this depresses me and honestly makes me kinna understand atheists?

Question

ok so i was listening to the radio right and this guy, a pastor, well he said that he is a mand of God and teaches his family to follow Christ and to try to live like christ and so on. one question the interviewer asked was was it true that he had had an affair the past year, he admitted to it. i'm sorry i am a Roman Catholic and i was so disappointed in his answer. like how can someone take you seriously when you yourself are an hypocrite??? i feel as if some christians [meaning catholics, baptists, you know all of the christian religions] use this "i am only human" or "i am a siner" approach to excuse their actions. i can honestly understand when the atheists or non-religious people call us hypocrites and so on. dont get me wrong i am not generalizing, far from it, it's just i see these excuses use to often. yes we all have faults but isnt our jobs as Christians[no matter your denomination] to follow Christ's life to be closer to God. this paster cheated 3 times! i was so disappoint

i dont know, i know we are not all perfect but i think thst those excuses are used to often, or in other words we rely to often on them. for me it's always a blow when i hear something like that. it truly is.

i cried in the car because i was so hurt and i'm not even part of his congretion or anything. i felt betrayed

to milenka_b: you do not know me. what do i do to spread the good news is publish a small little "newspaper" to catholic kindergardens telling everything that Christ has done for us. so please dont go and say "what do i do to spread the word" that IS what I do to spread the word!

Answer 1

I am a pentecostal and i to see that these excuses are becoming a problem. WE as christians are using the " i am only human and nobody is perfect excuse to much.I think that to follow christ we have to bend our knees and ask God to free us from temptation or avoid whats making us go the wrong way.I believe that most of us are hypocrites and that we have responsibility of our own actions, we should ask God to make as non hypocrites, so that we can be trusted.I mean how can someone see a difference in us if we say something and do something else.

Answer 2

This is a sin that has trapped many great men in the Bible.

But if he was to ask for forgiveness we should forgive him. He probably should step down as pastor. It"s look as though he is the one needing some help.

People do make mistakes, but if we fall get back up. It sounds like he stayed down and wallowed in it. If he was my pastor I'd find another place to go to church. Apostle Paul said follow me as I follow Christ.

The Bible also says cast down these imaginations. Sometimes we have to just turn off the TV to resist these things. But sex is everywhere we see people today hardly wearing clothing during the Summer and the saints of God has to be strong and resist the devil.

This kind of thing has caused many people to fall away from the Lord. The problem with this is they had more confidence in the man than they had in God. We should never turn away from God for any reason especially because of someone else's weakness.

Answer 3

No matter how human we are, I think it should be easy for Christians to refrain from cheating on their spouses. Especially multiple times. I mean, come on! Didn't your learn anything about the message of Jesus?

Even as an atheist I think Jesus made some good points. I support following his true message. (Summed up in the Golden Rule.) How can you even think about screwing some other woman if you are so devoted to that message that you are a pastor? If you go so far as to think about it, how could you actually do it?!

I don't understand ANYONE doing that and Christians definitely make out like they should know better. You understand well how the word hypocrite gets used so often.

Answer 4

I think hypocrisy is inherent in humanity. We do things we know we're not supposed to do for whatever reasons. Everyone does it. And we tell others that they're not supposed to these things because they're wrong to do.

Who hasn't said that lying is bad, but has lied?

One of religion's purposes is to mitigate this kind of psycho-social tension. Yes, man is hypocritical, but it's okay because there is a supernatural force that knows man is inherently sinful and will forgive you if you are repentant and ask for forgiveness. Or if you come with appropriate offerings. Or if you (insert ritual of choice here).

Atheism doesn't offer a pat answer to why people do bad things (aka, we're all sinners) or a good answer to how to deal with the issue when we do bad things (ask god for forgiveness). Some people find the type of behavior you found in that pastor to be the reason why religion is a bad thing: it has a logical argument that allows people to excuse their own hypocrisy and not take actual responsibility for their own actions.

I think most people, Christian, Atheist, and otherwise, tend to view the world in the light that people are responsible for the own actions, no matter how the nature of humanity is defined. When they don't, no one likes that. When they claim to belong to a specific group and use that group's common ideology to explain away or mitigate their bad behavior, the group is unhappy with them and tends to do things about that. We call them "social sanctions." Undoubtedly, the elders of that pastor's church have taken him aside and let him know that as bad as cheating was, bringing shame to their church and to their god is even worse.

