How deluded do you have to be to see empathy as a sin and cold-heartedness as a virtue? Yet, here we are, living in a world where a woman of the cloth—a true, dedicated Christian—pleaded with a powerful man to show kindness, care and basic human decency, only to be met with scorn.

Following President Donald Trump's second inauguration in January 2025, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington delivered a sermon at the National Prayer Service held at the Washington National Cathedral. Addressing President Trump directly, who was seated in the front pew, Bishop Budde implored him to "have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now," specifically mentioning LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and refugees fleeing war-torn regions. She emphasized the importance of compassion and unity in her message. In response, President Trump criticized Bishop Budde, referring to her as a "so-called Bishop" and a "Radical Left hard line Trump hater," and demanded an apology from both her and the Episcopal Church. 

And now, the media and certain factions of society are trying to normalise this—telling us that empathy, concern, and respect are weaknesses, while cruelty, greed and indifference are the marks of strength and righteousness.

This is dangerous. This is how the worst atrocities in history have unfolded. This is how people become capable of committing acts of war, genocide, deportation, deprivation of rights, and the exclusion of entire groups of people—all while believing themselves to be good, righteous and justified.

Empathy is Not the Enemy—It’s the Foundation of Morality

Empathy is not some naive, weak, or dangerous trait—it is the core of what makes us human. It is the ability to see beyond ourselves, to acknowledge the pain of others and to recognise that our actions have consequences.

Yet, there is a growing movement—particularly among politicians, religious extremists, and self-proclaimed "strongmen"—who push the idea that empathy is a flaw, a sin, something to be eradicated. They argue that the world is better when people are hardened, indifferent, and emotionally detached. Why? Because when people stop caring about others, they become easier to control.

• When you teach people not to care about the suffering of others, they stop resisting injustice.
• When you convince people that empathy is for the weak, they justify cruelty in the name of pragmatism.
• When you normalise indifference, you pave the way for history’s darkest moments to repeat themselves.

The Slippery Slope of Dehumanization

This rejection of empathy is not just an academic discussion—it has real-world consequences. History has shown us that the first step to any large-scale human rights atrocity is to convince a population that the suffering of others does not matter.

This is how:

• Refugees become “invaders.”
• Marginalized communities become “burdens.”
• The poor become “lazy.”
• War victims become “collateral damage.”
• Children separated from their families become “necessary sacrifices.”

This is how Nazis were able to gas Jewish families, including babies and still go home, hug their children and sleep soundly at night. Because they had been taught—conditioned—to believe that empathy was a weakness, that caring for “the other” was a sin and that following orders without questioning them was a virtue.

It is happening again. Every time a public figure, media outlet, or religious leader decries empathy as a flaw, they are laying the groundwork for more suffering, more division and more cruelty.

Who Decided That Being a Bastard is Holy?

Christianity, at its core, is built on the teachings of Jesus Christ, who preached love, kindness, and radical empathy. So how did we get to a place where so-called Christian leaders defend cruelty and mock compassion?

When a priest, pastor, or religious figure stands in front of a congregation and declares that showing kindness is a sin, we are witnessing a perversion of faith. It is a distortion of everything that Christianity—or any moral belief system—should stand for.

Let’s be clear:

• There is nothing holy about greed and selfishness.
• There is nothing righteous about indifference and hate.
• There is nothing strong about deliberately causing harm and then celebrating it.

The idea that God rewards cruelty and punishes kindness is not faith. It’s a manipulation tactic used by those who wish to maintain power, wealth, and control.

The Battle for Our Collective Humanity

This is not just about a single religious figure, politician, or talking head. This is about a larger cultural shift—one that is rapidly convincing people that morality is a weakness and that success is built on exploitation.

If we allow empathy to be vilified, we are opening the door to a society where suffering is ignored, where injustice thrives, and where history’s worst atrocities can—and will—repeat themselves.

We must reject this normalisation of cruelty. We must refuse to accept the narrative that kindness is naive or weak. We must fight back against those who tell us that caring about others is a sin.

Empathy is not the enemy. It is the only thing standing between us and barbarism.