Watch the video above and talk about it with a friend or mentor.

Often people transitioning from Mormonism need to learn to be less judgmental and more gracious toward other people’s failings.

Like ourselves, people who go to church will sometimes struggle with sin. In this conversation, we compare how we handled that as Latter-day Saints compared to some healthy ways we’ve learned in our new faith community.

Reactions we hope to avoid

Many former Mormons report a culture of gossip and harsh judgement when people fall or stumble. People often point out what’s wrong with others in order to take the focus off their own failures and to make them feel better about their own worthiness.

[Related Post: How to Deal with Your Sin]

How to overcome a judgmental attitude

In traditional Christian churches, people are usually more open talking about and admitting sin. But in any religious culture, we become so accustomed to looking down at other people’s sins, it can be a long process learning compassion and empathy towards others. Instead of using the sin of others to elevate yourself, get down with them and try helping them move forward in their walk with Christ.

The motive for being more compassionate

We practice compassion rather than gossip and judgment because we recognize that God loves us all the same. Their sin is no different than our sin. Jesus Christ paid for all of our sins. God wants to use us to love them.

When to talk about someone’s sin

When someone is struggling it’s not acceptable to go to your peers and talk about it. The only time it’s appropriate to talk is when there is a concern about the physical safety of that person or others. In that case, reach out to someone in trusted position of authority to help. Make sure you have the heart of wanted to help versus tattling on them.

How we handle it when people around us struggle and fail can be redemptive and helpful for those people, or make it harder on them. Many of us need to learn a new way of interacting with people in our new faith community. We need to learn the humility that comes from recognizing that we’re all sinners who are loved by God and saved by God’s grace.

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Key Points:

  • Reactions We Hope to Avoid
  • How to Overcome a Judgmental Attitude
  • The Motive for Being More Compassionate
  • When to Talk About Someone’s Sin

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Talk About It
  1. Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
  2. What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
  3. If you were LDS, what kinds of responses did you see when people fell into sin?
  4. Read Ephesians 4:32. Why should we respond to others’ failings with kindness and compassion instead of judgment?
  5. Read Romans 15:7. How does Jesus accept (receive) us? How should we, then, accept others who sin?
  6. When you’re feeling judgmental, what are some ways to change your attitude?
  7. Read Galatians 6:1-2. What are some ways our response can be helpful for people who have fallen into sin?
  8. When might it be appropriate to talk to people about the sins of others?
  9. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.

This is part of the Relationships After Mormonism series.