{"id":11097,"date":"2015-06-24T15:12:35","date_gmt":"2015-06-24T15:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/?p=11097"},"modified":"2018-11-10T23:24:05","modified_gmt":"2018-11-10T23:24:05","slug":"dealing-with-religious-bullies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamsignificant.ca\/home\/sole-significance\/dealing-with-religious-bullies\/","title":{"rendered":"Dealing with Religious Bullies"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are like me, you have had way more than your fair share of bullies in your life. As a kid,\u00a0when being consoled after another bully encounter, I was often told that it wouldn’t always be this way. That when I became an adult, the bullying would stop. Well, anyone who has lived life can attest, there are plenty of bullies in <\/span>adult life too. You can find these malformed individuals in the workplace, <\/span>neighborhood, family, and sadly, often in the Church.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Religious Bully?<\/span><\/h2>\n

A bully is someone who feels they need to force what s\/he believes and wants on others without regard nor respect for their beliefs or views. Bullies will take advantage of others emotionally, spiritually, often financially, and sometimes physically. Along the same lines,\u00a0religious bullies are those folks who want to argue endlessly, to impose\u00a0their beliefs on others. They will divide the Body of Christ with their inflated opinions and evil threats, condemning anyone who will not take their often narrow point of view. Those who do not succumb to their undermining ways are quickly branded with labels like “not saved”, “not orthodox “, “heretic”, “false teacher”, or “false prophet.<\/strong>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus and Paul had to deal with religious bullies of their day. Jesus and his crew were often labeled as blasphemers and heretics because they challenged and turned the popular interpretation (world-view) of the scriptures upside down. Jesus had a way of knocking over the sacred cows of the day, and the religious bullies of the day responded nastily clamoring to protect their power. Not intimidated, Jesus would say to his bullies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>\u201cWoe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people\u2019s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>\u201cWoe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much achild of hell as you are. – Mt 23:13-15<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As difficult as it is dealing with bullies, we must avoid the temptation to respond in kind. \u00a0My dear friend says you can wrestle a pig in the mud, but you’re gonna lose, your gonna get dirty because the pig is better at it than you<\/strong>! \u00a0Do not sell yourself out by descending to the level of the bully who is trying to draw you into a confrontation. \u00a0Try to avoid responding to their taunts and aggression with insults and aggression of your own. \u00a0Do not return evil with evil.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n