How Do You Handle Hypocrisy? appears in the November 15, 2001 Watchtower. The article intrigues me because instead of a clear-cut condemnation of hypocrisy, the article wavers back and forth.
First, the writer defines hypocrisy:
Judas was a hypocrite--a person who pretends to be what he is not, someone who hides his bad motives behind a mask of sincerity. The Greek word rendered "hypocrite" means "one who answers" and also denotes a stage actor. In time, the word came to refer to anyone who was simply putting on an act in order to deceive others.
The scribes and Pharisees are cited as examples of hypocrisy:
Consider the religious climate when Jesus was on earth. The scribes and Pharisees pretended to be loyal teachers of God's Law, but in reality they filled people's minds with human teachings that drew attention away from God. The scribes and Pharisees scrupulously insisted on the letter of the law, but they ignored fundamental principles that reflected love and compassion. In public they pretended to be devoted to God, but in private they were full of badness. Their deeds never measured up to their words. Their objective in doing things was "to be viewed by men."
Insisting on the letter of the law but ignoring the principles of love and compassion? Why is that so familiar?
An example is given of a family who had not learned to identify hypocrites. This family hired a lawyer who was also a preacher in a local church. When the family received a $3.4 million settlement, the preacher pocketed most of it. The article says:
Regarding this lawyer, a law journal stated: "If he preached the kind of conduct he practised . . . , his message would have to be this: let us prey." How can we protect ourselves from people like that?"Keep your eyes open," was the advice Jesus gave to those in his day who were confronted with religious hypocrisy. (Matthew 16:6; Luke 12:1) Yes, we must be cautious. People may profess the most noble aims and ooze sincerity, but we need to exercise reasonable caution and not immediately accept everyone at face value. Would we not carefully check our bank notes if we knew that counterfeit currency was in circulation?
Hypocrites have appeared even within the true Christian congregation. . . .
Oh, dear! What should we do if we encounter hypocrites within the true Christian congregation? Expose their hypocrisy as Jesus did with the scribes and Pharisees?
"Stop Judging"How easy it is for imperfect humans to point out other people's failings while ignoring their own! . . .
When others at times do things that seem hypocritical, we must be careful not to label them hastily as hypocrites. The apostle Peter, for example, "went withdrawing and separating himself" from Gentile fellow believers in Antioch so as to please visitors of Jewish background from Jerusalem. Barnabas 'was also led along with Peter and others in this pretense.' . . . But this slip on the part of Barnabas and Peter surely did not put them in the same category as the scribes and Pharisees or Judas Iscariot.
Oh, I see! Hypocrisy is a matter of degree and frequency! I wonder if this defense can be used in committee meetings?
The article assures us that all hypocrisy will eventually be exposed:
"There is nothing covered over that will not become uncovered," said Jesus Christ, "and secret that will not become known." (Matthew 10:26; Luke 12:2)
So, if a religious organization bears hypocritical fruit, should we leave it? Does not a little leaven ferment the whole lump?
Meanwhile, why should we allow the hypocrisy of others to affect us to the point that we are deprived of the genuine love of true friends? We can be cautious without becoming overly suspicious. And by all means, let us keep our own love and faith free of hypocrisy.--James 3:17; 1 Peter 1:22
Cautious but not overly suspicious? No mention of boldly exposing hypocritical behavior? How strange . . .
Contrast the article above with the mention of hypocrisy in this excerpt from the Watchtower of May 1, 1997, in an article called "Trust in an Imperfect World":
A man of integrity can be trusted, not just by his fellow man but, more important, by God. His purity of heart is seen in his actions; he is free from hypocrisy. He is not devious or corrupt. The apostle Paul put it this way: "We have renounced the underhanded things of which to be ashamed, not walking with cunning, neither adulterating the word of God, but by making the truth manifest recommending ourselves to every human conscience in the sight of God."-2 Corinthians 4:2.Notice that Paul mentions attitudes that have to do with the Christian ministry. How can a Christian minister serve others if his hands are not pure, if he is not a man of integrity? The head of an Irish religious order who recently resigned well illustrates the point. He admitted that he "allowed a paedophile priest to continue working with children long after his child abuse became known," according to The Independent newspaper. The account explained that the abuse extended over 24 years. The priest was jailed for four years, but think of the suffering imposed upon the children he assaulted during those years because his overseer lacked the moral integrity to take action!
[bolding mine]
Now, brothers and sisters! Don't be hasty to judge our imperfect brothers simply because they have not yet removed the pedophile rafter from their own eye. This slip surely does not put them in the same category as the scribes and Pharisees, Judas Iscariot, or Catholic priests. Wait on Jehovah, and everything covered over will be uncovered.
Ginny