Silent "Approval"

[wworld]

I understand that to not say anything when watching someone commit a grave act is a kind of scandal (right?). However, I think I’m taking this a little too far.

Whenever I hear someone, whether I know them or barely do know them, say something or do something sinful, I feel like I HAVE to correct them.

Whenever someone says, “I hate it when I fall down” or something along those lines, I correct them with “hating is sinful” -of course they meant “dislike”, but I feel like I HAVE to say that or I am sinning.

If I overhear someone talking about doing something that they don’t know is sinful (but I know it is), I usually correct them. I feel like I HAVE to.

Am I sinning if I don’t do this? Because it makes conversations awkward… Anyways, if it’s sinful to not correct someone, where does correction out of brotherly love come in? Isn’t that optional?

 

[TheSeraphim]

While it is indeed a sin of omission to not speak the truth whenever its contradicted you have to know the context of the situation. When you say that you always have the need to speak up and enlighten someone about saying its “hateful to sin”, are you doing this to make you feel better or to truly save them from their sin? The root motivation of the action is whats important about our faith, not the action itself. You can point a gun at someone to give the poor money but that is not the same charity as someone giving it freely.

In the same context we must judge actions based on our motivations. There are teenagers texting at church during consecration of the Eucharist and their parents doing nothing. Is it my duty to tell them to take their phone away? No. I am not their father. I should simply focus on the consecration and loving God. We must first prioritize our lives by doing what we need to do first. In this case at church I must always be focusing on the priest not to the people doing distracting things.

The same way you must ask yourself, did you go out of your way and out of line to tell people to stop hating? Do you even know the person? If I were to go out of line and tell every person I hear swearing God’s name in vain, I wouldn’t have time to do my work nor to take care of my family. I cannot judge you for you who are over the internet but be really careful with the sin of pride. Sometimes we do things in order to make us feel better rather than caring for the actual person. It becomes like a lice that is pride that envelops our skin into itch until we give in and scratch it analogous to relieving that pain by doing that action.

What we think might be something that were doing good to others might actually cause them to sin more. We might make them irritated, hate us (which is ironically the sin you tried to prevent from them), and hate God for all His rules. Not to say that rules are bad but a lot of people don’t follow God simply because of the fact of His commandments and rules as “restrictions” from freedom. But in reality it is God’s protection and commandments that frees us from the chains of the enemy.

I’m not saying for you to stop what your doing or judging you by your actions. I am simply giving this as an insight to you. It is only your duty to correct your siblings and children and friends. Everything else you must trust God with prayer.

Matthew 7:4
“How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?”

 

[wworld]

Do I always have to correct my friends? I have a lot… and even though I already do it, it’s obviously getting on their nerves. I didn’t correct someone I would call a "friend’ today… am I at fault here?

I don’t like to correct people. And I am not much better than the people I correct, either. I’m not correcting people to make myself feel better… but out of fear of sin. That’s not pride, right?

 

[GratefulFred]

The “HAVE TO” aspect is a bit troubling.

It is a matter of proper balance. There is venial sin and mortal sin. There are unintentional mistakes and intentional sin.

Judge not least you be judged. But we are also called to encourage one another to avoid sin.

Although not in terms of calling out someone’s sin to him, I have many times corrected someone’s performance, especially on the job. Often I then close by saying I hope they too will have the courage to correct me when they think I am wrong.

Constantly correcting others could be a power play. If motivated by LOVE, we tolerate transagressions lest we be nitpicking. When we do honestly feel we need to correct, then, out of LOVE, it is done gently and in private.

If we are correcting others quite often, and for minor errors - venial sins - we may be doing it for the wrong reasons and thus be sinning ourselves.

It is a judgment call. Pray for WISDOM.