The Truth has no Boundaries

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MargaretofCortona

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I know some people argue certain things are too harsh, “not someone’s place”. Is there really such thing as being overly critical or over-correction? Truth is the truth. Who decides who can or cannot speak the truth into your life? Just because something is difficult to hear or makes you feel uncomfortable, does not mean you should avoid it. Just because something hurts your feelings does not make any less valid. An enemy can tell you the truth, a friend can. If only people had the patience to hear the message and ignore the delivery or the messenger. Ideally, God does not want us to feel offended by people’s opinions about us. Isn’t that evidence of vanity? No one is above scrutiny, criticism or correction. Sometimes I wish people could civilly disagree or discuss touchy topics without it becoming emotional. As some point people must put their feelings aside, and see things for what they are. Learn to accept disagreements, differences of opinions, etc.
I do not know why this is difficult for some people.
 
Truth and relentless criticism are two distinct things.
The sooner you learn this, the happier you will be.

Charity.
Mercy.
These things bring us close to the heart of God.

Fingerpointing is the method of that other one.
 
MargaretofCortona said:
Just because something is difficult to hear or makes you feel uncomfortable, does not mean you should avoid it.
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It doesn’t mean you have to dwell on it or go running to embrace it in all cases either.
The question is whether it is really important to your life now. Obviously if it’s something like the truth of Jesus Christ, then yes it’s important and you should not avoid it.
But if it’s some truth about something that happened 30 years ago in your family, and everybody involved has passed away, and it’s not something impacting your life and behavior right now, there may not be much reason to go seeking it out if it’s potentially hurtful.
 
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Is it okay to point out a person’s insecurities or prejudices or ignorance?
 
See. This is why you constantly come back with the same question.
You want to win.
You’re a “right fighter”.
You’re not happy until you WIN.
If you are still arguing with these people, your sister, or others in your family, it’s going to be a very lonely life, because eventually, they will just give up on YOU.
Stop pointing out every little flaw to people.
One of these days someone is going to say something really hurtful to you…and you will probably wonder why.

People try to help you with these numerous threads about “everyone else is wrong and I’m right, and they need to hear me”.

We hear you,
You, my darling, are the one who refuses to listen.

Go sit at Adoration, and listen to Him.

Peace.
 
I personally am all for truth.
However, sometimes people think that they are saying the truth --that is, they’ll convince themselves it is truth–but it isn’t.

So what then?

How can you be sure that you are truly expressing ‘the truth’, and not just your own personal opinions regarding how you have judged on your own and determined that somebody else’s thoughts, words, or deeds do not match up to your personal standard, and you then flagellate them, not for the thoughts, words, or deeds alone, but for their ‘deliberate malice’, their ‘deliberate obtuseness’, their ‘deliberate refusal to change’ etc. etc.

Instead of being about truth now, it’s all about, "I don’t like what my sister said. I don’t like how she responded to me. She needs to be perfect and I alone know what that is, so she has to be what I say she has to be, do what I say she must do, or else she is a terrible, wicked, lazy person who refuses to listen to Truth’.

The Truth is not just about how some person ‘fails to do right’.
The Truth is also about how some person does do right.

If your rants about how "They need to hear the Truth even though they complain it’s harsh’ aren’t also accompanied by, "They need to hear the Truth because it is beautiful, inspiring, uplifting, and loving’, then I’m not sure that you’re really dealing in “Truth” at all. . .
 
Depends.

Why are you pointing them out? What’s your motivation? To help the person, to keep them from harming others, or just to blow your stack?

Is the person likely to be able to change? There’s a difference between pointing them out to a 16-year-old whose personality is still being formed, and an 85-year-old in the nursing home.

How certain are you of your own judgments? I see many instances of people being called ignorant and bigoted because they have a reasonable disagreement with someone else’s view on a racially or gender or LGBT charged issue. On the other hand, there are people who are very openly bigoted or very wrong in their factual assumptions.
 
MargaretofCortona said:
Is it okay to point out a person’s insecurities or prejudices or ignorance?
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Context matters. Are you sure you’re doing them any good by doing so?
Is this the first time you’ve pointed out whatever it is, or the fourteenth time?
Do you have a positive duty to say it or just think you should?
How sure are you that you’re doing it in charity?
 
MargaretofCortona said:
Is it okay to point out a person’s insecurities or prejudices or ignorance?
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Hmm, I remember we have had a few discussions like this. I can’t remember what we all decided , can you?

Was there a line where we should not cross due to maintaining charity and not wishing to insult the person we are focussed on correcting?
 
In some families, criticism, correction and honesty are the only ways to show love. You push your friend to improve. Who decides what truth is appropriate or inappropriate to share? I don’t know why people are too sensitive when someone call them out on their jealousy, envy, racial views, etc. If your family won’t do it, who will or who should? I don’t think people should be allowed to live their lives ignorantly. It is not your family will love you less for being flawed. Or live a good enough life that no one will have to correct you.
 
It’s like my dad said, you can do what you want but you need to take the consequences.
The consequences of you running around “correcting” people who didn’t ask for your advice and who you aren’t in some business of “correcting” (you’re not their mom, school principal, parole officer, priest etc) is that the person may likely get hurt or mad and think or say “You’re not the boss of me. Who died and made you king? You’re wrong. Butt out.” And it’s their prerogative to feel that way. You don’t get to tell them how to feel about what you say.
 
Well, then that family needs to have a sit down with a counselor.
That’s NOT how you show love. By destroying another person’s peace.
No no no.
If your siblings have grown up with racial prejudices, then your parents missed an opportunity way back when you were a little kid.
What you are talking about is a habit and a “normalcy” of calling each other out.
Habits can get back VERY quickly.
Your family is not the thought police. Some of these things should have been settled and taught int he formative years. Frankly, that’s why we have religious ed for all ages of youth, from pre K to Senior in High school. Good behaviors are learned and reinforced over time, not shouted at you. If that is how it goes, human nature has people digging in their heels and harboring resentment.

It’s a profound ignorance to believe that one can never be wrong and that everyone else can.
Lucifer did that.
Look where he ended up.
 
Take a step back and ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish. Do you want to help the other person? Let’s assume that you do. Then what is the best way to accomplish that? Confronting someone bluntly with the truth is only one option, and probably not the best way to help the other.

There are different ways to communicate the truth. Some work better than others. The truth can be communicated indirectly, as, for example, Jesus taught by parables. The truth can even be communicated without words.

If smacking someone in the face with the unpleasant truth isn’t working, don’t keep doing that as if you’re expecting it to work one of these days. Try another approach.

You could also try letting go, praying, being patient and forgiving, and leaving the matter in God’s most capable hands.
 
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Absolutely correct!

Pope Benedict taught this [which OUGHT to be logical[ “THERE CANNOT BE YOUR TRUTH AND MY TRUTH OR THEIR WOULD BE NO TRUTH”

YET, there are thousands of differing sets of faith beliefs in the Protestant churches; IF [??] the RCC is not the One True Faith of Jesus Christ; which one is and on what basis?

And on WHAT basis [justification] can be given for so many diverse faiths of the ONE same True God?

God Bless you,
Patrick
 
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