Those who are quick to point out the hypocrisy of religion are often those who have a limited understanding of organized religion. These are the people who have, long ago and for various reasons, abandoned the church of their choice to live "spiritually".

Historically, church has been available for sinners to confess their sins, worship and praise God, understand and learn, and pray and intercede. Now, if sinners make up the body of the church, doesn't it stand to reason that, as the Bible says, "...all fall short of the glory of God...." - and that all those folks are sinners? Where, then, does hypocrisy lie?

Many who shun organized religion do so because they perceive that the people in the pews on Sunday mornings believe they have a higher standing than those who are still asleep at that time. This is never justified, but perhaps because of the everyday attitudes of the church-going, the perception remains.

If one sees his neighbor picking up another's newspaper, and yet going to church and professing to be a Christian, one could wonder where theft falls in the teaching of that church. If one hears another lying about something, one could, again, be confused as to the true meaning of religion. A large part of the misunderstanding arises when so-called Christians profess to be "better" than those who do not share their beliefs, an attitude of pride and arrogance.

Being a Christian, and/or participating in organized religion, does not make an individual perfect. The number of sinners is infinite, as well as the number of things considered a sin, and while some church-goers do indeed parade their righteousness for all to see, most are well-aware of their natures. Piety should be a personal matter, and not paraded for the benefit of the individual, certainly not to "show" anyone how a good a Christian one has become.

Stealing, lying, cheating, adultery, and so forth are all sins and, according to God, there is no degree - man has put measures on the severity and types of sin. In some ways this is necessary, due to our criminal justice system and methods needed to punish those who violate societal norms. But in God's eyes, all fall short - and all sin, and all are condemned.

Unless! Unless one believes in Jesus' death and resurrection, as the Son of God. And that is what these church-going Christians have in common, in spite of bickering and infighting, and worldly matters with which individual churches must be concerned. Many believe that those who hold membership in a church are too focused on secular things, and that they show their hypocrisy by doing so, as opposed to feeding the hungry or helping the poor; however, if churches showed unstinting generosity without taking care of these mundane issues, they would soon be unable to continue to care for others' most basic needs.

Hypocrisy, too, is a sin. As Christians, we must own up to our sins, confess them, and strive not to repeat them. As men, we cannot do this. Yes, it sounds futile. But if one loves God and wants to please Him, one will try. And God knows this; God has given us another chance, through His Son.

Religious hypocrisy is not the evil that some make it out to be. It is merely another sin, in a long list, which Christians fight daily; temptations abound and, literally, for the love of God, Christians must fight against hypocrisy as well as all other sins.

Learn more about this author, Robin Tidwell.
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