It is acceptable and Christ like for the Priest to encourage compassion for the law breaker. It is not acceptable for a priest to advocate law breaking.
I was raised in the southern baptist church. I walked out one day and never went back. I wiped my shoes off of it, without comment.
I then became a very active member of the Episcopal church. When I wiped my shoes of that one...I did it before a meeting of the Deacons. I know how superior they felt, but that is none of my business. It’s between them and God.
I am no longer a member of any Church or Religion. A Church is only a building. It is who we associate with that is important. I associate with Christians. My husband and I pray together (and separately) daily.
I have no need of the corrupted churches infiltrating this country.
According to the Bible... the Church is your body.. and your Being.. It is where you worship God from. Building or no building, your body and soul IS your personal church.. When you read the Bible, you understand what is needed to be understood, and not someone telling you their version of what THEY read it as.
Feeling comfortable in a church is important... they relate to the way you see what you’ve read. As soon as they distract or redirect, it is time to leave.
I don’t normally get involved in the Religion threads, but I felt I had to say that.
(And a heartfelt thank you for the ‘homecoming’ chat we had ;^))