Quote:
Originally Posted by InChristAlone
Personally, I think the sins of bad priests are not the sins of the Church but the sins against the Church. Since we don't judge Christ and His apostles by Judas, we also don't judge a church by her sinners.
When I compare WL and WN with EO saints, monks, Church and Desert Fathers, the two "spiritual giants" of the LRC fall flat.
In spite of his weakness, he had a pure heart and was faithful to the Lord until the end. But there were also "good priests" who left the Church after the first signs of danger. So, it's not for us to judge people, even priests. Only God knows their hearts.
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I have some problems with this. You can vindicate EO priests, yet judge LCM ministers. You have your bias, and your judgments reflect it. Shall we judge Phillip Lee for drunkenness, but not the EO priest in your story?
Truthwise we have no place to judge others, but we must address their actions especially when they hurt others. The EO priest in your story brought shame to God, setting a poor example to the church, but apparently beyond that he was only hurting himself. PL, otoh, hurt and damaged many others. When people are being hurt, we can NOT take the attitude, "judge not, lest we be judged."
Whether or not the sins of priests / ministers are OF the church or AGAINST the church depends on how others, especially the responsible leadership in the church, handle their sins. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and to some degree, all sin brings shame to God, but when sins against church members are condoned, covered up, or even endorsed, then we have a completely different matter.
Too much vodka is bad, but abusing and molesting other members after too much vodka is criminal.