Religious distraction

“They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided.”

(John 9:13–16, NRSV)

According to the New Testament, the Pharisees spent a lot of time worried about how people violated the Law. They interrogated people over healings done on the Sabbath. They were upset with Jesus for things he did in supposed violation of the Law.

But they could not see their own folly. Their outward righteous actions blinded them. So much easier to point fingers at others for their supposed violation of the Law. It’s a classic case of “I’m better than you are.”

They were distracted by other people’s behaviors. Or maybe they made sure to be distracted by being the righteousness police and letting everyone know how unrighteous everyone else was. “Holier than thou” is seductive.

American Christianity has had its fair share of this same thing. But even the church here is not unique. Western Christianity has long been focused on this distraction.

The distraction is like a drug. It’s easy. It’s easy to focus on individual morality and actions of others. It’s easy to do…