Is Empathy a Sin?

I guess it depends on how you define empathy. And sin. And what Christianity means to you as well. Lots of fluctuation on that.

Recently there are strains of Evangelical Christians which are claiming that empathy is a sin. It’s a convoluted argument really. I’ve heard several variations of the argument. There have been books written on the subject. I’m not going to name them though. You are perfectly capable of looking them up if you really want to. Many of the people making this argument also have ties to Christian Nationalism, which is anything but Christian, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that such an erroneous argument is being made.

The argument, as I understand it, is that empathy draws you into another person’s sin, or unbelief, connecting you to them. It drags you away from salvation apparently. It dirties you in a theological sense. In a way I hear elements of Puritan theology coming through. One of the most egregious parts of the argument is the assumption that the person is “clean” and assumed to be saved (and therefore can do no wrong since clearly God is on their side) and can know for certain that someone else is damned (and therefore can certainly not do anything good). That’s a very simplistic telling of the argument. Feel free to add your comments on this if you would like to elaborate on it more. Again, I’m offering a very simple version of the explanation.

And I think claiming that empathy is a sin is wrong on many fronts. For one thing, and maybe the most important, such a claim dismisses Jesus’ entire earthly ministry. Jesus is a prime example of empathy. He cared deeply about people. It’s why he performed miracles of healing, feeding, and curing people. It’s why he identified with the marginalized and spent time with them. It’s why he cared deeply about the poor and the oppressed being taken advantage of by those in power. It’s why he took on flesh and sweat among people. It’s why he was willing to touch the untouchables of his society. Empathy is a core component of what the Kingdom of God is all about. Empathy is a key ingredient to Shalom – which is about right relationship and wholeness. How can you have wholeness without people being connected in a deep way?

Secondly, claiming that empathy is a sin is awfully arrogant and self-centered.

Let’s define empathy before we go any further. Empathy is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.” (Source)

It’s important to differentiate this with sympathy. Again, according to Merriam-Webster: “Sympathy and empathy both refer to a caring response to the emotional state of another person, but a distinction between them is typically made: while sympathy is a feeling of sincere concern for someone who is experiencing something difficult or painful, empathy involves actively sharing in the emotional experience of the other person.”

To claim that empathy is a sin is problematic at best because it is disregarding what is best for our neighbor. When there is a lack of empathy, we can only go so far as having sympathy, if we even go that far. At best, we can have a concern for someone and not feel compelled to do anything about that concern for another person. We can literally just have a feeling disconnected from an action. How exactly are we to love our neighbor, which is a command of Jesus, if we are never moved to act? Frankly this sounds selfish. Claiming that empathy is a sin purposefully keeps oneself separated and distant from another person. How is this Christlike at all?

In the Heidelberg Disputation of 1518, Article 21, Martin Luther differentiates the theologian of glory from the theologian of the cross. In article 21, he states “A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls the thing what it actually is.” Calling empathy a sin is the theology of glory, not the theology of the cross. The theology of the cross is full of empathy. It is literally Jesus sharing the emotional (and physical) experience of another person. If we flesh that out a bit, we can read Luke 23 where Jesus is crucified next to two criminals of the state. One ridicules Jesus, while the other defends Jesus. In Luke 23:41, the defending criminal says “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Another example is Jesus arriving in Bethany in John 11, after hearing about the death of Lazarus. John 11:35 tells us that Jesus wept. And after he wept, he raised Lazarus from the tomb. He wept and then acted. He was so moved with emotion for Mary and Martha and the death of their brother, that he wept and then acted.

Likewise, as Jesus enters Jerusalem in Luke 19, he weeps. Weeping is a deep emotional response. Collins dictionary defines weeping as “expressing grief, sorrow, or any overwhelming emotion by shedding tears.” That is empathy.

Luther defined sin as turning inward on oneself. Sin is the essence of selfishness. It’s caring about oneself at the expense of others. When we shut off the possibility of empathy because we claim it is a sin, we have stopped caring about others or about the best interest of another person. We are only looking out for ourselves. That is a sin. No where in scripture do we read God or Jesus telling followers to disregard care of others and focus on oneself. We do see numerous examples though of God’s support of empathy – we are to love our neighbor, we are to love our enemies, we are to welcome the stranger, we are to feed people, we are cloth people, we are show mercy to others, we are visit the imprisoned, we are to care for the sick, we are to honor our parents, we are to respect our neighbor’s property and family, etc.

Empathy is not a sin. It is a Christian virtue. It is a prime example of what it means to follow Jesus. Empathy is Christlikeness.