Help For Those Who Suffer From
Selective Moral Outrage Syndrome
I know, I'm going to sound a whole lot
like a pharmaceutical company TV commercial right here in the next few
sentences, but what I'm discussing this week, needs to be discussed
and I will share more about the title of this week's article a little
later. But for now, see if you know who I am talking about here...
“Do you or someone you know suffers from Selective Moral Outrage
Syndrome? Many people do and yet don't realize it. Why ? Because they
can't either see the disease of Selective Moral Outrage Syndrome or
are in complete Denial that they have this disease. Symptoms
most associated with Selective Moral Outrage Syndrome are, telling
others what they are doing wrong but the accuser refuses to look at
all at the morally wrong activities they are also involved in,
possibly also gossiping and or spreading rumors about others while
they themselves also partake in the same morally wrong or similarly
sinful(according to the Bible) activities. Also, one may be
suffering from Selective Moral Outrage Syndrome if one sticks there
fat, sticky fingers in a “sinner's eye” but that accuser very
well refuses to acknowledge that they themselves have just as many,
if not more morally wrong issues than whom they are accusing of wrong
doing.” So, sound like anyone you know that carries this disease ?
The reason for writing this article at
all, is to answer more completely a few critics of the article that I
wrote last week discussing the (im)morality issues of the West and
members of the terrorist group ISIS. In that article, I specifically
expressed how very difficult it is for many in the West to do a self
examination, or a self-check of one's moral compass when confronting
others of what they believe as their “immoral behaviour.” Some
folks expressed to me that they didn't “get it” and in my article
last week, I gave some very good examples of immoral behaviors of not
only those who belong to ISIS which I also specifically called “evil”
and those also in the West(Europe, US, Australia, etc.) and their
immoral behaviours as well. Yet, some in the West(Americans) became
hostile to the thought that some Americans can and or are immoral in
their hearts and actions. In fact, It would seem that my several
times sharing in last week's article, that checking one's own
morality before judging others was just a horrible suggestion and
“liberal”(politically) to make. Even when I quoted Jesus in the
Bible from Matthew 7:1-5 which declares, “Judge not, that you be
not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be
judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to
you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye,
but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you
say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and
look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First
remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to
remove the speck from your brother’s eye”, some folks still
didn't “get it.” Nope, not even when I explained quite thoroughly that Muslims and ISIS are certainly not “our brothers”
as to Christians, but yet there is still a desperate need that all of
us should still take a “good and hard long look at ourselves before
judging others of their evil” including ISIS.
To that end, that is, for those who
continue to focus on others before themselves(if really ever !) of
immoral behaviour, they indeed suffer from what is the heart and
title of this article, they “Suffer From Selective Moral Outrage
Syndrome.” What exactly is “Selective Moral Outrage Syndrome”
anyway? Well, I described some of the disease's symptoms earlier, how
about I explain Selective Moral Outrage Syndrome as how I also
described it without using it's specific name in last week's article.
Here, read this portion and quote from last week and see if you “get
it”...“Many Americans as well as Westerners are quick to stick
their finger in someones face when they see someone else doing wrong.
That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is an entirely evil thing
to stick your finger in someones eye and tell them they are evil
when you-yourself are doing the same act or similar act of evil
yourself. It's called being a hypocrite folks.” For this week's
article, I wish to add thus...And to take that act of “when
you-yourself are doing the same act or similar act of evil yourself”,
being a “hypocrite” by calling others “evil” yet “you”
yourself act evil, is indeed a negative matter. I know no one(no one
I know anyway) who enjoys being called a hypocrite. Hypocrisy
however is at the very core of having the heart and mouth disease of
Selective Moral Outrage Syndrome, because those who have the disease
condemn others yet, without ever or very rarely ever, look at evil or admit that they partake in evil acts themselves. Yes, as also
perhaps you have already read into the whole matter of Selective
Moral Outrage Syndrome and fully understand the Biblical precept I am
point to-if that is you, Thank you. For those others however, further explanation is yet needed So let's talk about Denial. Denial
is also part of this disease because who after all, enjoys
looking at the(truly and what the Bible calls)negative and harmful
attitudes we project upon others ? Refusing to look at one's own negative issues is part of Selective Moral Outrage Syndrome and as I
shared earlier, it's much easier to point out other's faults then
your own isn't it ?
In an article I wrote in the past
entitled “Removing Evil Through The “P” Process” way back in
2010, I listed Eight(8) steps on how to remove evil. In step number
one(1) I mention “repentance” of one's own sins and how “Once
we have repented individually and corporately, God will heal our
land.” In that first step, I also gave Bible Scriptures to back-up
every bit of the reasons why each of us needs to repent and have the
humility in doing so. The mention of humility in that article as
well as now in this article is important because without humility,
those who have the rid evil of the world(which is a wonderful quest)
must have the character quality of the humility to examine themselves
of wrong doing first. If one does not have that quality, the disease
of Selective Moral Outrage Syndrome replaces that quality and that
person cannot(at least not on their own) see that they have a problem
and that problem of sticking their finger in other people's faces
with the attitude of judgement and condemnation, is wrong because
they as the accusers also are involved in immoral acts also. Here's
my more important point about bringing up that article from 2010, God
Himself demands that our hearts are right first before addressing
other's issues related to acts of evil. No community, no province, no
nation can ever recover from the grips of evil of others nor the
effects of rejection of God's Word at home if immorality runs rampant
at “home.” The Bible is very clear, all people who point out the
evil of others have the first responsibility of making sure that they
themselves are clean from sin and wrong doing.
Not only as an ordained Christian
minister but also as a counselor, I learned many years ago that
because of the deep rooted Denial of many, their own issues
that many of those same folks will have within themselves, will figuratively speaking, give God the “middle finger” when it comes
to doing anything that is right before Him including self riddance of hypocrisy regarding acts of evil and sin. That said, the act of
denial on those same folks
should never dissuade any of the rest of us from seeking out to
destroy evil. Beware of this however, anyone who picks up the axe to
cut down the evil of others(whether through word or deed) should
first take it upon themselves to destroy evil within themselves. If
we have any sense of morality, especially in the “judging others
department”, we had better make dern good and sure before we put
our sticky, fat finger in someone else's face(like ISIS or any other
evil person or group)that we ourselves, are not also justifying our
own immoral acts. Another heart issue I shared in last week's
article, and I believe is appropriate and well worth repeating
here... I firmly believe that all of us should get our “lives
squared away(with Jesus of the Bible) first. If you decide not to get
your life right first before attacking ISIS, then you sir, you madam
you yourself are no more than an evil pimple who is also in need of
removal, just like ISIS. Indeed, you are an evilist. How does that
truth hit you? “
I leave you with this to sum up(in real
hopes that I have answered those few critics of last week's article
and everyone “get's it” by now) and also in sharing the thoughts
of a Higher Authority than I on this whole subject matter... Romans
2:1-3 declares...“Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who
passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn
yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know
that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such
things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on
those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you
will escape the judgment of God?”
Hope all this helps those who need
it....
Rev. Paul P. Waldmiller~Black Robe
Regiment Pastor
