The smiling salesman who sells you a used car claiming it has been inspected, claiming it is in great condition, claiming good thins about it knows that there is no oil in the differential case and that it will seize up in a hundred miles or less -- is he a hypocrite? He claims to be an honest man, but is not.
I think he can be described as a hypocrite. What do you think?
The person with a serious drinking problem who is working to stay sober -- is she or he a hypocrite? This person attends meetings, takes one moment at a time, and sometimes takes as drink. But she or he is trying a new role, a new identity, and new persona. When is a person a hypocrite, and when is a person someone who is trying to change?
Jesus of Nazareth is quoted in Luke 12:1 as saying, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." He uses the metaphor of "yeast" to signify hypocrisy as something alive, self-promoting, self-generating. Given the ease with which the lying salesperson gets better and better at deceit, and given the difficult path of the changing person with a drinking problem, I think the salesperson deserves the description of "hypocrite", and the person struggling to be sober does not.
What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know.
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