church has over a billion faithful and this got me thinking...
Not all of the billion “faithful” are truly spiritual people. Many people go to church regularly out of habit. I’ll bet that many churchgoers don’t even believe in God or don’t know whether to believe in God. And just because you believe in God doesn’t necessarily mean that you are spiritually connected to your fellow man or to the universe. This is very evident in our world where people routinely ignore the homeless or lack compassion and understanding for those who do us wrong. Is this not contrary to Christian teaching?
Another example: People routinely get married in a church, even if one or both of the couple are nonreligious or even non-spiritual. They do so out of meaningless tradition or ceremonial convention. They pay lip service to spirituality. (Just a heads up: there is something called a “civil marriage” that’s a perfectly good alternative.)
George Bush is a regular churchgoer and a born-again Christian. Yet, his political conduct and foreign policy decisions are contrary to Christ’s teachings and distinctly non-spiritual. This is the very definition of hypocrisy.
In our modern world, spirituality is always a secondary priority, second to whatever major practical concerns loom over us. (James and Norm would tell us, what’s the point in being spiritual if we’re killed by terrorists?) But if your spirituality is not the foremost guiding force in your life, then you are not de facto spiritual – you are a poseur. And therefore you are a hypocrite.
Being spiritual should infuse you with an attitude and a conduct that is always consistent with your connectedness to the universe and to your fellow man, whether he be your friend or your enemy. This is independent of any religion. This is true regardless of whether you are a Christian or a Jew or a Buddhist or a Hindu. (I am irreligious.)
Being spiritual should be your first priority, whether in your personal life or in your public life (i.e., with respect to social/judicial policy, foreign policy, economic policy, etc.).
Not all of the billion “faithful” are truly spiritual people. Many people go to church regularly out of habit. I’ll bet that many churchgoers don’t even believe in God or don’t know whether to believe in God. And just because you believe in God doesn’t necessarily mean that you are spiritually connected to your fellow man or to the universe. This is very evident in our world where people routinely ignore the homeless or lack compassion and understanding for those who do us wrong. Is this not contrary to Christian teaching?
Another example: People routinely get married in a church, even if one or both of the couple are nonreligious or even non-spiritual. They do so out of meaningless tradition or ceremonial convention. They pay lip service to spirituality. (Just a heads up: there is something called a “civil marriage” that’s a perfectly good alternative.)
George Bush is a regular churchgoer and a born-again Christian. Yet, his political conduct and foreign policy decisions are contrary to Christ’s teachings and distinctly non-spiritual. This is the very definition of hypocrisy.
In our modern world, spirituality is always a secondary priority, second to whatever major practical concerns loom over us. (James and Norm would tell us, what’s the point in being spiritual if we’re killed by terrorists?) But if your spirituality is not the foremost guiding force in your life, then you are not de facto spiritual – you are a poseur. And therefore you are a hypocrite.
Being spiritual should infuse you with an attitude and a conduct that is always consistent with your connectedness to the universe and to your fellow man, whether he be your friend or your enemy. This is independent of any religion. This is true regardless of whether you are a Christian or a Jew or a Buddhist or a Hindu. (I am irreligious.)
Being spiritual should be your first priority, whether in your personal life or in your public life (i.e., with respect to social/judicial policy, foreign policy, economic policy, etc.).
posted by Darkest Knight | 6:29 AM
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