#60 When Empathy Becomes a Sin

Empathy is supposed to be untouchable—a universal virtue. But what happens when empathy gets rebranded as weakness… or even sin? In this episode, we dig into how empathy is praised, twisted, and weaponized—from theology to politics to pop culture. Is empathy healing, enabling, or just another tool for control?

Chapters

• 0:00 Questioning Empathy's Virtue
• 1:05 Empathy Under Attack
• 1:37 Psychology vs Politics of Empathy
• 3:05 Empathy Without Boundaries
• 4:53 The Path Forward

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

This is Think First, where we don't follow the script. We question it Because in a world full of poetic truths and professional gaslighting, someone's got to say the quiet part out loud. Big question Can empathy ever be wrong, not just misplaced, not just overdone, but actually harmful, even sinful? That's not a question most people ask. Empathy is usually the one thing no one argues against. It's like air puppies, wi-fi. Who's going to stand up and say you know what this world needs? Less empathy, apparently, some people have. Take Allie Beth Stuckey, conservative commentator, wrote a whole book Toxic Empathy. Her point Empathy becomes dangerous when it validates sin, lies or destructive policies. Or Joe Rigney, pastor, wrote the Sin of Empathy. Yes, that's the actual title. According to him, empathy isn't always Christian love. It can be counterfeit compassion. So now we're living in a world where empathy itself is on trial and, depending on who you ask, it's either the holiest of virtues or a gateway drug to moral collapse. Something here doesn't add up. Is empathy always a virtue, or is it context-dependent? What's the difference between compassion that heals and empathy that enables? And who gets to decide when feeling someone's pain crosses into endorsing their choices? Let's zoom out.

Speaker 1: 1:49

In psychology, empathy is rarely condemned, it's celebrated. The only caution flag is over-identification. That's when you take on someone's suffering so much you drown in it yourself. Therapists call it burnout, compassion, fatigue, codependency. Notice the difference. Secular psychology doesn't say empathy is sinful, it just says pace yourself, which is a little less dramatic than repent. You sinner, for you cared too much about your neighbor's feelings.

Speaker 1: 2:21

But politics Whole different game. Empathy is either weaponized or dismissed as weakness. Immigration you must feel for families at the border, or you're heartless. On the flip side, you must feel for the victims of crime when borders are open, or you're complicit. Crime policy Same script. Empathize with victims You're righteous. Empathize with offenders You're woke. And gender debates oh boy. Empathy for trans identity You're enlightened. Empathy for women's spaces You're a bigot. It's not empathy itself that changes, it's who you're told to empathize with. Here's the gaslight. You're not allowed to decide who deserves empathy. That decision has already been made for you. If you empathize with the wrong side, suddenly your virtue turns into vice. Empathy, then, isn't just about feelings, it's about control. And here's where poetic truth sneaks in.

Speaker 1: 3:25

Empathy gets framed not as a messy human response but as a staged performance. Think celebrity hashtag campaigns. Think corporations suddenly caring about human rights just in time for Pride Month or Black History Month sales. Pepsi once tried to solve social unrest with a Kendall Jenner soda commercial. Remember that.

Speaker 1: 3:47

Nothing says I feel your pain, like handing a can of Diet Woke to a riot cop. Is that real empathy? Or is it empathy as branding? Empathy as costume jewelry flashy in the right light but worthless when tested? In the army, we were trained to understand what an enemy soldier might be thinking, but not to feel it. That's intelligence Strategy. If you start empathizing too much with someone trying to kill you, you're not a soldier anymore, you're a liability. That's a sharp reminder.

Speaker 1: 4:18

Empathy without boundaries isn't noble, it's dangerous. So where does that leave us? Maybe empathy is like fire it warms, it cooks, it lights the dark, but left unchecked, it burns the house down. The deeper question is not whether empathy is good or bad. It's whether you're the one deciding when and how to use it, or whether someone else has already gaslit you into believing their empathy performative, selective, weaponized is the only kind that counts. Where in your own life have you confused empathy with agreement? Where have you been pressured into feeling the right thing instead of thinking first? And maybe most importantly, what would it look like to empathize honestly, without outsourcing your moral compass.

Speaker 1: 5:13

Empathy isn't a sin, but it can be twisted into one, not by God, not by psychology, but by the stories we're told and the frames we're handed about what it means to be a good person. I'm Jim Detchen and you don't need all the answers, but you should question the ones you're handed, Because sometimes the real sin isn't empathy, it's letting someone else tell you when to feel it. Until next time, stay skeptical, stay curious and always think first, want more. The full six-step framework we use is at Gaslight360.com. You can also dive into the deeper story, the bio, the podcast and the mission at JimDetchincom. And if you like this one, tag it, save it, share it. Thank you,