Morality vs Moralism

"Moralism is the last refuge of the pervert" stated Archbishop Lazar. At first, these words struck me and I was taken aback by them. But then, I thought about the roots of morality and moralism. Morality, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is "principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior." Moralism, according to the same, is "the practice of moralizing, especially showing a tendency to make judgments about others' morality."

What people seem to like is having black and white rules. Thou shalt not kill or thou shalt not steal. But, what if killing protects the lives of others? What if stealing keeps your children alive? Life is full of very few black and white answers, despite what fundamentalists would tell you. And, sadly, when many of them realize this it is too late. I was recently speaking with a lady whose father was pastor of a church. Unfortunately, his wife did not want to stay married and divorced him. Ultimately, he lost his job as pastor and was shunned by the church because of something outside of his control. Sometimes, things are more complicated than they seem.

How does this affect us as clergy? Well, history has taught us that we can fall into moralism easier than anyone else. We have all made judgments about others that were unkind or unfair. Our job is to share what the church teaches and each individual has to use their own conscience to dictate what is best for them and their relationship with God. To judge another is to neglect our own place as "chief of sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15). 

There are times when we have to admonish each other. But, when it is done from a place of goodness the intention is different as in Rom. 15:14: "and concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another." Admonishing each other in sincerity and privacy is ideal, rather than criticizing someone for everyone to see. This does nothing but divides us and brings joy to the evil one.

“To judge sins is the business of one who is sinless, but who is sinless except God? Who ever thinks about the multitude of his own sins in his heart never wants to make the sins of others a topic of conversation. To judge a man who has gone astray is a sign of pride, and God resists the proud. On the other hand, one who every hour prepares himself to give answer for his own sins will not quickly lift up his head to examine the mistakes of others.” — St. Gennadius of Constantinople, The Golden Chain, 53-55