Answer 5

You know, the Holy Spirit is teaching you as you have written this question. You are distinguishing the wheat from the chaff. In others words, many people claim to be Christians and have a relationship with the Lord, but only put on their Jesus attitude/face at certain times, like the hypocrites. You are now able to tell who is really real and who is not. You are correct in that no one is perfect. And we do make mistakes and use lots of excuses to our behavior. But in the end, God's light always shines on us and reveal our true nature. Also, please note that ALL sin is forgiveable, because of God's love and mercy, if we are sincere and truly sorry.

Answer 6

It is true, there are christians who make horrible mistakes, and blame it on the fact that they are only human. But that is only because they have not taken into account the part in the bible that says:
Galatians 6:7-8
7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

It makes ME sick people who follow other people and not the word of God, a pastor is not more spiritual than me, or by far more holy. He is just a person with a title that is fighting the same battle I am, and is trying to lead people in the right path.

People grow up, and stop looking at others through a microscopes pointing out their mistakes/ issues/ wrong doings. If you put your life through the microscope and are genuine you will find yourself in disgust whether you will admit it or not.

I agree a pastor has a higher standard of living than the rest of us, but he is at least trying to inform the rest of us the word of God (with his mistakes and all). What are you doing to pass the good news. Anyone and everyone under a microscope is found in some kind of wrong doing.

I am so tired of hearing christians call other christians hipocrites, as if being christian meant perfection at all times at everything. Hello!!! wake up and smell the coffee.

Being christian means that you have the ability of being forgiven, and you have the ability to ask for help, to have the holy spirit help you when you can't do it yourself. It ordaines you to be like Christ but people forget that you cannot do it alone you must be lead by the holy spirit and walk in the spirit to be able to lead an exemplary life. It is a constant battle with yourself, the fleshy human self. A battle that can be lost or won. And if you are in the public eye and you lose the battle you will also lead people down.

People need to be followers of Jesus Christ and not pastor/ priests/ leaders. Those people were put on this earth to teach the word of God to put Jesus and his perfection out there not for you to follow them and be upset when they let you down with their imperfections.

Pastors/priests etc. require our prayers even more, becuase the devil uses everything in it's power to cause them to fall so they can take followers with them.

I will never understand an atheist, I will sympathise and respect them and their opinions, but my experience a very real relationship with God is too inmense and grand for me to ever go back! I pray you experience the same.

I have also seen pastors, priests do dispicable things and lost my way many times, but I learned a valuable lesson they are just teachers, not Jesus or God. I must pray for them to open their eyes hearts and seek forgiveness and the direction of the Holy spirit to change their ways or habits that humans cannot change on their own.

Answer 7

That is a sad story, and unfortuantely it happens way more often than it should.

When it really comes down to it though, that individual srewed up. He made a decision to cheat on his wife. He mis-represented Christ in that decision.

As hard as it is for non-believers to see this and think "hypocrite", it is even harder for objective Christians to look at it.

I am a Christian and I will admit that there are far too many hypocritical Christians in this world. That, however, does not hinder me from attempting to portray my God in the way I believe He wants me to.

:0)

Answer 8

I am a Christian. And yes I agree with you. But remember that Satan has people he uses even in our churches to distract us from the truth. Each of us as individuals need to know God's word for ourselves. We need not look to man for the way we should live our lives, but only to God. It is a shame that things like this happen. God is watching all. All you need to do is to stay stead fast in your beliefs, know when someone is a false believer, and avoid that crowd at all cost. If I had heard what you did, I for one would not listen to that preacher again and I would not support that radio station.
I don't believe that God would accept this type of behavior, and neither should we. That person should step down from being pastor.
I do agree with that fact that we all sin and fall short of the Glory of God. But it is one thing when someone who was not a Christian at the time, commited this sin, and later became a Christian. Compared to someone who is already claiming to be a Christian, especially a preacher. I think it makes his act worse than the first.

Answer 9

In fundamental Baptist circles we call that ruining your testimony. We believe that once a person is saved they are always saved because salvation is through belief in Jesus Christ not by works...no be being good or bad. However, we believe that God will chasten us for sin and that we will reap what we have sown. By the way, the Bible groups lying, murder and adultery all in the same category under the 10 commandments. In the eyes of God a lie is just as big of a sin as adultery.. The Bible also says that if we have broken any one of the ten command ments then we have broken them all. Have you ever lied? Then you are just as bad as some one who commits adultery.

Answer 10

I empathize but as you said we all human. I think the pastor fell down (from what you said) by dismissing it so lightly. He should have used the opportunity to apologise and resign from his post to take time out to sort out himself out. As an ex youth pastor I know all too well the stress of trying to be an example to others. Yes I failed (not in the same way) but l always found being honest and willing to own up to my mistakes was better than pretending I didn't have any, and being holier than thou, that's what I find hypocritical.