5 Ways Hypocrisy Is Fraying Our Society’s Moral Fabric

[Third Hour]

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ gave more flack to the Pharisees than any other group of people. He really stuck it to 'em. As it turns out, Christ has a BIG problem with hypocrisy, and the Pharisees were the embodiment of it. Their actions didn't match their words. supposed beliefs didn't match behavior. What their mouths were saying didn't match what their hearts yearned for. To them, Christ said, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matthew 23:27-28) Times have changed, but people haven't. Hypocrisy looms darkly overhead in this, the twenty-first century. Of course, not everyone is a hypocrite all the time. I don't know who you are, so hopefully none of the following examples applies to you at all. But from a broad, societal viewpoint, you're probably well acquainted with some of these: 1. Religious tolerance Our society prides...

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[prisonchaplain]

I will say that the typical church response to The Book of Mormon, the Musical, earned props from the general public. Advertising on the programs, combined with a heavy missionary presence outside of all the venues--those responses were both humorous and laudable. Thick skin is confident evangelism.

[The Folk Prophet]

I am very sincere in my lack of concern about plastic straws. 

[Guest Mores]

I agree that society is going downhill.  I agree that it has largely to do with the ease with which people attack that which we disagree.  But that is not hypocrisy.

I myself am not the nicest or politest man in the world.  Some on this board will agree.  But I don't see that as hypocrisy.  I'm aware, and believe it or not, I actually work on it every day.

No, I think the great sin of this age which Bro Snell presents here is Pride... a sin I'm quite familiar with.

Now go back through the entire article and consider how easily hypocrisy could be replaced by pride and make perfect sense.  Then recognize the applicable children of pride.  Jumping to conclusions and being quick to judge.  Then being so quick on the draw with a desire for punishment.  Always thinking we have such wisdom that we know ALL that we need to know so that we can sender final judgement.  We know so much that if someone disagrees, we take no thought that they might be able to teach us something.  No, they obviously need to die or go to jail or (insert choice of punishment).

The result is a loss of civility, logic, and intelligent discourse.  It results I mobocracy.

This lack of knowledge, lack of desire to learn more, lack of giving the benefit of the doubt, lack of desire to work things out, this apparent hypocrisy...

All of it is merely a symptom of an extreme sickness and miasma of pride.

Edited June 3, 2019 by Mores

[The Folk Prophet]

I think the greatest sin of this age is sin.

[Guest MormonGator]

On 6/2/2019 at 8:01 PM, prisonchaplain said:

Thick skin is confident evangelism.

So true! 

[Fether]

”Our society prides itself in tolerance and acceptance. We denounce antisemitism (and rightly so!). We try to fight the rising tide of Islamophobia (and rightly so!).”

When I first read this quote, I read it so fast that I thought it was being deliberately sarcastic... but it wasn’t.

is it really tolerance if we are denouncing ideologies? I’m definitely not for hating on minority groups, but can we really say “our society is so tolerant.” And then list off things that we collectively denounce? 

I think here lies one of the biggest problems in the USA Today. Not that we collectively dislike hate groups, but that if I hate someone, I can peg them as a “Nazi” or “white  supremacist ” and the  freely attack them.

In sorry, but tolerant is not the word to use here.

[NeuroTypical]

I read the article carefully, and this is a half-genuine attempt to summarize it without sounding too snarky:

- Christ was big on being against hypocrisy, and the author is almost certain just about everyone is a hypocrite to one extent or another, so we should listen up. 
- If you think you're religiously tolerant you're probably a hypocrite because you probably think the Book of Mormon musical was ok but making fun of Muslims isn't.
- "You can’t support #MeToo and support pornography use at the same time", because that's hypocrisy.
- Youth violence is bad, and you're being a hypocrite if you focus on gun control without focusing harder on "the tripe that kids today are filling their minds with". 
- "Selective empathy" makes you a hypocrite, because you can't be ticked off about anything unless you're ticked off about everything. 
- Bullying is always bad, and if you don't think it's always bad, you're a hypocrite.
- Everything sucks.  You suck, I suck, and it's gonna get worse no matter what, so we should choose to stop sucking so we can sit there and not suck in a world that sucks more and more every day.   [mic drop]

- Author bio says "He tries not to take himself too seriously and just wants to brighten your day a bit."

 

 

[Guest Mores]

14 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

- Everything sucks.  You suck, I suck, and it's gonna get worse no matter what, so we should choose to stop sucking so we can sit there and not suck in a world that sucks more and more every day.   [mic drop]

Ahww, maaaan!  That really sucks.

[dprh]

I watched the video on selective empathy.  It raised some good points.  But I think we have selective empathy because we as mortal imperfect humans are incapable of caring about everything.  Near the end he says "Saving one plastic straw is good.  Caring about the actual problem is even better."  My issue is that caring doesn't do any good.  Care all you want, if you don't do anything about it, it won't do any good.  And since our actions are limited by our time, we need to make choices using selective empathy of what we will focus on and do. 

[Guest Mores]

@dsnell,

OK.  It's official.  I give.

After hearing the Congressional hearing with John Dean, I have to admit that the man has no pride, no shame, no self-awareness.  He is simply a hypocrite.  And I now clearly see that hypocrisy is indeed the pervasive sin throughout all of the public life we see on display in the media.

I hope and pray that the majority of the private citizens are distancing themselves from this characteristic.