The Sin of Empathy: Compassion and Its Counterfeits

The so-called virtue of empathy is the greatest rhetorical tool of manipulation in the 21st century. Because love is a real virtue, empathy’s power is in posing as selfless care for victims. A sad polar bear paces as David Attenborough informs you that the family suburban is melting the ice caps. ＂Jesus was an asylum seeker!＂ the sign reads at an Open Borders Rally. A forlorn Bruno wishes he too could change in the women’s locker room, a place he’s always known he belonged. ＂My mom said if we don’t go she’ll be just devastated.＂ When you reject the sin of empathy, you reject the manipulation of the media, the manipulation of family and friends, and most importantly, the manipulation of your own heart.

Joe Rigney serves as Fellow of Theology at New Saint Andrews College and as Associate Pastor at Christ Church. He is a husband, a father of three, and the author of a number of books, including Things of Earth and Leadership and Emotional Sabotage.