!!!!
During my year as a hospital chaplain at a “Christian” hospital, I was reminded of something every day and every night. My fellow Protestant Chaplain Coworkers, and I, were not encouraged to talk about Jesus or God in our daily 20 to 40 room visits. If a woman was struggling over whether or not to have an abortion, we were told by our department NOT to tell them the Christian position, we were simply supposed to be there as an emotional support, NOT as a religious or spiritual messenger. If a family asked for the Christian teaching on removal of nutrition and hydration, why were we told not to give Christian teaching, but it was ok to give the hospice and palliative care teaching on not wasting unnecessary money on a person in their last few years of life.
I frequently asked the department heads: “What makes a chaplain different from an atheistic hostess whose job it is to give warm fuzzy feelings?” Never got a good answer. The 8 Protestant chaplains I worked with, and I, were told to NEVER push Christianity on anyone, this was called “inflicting ministry.” We were basically supposed to be embarrassed of Jesus and His gospel. If there was a Jew, or Jehova, or Muslim, or a Hari Krishna believer, we were encouraged to go into deep conversation with them about their spiritual and religious beliefs. It was cool to talk religion in the chaplain department when it was the religion of Mohammad or Hari Krishnas, but it was not cool to get deep into Jesus or His gospel. So it is ok to get deep and religious with Moslems, Jews, Jehovas and Hari Krishnas, but it is NOT ok to go deep into religion or God with Protestants and Catholics????
Why is it ok for Miley Cyrus to dress half naked and do sexually explicit things on international T.V., and she gets props for it, but when an outdoorsman talks about his Christian belief that homosexual marriage is wrong, he is guilty of a politically incorrect hate crime? There are heroic people who struggle with homosexuality, we are not referring to them, we are referring to those who push for legitimizing “alternative lifestyles.”
Why does the preferred political party of the majority of Protestants and Catholics in America embrace a pro abortion and pro alternative lifestyles platform, officially, because they believe it is wrong to violate a person’s free will, but then this same political party violates the free will of all American tax payers by FORCING them to pay for health insurance that pays for abortions and sex changes? Why is it holy for THEIR consciences not to be violated, but it is not holy for the rest of America’s consciences not to be violated?
If these hypocricies and stupidities are not made right in this life, they will be made right in the next life.
A few morning thoughts on Christmas Eve 2013, from the desk of a pastor in South Texas.
ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT / DEEP CALLS TO DEEP 
I can certainly sympathize with the thoughts and feelings of this priest which could come under the heading of the persecution of Christians. And it may get even worse than this, sadly. Martyrdom’s are already here is some places in the world!
I think it is always good to try to look at things with perspective and not over-generalize or over-simplify. Here I am betraying my Aristotelian roots! One tries to avoid over-generalizing and over-simplifying not just on ethical grounds but also as part of loving the Truth, Who is God. Perhaps it could be called “fair-mindedness.”
Some Christians, knowingly or not, wittingly or not, have got into a certain habit of pointing out of mistakes, weaknesses and sins of others in a way that sometimes gives the impression that they are not themselves sinners or at least that they themselves are “better” than other sinners, or “higher” or “entitled” to look down on other sinners. I am pointing my finger at myself!
Certainly I have fallen into this myself. Certainly! And this was a style that characterized certain Pharisees who lived at the time of Jesus. One could not accuse the Pharisees of failing to be moralists even if their message could be quite wrong as Jesus pointed out. But they were moralists who “looked down their noses” at others. I am not aware of any Pharisee who did what St. Augustine did, namely using a public means to reveal his own mistakes, weaknesses, faults and sins. This is what made the “Confessions” of St. Augustine so unique in Catholic literature, and almost all literature to this very day.
Sometimes I wonder if moralists used public forums or vehicles to point out their own moral failures, whether this would help with credibility. I am a terrible sinner. I cannot “look down my nose” at a man or woman who commits the most heinous crime because the minute I do that I am lost, lost forever. I think Jesus knew that his followers would become moralists and called for it. No doubt about it. But He was very concerned that they not become moralists ‘in the manner of’ some Pharisees. Hence sayings like: “As you judge, so shall you be judged.” “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” “For if you forgive others their transgressions your Heavenly Father will forgive you yours.” “Love your enemies.”
At the time of Jesus there were two particular groups of people who were singled out for special dislike by some of the Pharisees: “prostitutes and tax collectors.” Since that time various groups become singled out for special chastisement. There are a couple of groups today that are singled out. I am not going to mention the groups.
A theology professor once pointed out the relationship between what St. Thomas said about the sin of pride [Satan’s sin] and a saying Jesus said to the Pharisees: “Prostitutes and tax collectors are entering the Kingdom of God ahead of you.” The Pharisees, as far as I know, did not abuse sexuality by selling themselves as sex objects to others, married others at times. Nor did they viciously extort money from the poor through outrageous taxes and tolls often collected by means of brutality and violence. The Pharisees “looked down on others” because of the sins of these others. They hated sin and sinners and forgot that they were sinners too. Jesus seems to have reserved his harshest and most angry criticism against moralists who forgot that they were sinners too. And it seems like He built into his own teachings safeguards to prevent his followers from moralizing in the manner of the Pharisees. Checks and balances. Do we sometimes moralize in the manner of the Pharisees? Do we sometimes partially bring on persecution of ourselves and others because we are more Pharisee than Christian. I point the accusing finger at myself here!!!
I do not deny that the persecution of Christians, large and small can be motivated by malice. And I am very sorry that hospital priests are persecuted from their beliefs. No one should be persecuted like that!!!
Thank you, Pastor in South Texas. You are so right. Merry Christmas and may the peace of Christ permeate your life. — A Fellow Christian