Hypocrisy Abounds
The recent years of my life have been a quest for knowledge and spirituality. During that time, I noticed a common trait among the religious people I encountered. My observations are centered on Christians, of course, because that is the dominant religion in America; therefore, it is the religion that I have had the most experience with. In most cases, I found that the very principles that Christians preach to others, they do not adhere to themselves; such as, to not judge and/or condemn others, to love ones’ neighbor and enemies, to not alter ones’ body, and last, but certainly not least, the Ten Commandments.
First, and probably the most common precept broken, is to not judge and/or condemn others. I have witnessed this being disregarded so often; it is nearly a daily occurrence. The Bible clearly states in the books of Matthew (7:1) and Luke (6:37), “Judge not, and ye will not be judged. Condemn not, and ye will not be condemned.” Then, why is it that I observe Christians constantly judging and condemning others? It seems they judge people for nearly everything: the clothes they wear, the music they listen to, sexual orientation, lifestyles, and personal beliefs. One example of this was just recently in the news. After the death of actor Heath Ledger, a Baptist church picketed his funeral. The main reason for their demonstration was the fact that he starred in the movie Broke Back Mountain where he played the role of a homosexual cowboy. Not even his death kept the Baptist from, both, judging and condemning Heath.
Similarly, Christian doctrine dictates that, “All should love their neighbors and enemies as they do themselves, even those that persecute them (Matthew5: 43-48).” The predominate theme of the Bible, especially the New Testament, is based on the principles of love and tolerance. Therefore, why is it that I have seen and felt such widespread dislike of others by those who profess to be Christian? Let me share my thoughts concerning the effects of such an encounter. One evening as I walked down the sidewalk, on my way to a local café, a minister approached me. He saw that I was wearing a symbol from another faith, and after a brief moment proceeded to tell me that I was going to burn in hell if I did not renounce my beliefs. He continued to preach to me, insisting that I accept Jesus as my lord and savior. I responded by saying that I was not bound to his dogma, and that it was not my desire to change religions. It was at this point that his attitude and demeanor turned rather hateful towards me, as he immediately began berating me; a few crass names were even uttered at my expense. After being subjected to this preachers' despicable onslaught, it occurred to me that he was directly opposing the very values that he was trying to convince me to adopt; needless to say, it did not help his plight.
Next, body alterations are another common practice among those who claim to be Christians; although, the scripture states that the body is the temple, and instructs Christians against participating in any form of bodily desecration. I have personally witnessed many Christians who engage in a wide variety of body modifications. The book of Leviticus (19:28) declares, “Ye shall not make any cuttings unto thy flesh, or print marks upon thee.” However, I cannot count the number of praying hands, Jesus, and cross tattoos I have seen. It appears to me that they do not take the “word of God” seriously when they scoff at the doctrines, merely for their pretty skin pictures. I am sure the scripture applies to other issues of modern body modifications, too. I have a hard time conceiving that the Bible would condone plastic surgery or piercing, etc.
Finally, and most notably, are the outward displays of defiance against the Ten Commandments. The commandments are the laws, the very foundations of Christianity; they are covered in two books in the Bible: Exodus (20: 2-17) and Deuteronomy (5: 6-21). I will focus on a couple of them that are defied the most. The seventh commandment, “thou shall not commit adultery”, is principle that is frequently ignored. I think most can recall the Rev. Jim Bakker controversy after his affair with Jessica Hahn. Rev. Jesse Jackson was proven guilty of the same, in 2001, when he admitted to having an extramarital affair with Karin Stanford. It is evident that even some of the Christian leaders do not abide by their own beliefs. The Bible, also, says that anyone who obtains a divorce, and marries another is an adulterer (Matthew 5:32, 19:9 & Luke 16:18). How many Christians do you know that have divorced and remarried? I know too many to count! The second commandment, ‘Thou shall not kill”, has been defied to appalling measures, as well. It is a law in every nation; none seem to disagree with it. Then, why is it that more people have been killed in the name of God than for any other reason? Numerous wars and atrocities have been committed under the guise of religion. I found some compelling statistics concerning a few of them; such as, the approximate figure for the causalities of the crusades stands at around 1.5 million; while for the number of deaths during the Inquisition(s) & burning times, a conservative figure of 650,000 is acceptable. With shocking numbers like that, it is easy to see how seriously “thou shall not kill” is taken.
In conclusion, it is abundantly apparent that many of those who claim to be devout, and strong in their faith, routinely disobey the principles that they are supposed to stand for. That makes them a hypocrite. It seems that most Christians practice what can only be described as selective morality. What they like, they cling to and preach to others; what they don’t like, they ignore. However, if they truly believed in their religion, and that contradicting god would result in them spending eternity in hell, they would not feel compelled to sin. That leads me to doubt their conviction and faith altogether. I agree with William Hazlitt, a British humanistic writer, when he stated, “The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy, for the repentance of a hypocrite is, in itself, hypocrisy.” Hence, remember what I have offered, simply take a look around. Watch the hypocrites run rampant, as hypocrisy abounds!