Tag: self righteous

Bridging the Gap: Humility in Biblical Knowledge

Since when was it a virtue to take pride in one’s knowledge of the Bible and to look down upon those less versed in its teachings? Saint Paul, in his wisdom, reminds us that knowledge, when wielded with pride, puffs up while love, in its humility, builds up. There are pitfalls that accompany boasting about biblical knowledge, and one should use such knowledge as a bridge rather than a barricade in connecting with others.

The Danger of Pride in Biblical Knowledge:

As Paul aptly points out, “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” The emphasis here is on the potential arrogance that can accompany an inflated sense of biblical understanding. Some Christians, as the author observes, strut their knowledge of the Bible as if it were an accomplishment, a badge of spiritual superiority. This, however, stands in stark contrast to the essence of Christian love and humility.

Knowledge as a Bridge, Not a Barricade:

There was a time when I recited scripture in the King James translation, and I was proud of being able to do so. Was it intimidating to others? Yes. Did that bother me? No. Why? Because it was God’s word, it should intimidate any heathen. (Yes, there was a time…) And I can tell you that my efficacy in sharing the real meaning of the teachings and the love of Jesus fell on deaf ears, mostly due to my own pompousness.

Over time, I realized that relating the ideas from scripture in everyday language and framing them within our contemporary world using current events and data to support them was far more productive than quoting the scriptures verbatim.

The crucial realization emerges: the purpose of this knowledge is not to build walls of separation but to function as a bridge to connect with people. The call is to utilize biblical understanding not as a barricade, showcasing self-righteousness, superiority, or causing separation, but as a means to foster understanding and unity.

A Lesson from Pharisees:

The cautionary note is sounded that behaving otherwise puts Christians on the same ground as a religious group that incurred Jesus’ strong disapproval—the Pharisees. Carey Nieuwhof’s Top 10 Things Pharisees Say Today serves as a reminder that the pitfalls of pride and legalism are timeless. Using the Bible as a tool for exclusivity rather than inclusivity aligns with a mindset that Jesus vehemently opposed.

The Top 10 Things Pharisees Say Today

    1. “If he knew the Bible as well as I did, his life would be better.”
    2. “I follow the rules.”
    3. “You shouldn’t hang around people like that.”
    4. “God listens to my prayers.”
    5. “Sure I have a few issues, but that’s between me and God.”
    6. “They just need to work harder.”
    7. “Of course I’m a Christian.”
    8. “More people need to stand up for Christian values.”
    9. “I’m simply more comfortable with people from my church than I am with people who don’t go to church.”
    10. “People who don’t go to church can come if they want to.”

The Heart of the Matter:

The core message resonates: it was never about what one knows or doesn’t know, but about what God knows and, more profoundly, who God loves. Humility is the key to understanding the purpose of biblical knowledge—to deepen the connection with God and extend that love to others. The emphasis shifts from self-righteousness to a recognition of the immeasurable depth of God’s love and grace.

The resounding call is clear—use the Bible as a bridge to the culture, not as a barricade against it. Humility in the face of biblical knowledge is a testament to the understanding that, at its core, Christianity is about love, compassion, and connection. Let the knowledge of the Bible serve as a catalyst for building bridges, fostering understanding, and, above all, embodying the profound love that lies at the heart of the Christian faith.

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Evildoers and Hypocrisy

My mother used to say, “All the deepest, darkest, most dangerous souls hide undercover in churches.” When the secret crimes began to come to light regarding activities covered up by the Catholic church, my mother and millions of other people, felt justified and vilified in their accusations of the church secretly providing safe harbor for evildoers.

As easy as it might be to point your finger at the church, the breaking news is not as dramatic as it may seem, especially with all the drama and exploitation fueling the fire in the media. The news is not so impressive if you look at the facts. Statistics dictate that any group of any size will have a certain percentage of evildoers.

It doesn’t matter where you look. Where ever you look, in religious organizations, educational institutions, State agencies, Government departments, military installations, corporations, businesses, non-profit organizations, or anywhere else where you find a number of people working together, you will find evil.

The Catholic church is an easy target because it is a very large organization but you will find the same percentage of evil in the same proportions per capita just about anywhere.

Why? Because none of us is without sin. Each and every one of us has the potential for evil within.

Some of us fight any tendency toward darkness than others for various reasons.

Some of us, due to early awareness and observation of others engaged in different forms of evil, made a vow to ourselves to not live that kind of life. If that is you, you are careful to watch for signs which might indicate that you may be headed down the wrong road, and you are quick to make adjustments so as not to fall into the trap of evildoing which you are focused on not falling victim to.

For others, maybe they have dipped their toe in the waters of evildoing, have let themselves be overcome by the darkness, then sworn to change their lives, and fight the inclination to engage in this activity of darkness again.

In either case, you have a particular sensitivity to this particular form of evil (due to your vow to avoid it) and you are keenly aware of seeing the potential for this evil in others. If you see someone else break weak and give-in to this evil vice, then you are prone to adopting an aire of supremacy or self-righteousness because you’ve worked so hard not to partake in this type of evil.

You feel justified in judging your brother, and you judge him or her harshly because you would judge yourself just as harshly, and desire to see the offender punished to the highest degree of the law (or might even toy with your own unbridled thoughts of vigilantism, fantasizing about how you might punish the wrongdoer if you were, judge, jury, and/or God).

What you fail to realize, when you are apt not to tolerate much, in this not so far from narcissistic-state, is that as you are pointing your accusatory and judgmental finger at someone, there is someone else who is pointing his or her finger at you who sees the potential for evil in you.

Hypocrisy gets me in an uproar. I’m always quick to notice it in others because I try so hard not to be a hypocrite myself. Yet, every once in a while, someone points out my own hypocrisy (this just happened yesterday by a friend of mine, who is always quick to catch me and point it out to me). And once I feel offended by the accusation (which is my natural first response), I can step back and see even my own hypocrisy. My friend was right. I am a hypocrite.

I couldn’t see it because I was looking for different kinds of hypocrisy in myself and others. Duely noted, I can try to do better next time.

Just a reminder in humility and a reality check for myself that I, being human, possess all the potential for evil as anyone does. All I can do is to be the best person I can be with the tools that I have available to me. I can impose my sense of goodness, or right and wrong, on anyone else, unless to be fair, I allow them to do the same to me.

Though I possess all the potential for evil and hatred, I choose to live a life on the other end of the spectrum in goodness and love to the best of my ability and encourage others to do likewise.

I strive to honor others, where they are at and what they do, offering them the same respect that I desire to receive from them.

Regarding judging others, one of my heroes speaking to a self-righteous judgmental mob accusing a woman of doing evil, said, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.” ~ John 8:7 KJV

A profound statement that echoes in my heart, when I find myself tempted to point my finger at someone else.

See you at the Recovery from Religious Trauma Event in Olympia, September 21st