The "sin" of Empathy

“The “Sin” of Empathy”

	There is, in contemporary Evangelical circles, a relatively new teaching that’s spreading like wildfire. It claims that, unlike Sympathy or Compassion, Empathy is, in and of itself, a Sin. That sharing in the emotional point of view of another human is a dangerous trap of some kind, and should be avoided.

	Anybody who knows me and my previous employment and calling can understand, I hope, how inconceivably wrong, at worst, and at best short sighted I find this to be. I am of the belief that the only component which can move a person from Pity to Compassion is Empathy. I’ve spoken to many people in the past 20 years who come from all manner of self abuse, addiction, criminality, carnality and willful ignorance of how their actions effected others. I’ve permitted myself to feel the emotional component of their life experience without joining them in their actions though. It’s not necessary for Empathy to be an end, the final step in coming to an understanding of another. But understanding WHAT someone feels is the beginning of understanding what lead them to such an emotional state. Understanding HOW those emotions feel can bring one to comprehend the helplessness, self hatred or callousness which motivated another person to become who they are, and having done so to understand which way to express to them that how they felt, what they did and where they ended up in the past needn’t in any way define who they are going forward.

	Romans 12:15-16 (NKJV)

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.”

	But for a moment let us set aside the Biblical and human utility of Empathy and ask this one simple question. Why would someone feel it important to get the Body of Christ to stop sharing in the emotional perspectives of others? What would be the purpose of such a teaching??


	If there is one thing we know from history it’s that rejecting the emotional experiences of others as a conscious practice most often leads to the ability to stop perceiving the “others” as human. Consider how much easier it is to get a population to reject the humanity of a population if you can convince them to stop appreciating the fear, pain, foolishness, love and more that they feel. In the camps built by the Nazis were soldiers, but for each of those soldiers were at least 10 civilians working in service or making goods that supported the extermination of 11 million “others”. Someone drove the trains stuffed with people. Someone worked in the factories producing Zyclon gas.

	When confronted with “others” which you have been told, in a wholly manufactured culture war, you are to avoid practicing the very act which might provide you the emotional and intellectual component which transforms pity into compassion, it’s so much easier to inflict whatever you are told to do with or to them.

	By purging oneself of the ability to feel what others feel you can forget that the others have feelings. Urging the abandoning of Empathy is to attempt to normalize Sociopathy and Narcissism, something necessary in order to encourage acceptance of leaders who are Sociopaths and Narcissists.

	It seems no coincidence that the mainstream Evangelical churches suddenly have become infatuated with the concept of Empathy as a Sin. In a sense they are playing catch up to the New Apostolic Reformation branch of the Charismatic movement. Charismatic churches are far more prone to believe in Demonic possession and Demons dwelling in our midst, but traditionally Evangelical churches tend to shy away from such literal interpretation of scripture. So while NAR churches have no problem pointing at politicians, entertainers, public figures and others and claiming either that they are demonically possessed, or literally demons, such accusations are almost never heard in Evangelical denominations. They just don’t feel right in the environment of a Southern Baptist church.

	So an alternate form of demonization was needed to convince congregants that there are people they can discount as being less than human, and rather than attack who they are it’s easier to change how they are perceived instead.

	After all, the over-arching goal is a Christian Theocracy, and for now it’s less important how we get there so long as we get there. The fine points about doctrine can be worked out later...supposedly.

	The problem with people claiming that they are Christian Nationalists, while saying that all it means is that they are Christians who believe in making this a great nation, is that we all have eyes to see how that works out elsewhere. In India there is a “Hindu Nationalist” movement, and it’s not about being Hindu and patriotic, it’s about Hindus being in charge of the government. Any time you see a word as a modifier in front of the word “Nationalism”, that word defines the ethnicity, tribal group or religion which that movement sees becoming the rulers, legislators and enforcers of their own particular laws and morals.

	They seek to employ Worldly might thinking it’s the way to a Godly goal.

	In the garden on the night before Jesus was crucified, when the Government came to arrest Jesus, Peter’s first reaction was to reach for and wield a sword. Jesus scolded him and told him to put it away, then healed the man who’s ear was cut off. Jesus knew what he had been trying for months to teach Peter, that the most powerful weapon at their disposal was the cross, not a sword.

	The sword rends things apart. It’s a destructive tool. In the “Armor of God” it’s the Sword of the Spirit, the only offensive weapon described and one which is useless against flesh and blood. But the cross...the cross is a weapon of reconciliation, of reparation and the way to salvation. Bearing it in life is a burden, not a threat. Feeling it’s weight reminds us of our personal struggle. How much easier would salvation be if it could be created with worldly tools like laws and punishments! But every part of God’s kingdom that was built during Jesus ministry was created under Roman law, which was no impediment to that end, and the cross defeated the enemy.

	In the rush to make America a Christian Nation there appear to be people willing to discount the humanity of others. No “...as you do unto the least of these you do unto me”, no “When I was hungry you fed me...”. But this is what Authoritarian movements do, they create unity out of division by convincing as large a group as possible that they all hate the same people. They wield the Sword of Division as long and often as necessary in order to remain in power. So once all the foreigners and Transexuals, Democrats and Liberals are out of the way, that’s when they will revisit those “fine points of doctrine” and strike a new division to keep the reign going.