According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/hypocrite-meaning-origin):
"The word hypocrite ultimately came into English from the Greek word hypokrites, which means
“an actor” or “a stage player.”
This is totally opposite from the medical term for "Hippocratic Oath," which is defined as:
"One of the oldest binding documents in history, the Oath written by Hippocrates is still held sacred by physicians: to treat the ill to the best of one's ability, to preserve a patient's privacy, to teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation, and so on." (Read more at https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20909).
A Hippocratic Oath requires transparency and accountability, whereas the Hypocrite lives their life through deception, deflection, falsehood, and lies. There is no accountability with a Hypocrite.
In Matthew 23, seven times Jesus warns the spiritual leaders against being hypocrites,
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!"
He warns against shutting the doors to the kingdom on others who are seeking (v. 14), against converting others to their way of thinking (v.15), against swearing an oath (v.16-22), having a wrong focus for their faith (v.23-24), against worthless rituals (v.25-26), inconsistency in faithful living (v.27-28), and those who live in denial of past sins (v.29-32).
Today's Hypocrites
Have you seen the commercial with the women who are suffering with Depression who are holding sticks with paper "smiley faces" on them? In photos, with company, and at work they "hide" their true-self behind the paper mask so it appears they are happy. This is a common practice for even those who are not coping with Chronic Depression, but who are still "hiding" their true feelings in order to appear to be something they are not. This denial of self becomes problematic when you "loose" who you truly were meant to be, while becoming someone else for the sake of pleasing another. This happens to children who live with a critical parent, adults who work for critical and unrelenting bosses, or in marriages and intimate relationships where one person's needs trumps the needs of the other.
Often, when we loose our own identity we have difficulty establishing boundaries with others because we don't know where we "end" and the other person "begins." There is a blurring of the lines and these blurred edges keep you constantly in a state of reliance on the other person's opinion of where to set the boundaries. This leaves them in control of you, and every violation becomes your problem. When you can't SEE the boundary, you'll be unable to avoid violating it. And you won't be able to use your own boundary to set limits or establish consequences for another's hurtful behaviors. In order to set boundaries with someone else, you must first find out who you are. There has to be a lowering of the mask and that can be scary. Courage is required to know who you are before you can learn to speak your truth. You can't speak your truth if you don't know it.
Are you wearing a mask? Have you been wearing it so long that you don't know who you really are? Would you like to find your true-self and live the life you were meant to live? Starting June 4th, Encouragers Counseling & Training Centers Riverside, will be offering a course on Emotional Manipulation and how to discover your true-self. Click here or go to the Events tab and sign up today. Seating is limited.