Bednar, hypocrites??

[Justice]

I don't think we can limit the definition of hypocrite to someone who is trying to deceive. That may more closely fit to a liar or deceiver.

I think if someone is smoking, yet counsels their children not to smoke, is indeed a hypocrite.

Merriam-Webster says:

1: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion

2: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feeling

I think we can include in this as implied someone who does one thing yet tells another not to do that thing. That, too, is a contradiction.

This is why I frequently say that often there is a fine line between teaching correct principles and being a hypocrite. If you do not live the principles you teach you are at the very least walking that fine line.

[RipplecutBuddha]

I would be more comfortable in saying that it is hypocritical to teach correct principles, yet not attempt to live up to them.

None of us live the princples we claim as our own on a consistent basis, yet does that mean we are all hypocritical?

It would be hypocritical to say "You have to do such and such, but I do not.". It would also be hypocritical to speak ill of someone for not following a principle that you don't try to follow.

[Matthias_Finch]

"My husband once said the moment we get baptised we become hypocrites,"

I would extend this comment even further. Any moment we are aware of a truth and knowingly don't adjust our lives to follow it, we become hypocrites.

Inconsistency is a good word for all of this. Just as I have just stated, to know a truth and choose not to follow it makes our lives inconsistent with truth, thus we are hypocrites. To preach a truth and not live by it is an inconsistency, thus hypocrisy. These only count if it is a truth and it is known to be true. Truth applies to all people in all places, thus the preacher and those who have knowledge of it are not exempt from it. And of course, to put on the appearance of being a virtuous and righteous individual but not being so(but not necessarily preaching it), that is an inconsistency, thus hypocrisy. It may be more along the lines of deceit, but Christ put down such actions as hypocrisy(praying aloud on street corners and making their almsgiving seen before everyone).

It is not hypocrisy to be imperfect followers of the law. There is always room for improvement. That is why we are told to regularly analyze our lives and see where we could make greater improvements. What may be our greatest weakness today, if we start to work on it now, will not be our greatest weakness later on. Something else will become our greater weakness at that time, in which case, we start to improve our lives along those lines. It is those people who know the law and make no effort to improve their following of the law that are the hypocrites. If you know what you are doing is not consistent with God's law and are making steps, even if they are small ones at first, to be more consistent, than you are not a hypocrite. Otherwise, anyone who is repenting or has repented is a hypocrite.