No, I want you to admonish them for their sin, in Christian love, and then assure them of Christ’s forgiveness. If the Son of God can forgive them and died for them, who are you to decide that they don’t deserve to hear the Gospel because it’s your ‘pet peeve?’ This language is exactly what I’m talking about. It makes me sad.
Here’s a hankie.
As I said in my first post, these people are well aware that God can forgive them. They’re so sure of it that sin means very little to them. So little that they will even call it “good” for the children when they get divorced and bring new men or women into the home.
Let’s not pretend that these people don’t know exactly what they’re doing and do it anyway. And why.
There is far too much of what you call for more of - people thinking that they can sin at will and bank on God’s forgiveness. There is far too little “Catholic guilt” going around. Why call for even less?!
There was a time when seeking a divorce was frowned on by society. Today it’s exalted as a “good” thing most of the time. Who should be “trapped” in a “bad” marriage just for “the sake of the kids”?
Was a time when having kids without being married was appalling to most–and embarrassing to those who had the babies. No more. Now they have baby showers for unwed mothers. No one is appalled, and those who are having the babies are proud not embarrassed.
You’re asking us to ensure people that their sins will be forgiven. If these people knwo that they’ve sinned, it’s not apparent by their outward behavior. I assume that deep down they do know, and that they’ve already decided (before they commit the sin) that God has forgiven them.
When people won’t do the right thing even for their own kids,
that is sad. Not that sad you use. Sad as in pathetic. Yes. Pathetic. It’s pathetic that so many Americans think so little of their own kids that they’ll get divorced, have the boy/girlfriend move in, or never get married in the first place. Really pathetic that this is so common.
And who says they shouldn’t hear the Gospel, anyway? Sugar coating this behavior isn’t helping them. Tell them, “It’s OK. God loves you.” For what?! They’ve already decided that everything is OK with God. In fact, they’ll tell you–and you will agree with them–that I’m the one with the problem. And then they’ll have another kid.
You don’t need to play goody goody here. These people know that God forgives sins. They’re banking on it. And if you really want to help them, you should tell them that God expects true repentance for sins and not “Well, it’s wrong but it’s really best for the kids, so I’m right in the end.”