Watchfulness and discernment of other people?

[SingularityOne]

What can one actually know about other people?

Is it a sin to keep a watch over other people’s habitual actions and read into what they are sub-communicating in those actions so that one can protect oneself against falsehood, or not?

edit: Essentially, our brains “map” each other and ourselves throughout life in relationship and people lie in their words towards us, but sometimes one has to infer things because “something doesn’t feel right in the situation.” Would that “inference” be a sin?

 

[Jude1:3Contendforthefaith]

Good question.



.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

What can one actually know about other people?

Is it a sin to keep a watch over other people’s habitual actions and read into what they are sub-communicating in those actions so that one can protect oneself against falsehood, or not?

While Abiding in Jesus' Teaching, how did the permanent disciples in the NT watch out for one another ; and also likewise be aware for false teachers or any sin or 'error' in each other in the assembly ?

 

[ArmyMatt]

What can one actually know about other people?

Is it a sin to keep a watch over other people’s habitual actions and read into what they are sub-communicating in those actions so that one can protect oneself against falsehood, or not?

it would depend on why you are watching them. if it's out of a reason to judge or slander them, then that'd be sinful.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

it would depend on why you are watching them. if it's out of a reason to judge or slander them, then that'd be sinful.

Is there such a thing/way/ as keeping/having a single eye on Christ ?

Such a way that looking at anything, is rather seeing all things as Christ does ?

re "Have the same mind (attitude) as Christ ?

 

[SingularityOne]

it would depend on why you are watching them. if it's out of a reason to judge or slander them, then that'd be sinful.

What if it is for self-preservation for one’s emotional well-being so that they aren’t taken advantage of?

Yes, not judging or slandering is key, but how does one differentiate between judging someone and assuming/perceiving another’s lie/falsehood in one’s mind so that one isn’t gullible/taken advantage of while at the same time not sinning?

 

[ArmyMatt]

Is there such a thing/way/ as keeping/having a single eye on Christ ?

Such a way that looking at anything, is rather seeing all things as Christ does ?

re "Have the same mind (attitude) as Christ ?

yes

 

[ArmyMatt]

What if it is for self-preservation for one’s emotional well-being so that they aren’t taken advantage of?

Yes, not judging or slandering is key, but how does one differentiate between judging someone and assuming/perceiving another’s lie/falsehood in one’s mind so that one isn’t gullible/taken advantage of while at the same time not sinning?

well, guarding from being taken advantage of isn't sinful. so you judge the act, not the person.

 

[SingularityOne]

well, guarding from being taken advantage of isn't sinful. so you judge the act, not the person.

When you say “judge the act” does that mean “judging the act as sinful” instead of “judging the person as sinful” (meaning, in their specific habitual act in a certain context vs their entirety of life on earth)?

Essentially, our brains “map” each other and ourselves throughout life in relationship and people lie in their words towards us, but sometimes one has to infer things because “something doesn’t feel right in the situation.” Would that “inference” be a sin?

 

[ArmyMatt]

When you say “judge the act” does that mean “judging the act as sinful” instead of “judging the person as sinful” (meaning, in their specific habitual act in a certain context vs their entirety of life on earth)?

Essentially, our brains “map” each other and ourselves throughout life in relationship and people lie in their words towards us, but sometimes one has to infer things because “something doesn’t feel right in the situation.” Would that “inference” be a sin?

yes to your first point. not necessarily for your last point, I think it'd depend on the situation.

 

[SingularityOne]

yes to your first point. not necessarily for your last point, I think it'd depend on the situation.

Could you give an example for the last point that would be sinful and another example that wouldn’t be sinful so I can understand the difference?

 

[ArmyMatt]

Could you give an example for the last point that would be sinful and another example that wouldn’t be sinful so I can understand the difference?

inferring that a guy with a history of alcohol abuse stumbling out of a bar it's not sinful to discern that he might be drinking.

it's cliche, but inferring a black guy in an expensive car in a white neighborhood must be up to trouble would be a sin only because he is black would be sinful.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Forgive me.... a white guy in an expensive care is up to trouble ! (remembering Jesus said it is the "suit and tie crowd" that robs the poor and takes people's houses , not the down and out guys that do) .

 

[SingularityOne]

inferring that a guy with a history of alcohol abuse stumbling out of a bar it's not sinful to discern that he might be drinking.

it's cliche, but inferring a black guy in an expensive car in a white neighborhood must be up to trouble would be a sin only because he is black would be sinful.

Ah, I see. So the distinction is “action + empirical history” vs “action + generalization”?

When I say that people “map each other’s minds” I mean in a morally neutral way... meaning the way that we take in information about people and make decisions ourselves, from that information, that our brain gathers from our perceptive faculty.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Ah, I see. So the distinction is “action + empirical history” vs “action + generalization”?

When I say that people “map each other’s minds” I mean in a morally neutral way... meaning the way that we take in information about people and make decisions ourselves, from that information, that our brain gathers from our perceptive faculty.

sure, but sin has messed up our minds and will, and that has to be taken into account.

 

[SingularityOne]

sure, but sin has messed up our minds and will, and that has to be taken into account.

I totally agree, how does one take that “mapping + sin” into account and still preserve self-preservation of one’s emotional well-being in an assertive way?

 

[ArmyMatt]

read the saints, see how they did it

 

[SingularityOne]

read the saints, see how they did it

What is your favorite Lives of the Saints compilation/book?

 

[ArmyMatt]

What is your favorite Lives of the Saints compilation/book?

The Prologue of Ohrid

 

[SingularityOne]

The Prologue of Ohrid

Thank you Father Matt