Are we trading Justice for Tolerance?

I was recently asked the following question

When Jesus rescued the woman taken in adultery (John 8), did he tell us not to judge whether adultery is wrong?

As for me I have enough trouble with the plank in my own eye. Jesus said, is there no on left to condemn you? nor do I condemn you, go and sin no more. In these few words, there is a great deal to mediate on. First, only God can condemn (period). This is why as Catholics holders an guardians and evangelizers of the truth, while we canonize those we know to be in heaven, we do not say that anyone is in hell -- for we don't know. God's ways are not our ways.

Our initial judgment is based on the state of our soul when we die, how far God's mercy extends at this point is not for us to say, except we are to avoid both sin and judgment. God saved St. Dismas from the cross. While it is true that the grace sufficient for a death bed conversion is extremely rare, there are occasions, as with St. Dismas. According to his grandson who is a priest in Los Angeles, John Wayne the actor received this grace.

We are to be kind and loving even to our enemies. This means we avoid gossip even discussing the sin of another with other people is a sin on us.

As Mother Teresa said, "If I judge people, I have no time to love them"?
As human beings we are not qualified to judge others. We do not know their hearts, we judge by what we think we know -- behvior. We are to love and be kind even to those who exhibit sinful behavior.

So I am not completely certain what your point is. You seem to be looking for a loophole where we can be free to condemn those we believe to be sinners. This is not Catholic doctrine, otherwise we would have a process similar to canonization, but in the reverse whereby we say so and so we know to be in hell. This determination is reserved to God alone. It is not our role. We ask God to forgive our sins as we forgive the sins of others. Our attitude as stated by Christ in matt 25:31-46 should be one of loving kindness to all.
Jesus forgave the adultery of this woman in the same way we are forgiven in confession and told her as we are told to sin no more. Yet if you are anything like me, we return again and again to confession. Sometimes struggling to overcome the same sin.

As Catholics with the fullness of the truth and the responsibility to evangelize we know that adultery is wrong, and we do not engage in it. We advise others to avoid it. If we know that someone has committed adultery do we tell them what we know? Well yes. Our approach must be one of loving kindness though and not from a place of judgment and condemnation. If they are receptive, then great we can offer our help. If their hearts are hardened, we certainly do not agree with them that what they have done is ok, but nor do we continually point out their flaws or their missing the mark, which is the definition of sin. These people we pray for, even after death.

I know personally of a woman who admittedly had affairs and multiple abortions. I could not change her, as she got involved with an organization called Christ unity, which I believe to be satanic. She ended up having cancer and opted to go to Oregon for an assisted suicide. I continue to pray for her soul, and ask for God's mercy. I cannot judge her one way or the other, but only provide hopeful prayer.

In a sense your question is silly. Of course adultery is wrong and every Catholic knows that, but so is judging others. As far as condemning the sin and not the sinner, I have to laugh when I hear this fundie slogan. For without the grace that comes from regularly taking the sacraments; it is impossible to love the sinner, while condemning the sin.
I personally have been counseled by fundie pastors and know this to be true. Without the grace of the sacraments they simply cannot separate the sinner from the sin, and thus, end up doing more harm then good, by condemning the sinner.

Now does any of what I have said mean we are to support the government sanction of divorce or homosexuality. No. of course not. Both our wrong. We are to treat people in each group with loving kindness. We as sinners are in no position to stone anyone. Hence, the Catholic doctrine on life, which includes doctrine against capital punishment. We are fallible, as are our institutions. Recent DNA evidence has indicated a systemic practice in the US of executing the innocent. Fully 1/3 of those executed in this country are later proved to be innocent of their conviction by DNA evidence. This makes the state guilty of murder.

The government sanction of homosexuality by making it legal for homosexuals to marry those of the same sex is clearly wrong, and as Catholics we cannot support it. It is based on dubious evidence which includes a perceived genetic predisposition and the fact that the APA since 1974 has said that homosexuality is only a disorder, if the practitioner of the homosexual activity is disturbed by his or her activity. This point of view is imprecise scientifically, and has provided the homosexual community with license, and denied them help for their disorder. The government has based on this action by the APA and in response to hate toward homosexuals. Responded by extending rights to practicing homosexuals. This sanction by both the APA and the government has stiflied further research and given license to disordered behavior while denying those with the disorder the help that they need. The government and the APA are trading tolerance for justice. We cannot have one without the other. When I use the word justice, I use it in it’s platonic sense of an appropriately reasoned response to the facts. The APA should not have changed it’s definition of homosexuality as a disorder simply because there is not enough information. A genetic predisposition does not support the view that homosexuality is natural. And if a homosexual is not disturbed by the behavior Psychologists should be asking the question why are they not disturbed? The answer to that question probably lies in the genetic predisposition. But this should give psychologists a new approach to treatment not a reason to sanction the behavior. The wrong thinking and poor science involved in the APA decisions, the homosexual movement, government sanctioning of homosexual behavior, and the feelings of repugnance that many have when we contemplate homosexual behavior does not give us license to stone homosexuals. Unfortunately many who call themselves followers of Christ have resorted to hateful and violent behavior as a consequence of their feelings. Many have treated practicing homosexuals in a manner that Jesus taught us was wrong when he put a stop to the stoning of the adulteress woman.

We also know that abortion is murder. Life as born out by the scientific evidence we now have begins at conception, but does this give us license to stone abortionists or those who have had an abortion? No. We are to treat them with loving kindness, while working to convince those who would consider abortion not to go through with it, and at the same time working to overturn the unjust court decision and laws that permit abortion. The law is unjust in that the unborn are conceived with civil rights. The first of which being the right to life. This is the most salient issue of our time. And one that puts the Church clearly at the head of a progressive and just civil rights movement.

It is in this areas of judgment and condemnation of both abortionists and those who have had abortions that the pro-life movement has gotten off base and become fanatical. This is not doctrinal nor is it Christ like. We do have a right and a duty to speak out and act in accordance with doctrine, but that doctrine includes loving all including our enemies. This is a hard teaching of our Lord, but he clearly commanded us to love even our enemies. We must also remember that the measure we use to judge others will be the measure that is used to judge us. Therefore how can I live a life where I am free to judge other sinners. I cannot. The fanaticism of the pro-life movement has in fact caused many to harden their hearts. This is not good evangelism. Justice – an appropriately reasoned response based on the facts is good evangelism. The Church has learned of many errors and it’s members have throughout history made mistakes. These mistakes have sometimes gotten to the point of scandal. But let the tares grow among the wheat for they will be eliminated at harvest time, if not by before by our bishops and the magistirium before the harvest. Loving kindness is the way of the Lord, and he exemplified this in the story of the adulteress found to be in the very act of adultery.

A deeper learning and understanding of Catholic doctrine brings us the dual realization of doctrinal perfection and our own inadequacies as individual members.
So, yes if you are perfect in your judgment then cast the first stone.
As for me and my house we will follow the Lord.

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copyright 2010 Fred Celio