The Pharisee in ME

Have you ever been the recipient of a judgmental, Pharisee attack? Perhaps a better question is, ‘Have you ever been one who was judgmental and pharisaical?

This incident happened at Loyola University in New Orleans in the summer of 1981 and comes from the book Ragmuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning:
Dr. Meghan McKenna was lecturing on the New Testament milieu in which Jesus' ministry began. The four Prominent religious groups were the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots, and Essenes. The Pharisees separated themselves from everyone who was not faithful to the law and the traditions, in order to form a closed community. Their name means ‘the separate ones.’… They believed that God loved and rewarded the ones who kept the law and hated and punished those who did not.

The sinners were the social outcasts. Anyone who for any reason deviated from the law and the customs of the middle class was treated as inferior, as low class.
When the lecture ended, Dr. McKenna suggested: ‘Let’s do a little exercise right here in the classroom. Would all those who do not smoke stand up, walk to the left and stand by the wall. And reformed smokers stand in the center of the room. Those who still smoke from a group on the right.

Thirty of the professionals had never smoked, twelve were reformed and three were active smokers. “At that time,’ (a lady named) Roslyn said, ‘I belonged to the latter group on the right.’

‘Let’s discuss two questions,’ Mekenna said. ‘First, how do you feel about the current smoking regulations on campus, in restaurants, airports, the corporate world, and so forth?"

All three groups unanimously agreed that the regulations were good, ecologically important, and sensitive to the health and welfare of others.

'The second question: How do you feel about smokers personally?’
‘They are disgusting and inconsiderate,’ said one nonsmoker.
‘Obviously anyone who smokes has low self-esteem and a lousy self-image,’ voiced another. 'They have no will power.’ ‘Rotten role models for teenagers.’ ‘I have serious questions about the quality of their faith and depth of their personal relationship with Christ.’ ‘Don't they know they are poisoning the atmosphere?’

Roslyn remarked: ‘I cowered against the far wall feeling like the woman caught in adultery. Suddenly the environment was so hostile. For the past four years of graduate school, I had prayed, worshiped, gone on picnics, taken coffee breaks, studied, and conversed with these people. I felt a deep sense bonding because of our shared life and ministry. The reformed smokers were much more understanding because they had been there-the place of addiction. At first, I was angry. When the inner rage finally subsided, I wanted to weep. I have never felt so alone.’

The bell sounded and class ended. We filed out of the room in silence. The next day Dr. McKenna, following her usual proce­dure, asked her students to share their feelings and reactions to the exercise of the previous day.

‘Yesterday I learned something about myself,’ said the woman who had made the harshest and most judgmental comments during the exercise. ‘I need a lot more compassion for people who are different than myself.’

‘How did you feel yesterday, Roslyn?’ inquired Dr. McKenna.

‘When I was standing against the wall, I actually thought the group #1 people would have thrown stones at us were they available. I realize how difficult it was for me to look at them and say, ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do.’