Thomas Merton said, “Do not be too quick to condemn people who no longer believe in God, for it is perhaps your own coldness and avarice, your mediocrity and materialism, your sensuality and selfishness that have killed their faith.”
Time and again we’ve seen people driven from God by the sort of attitudes Merton describes. We see it in issues even today where we divide people into groups—some are “sinners” while we, I guess we are not? Except that is not a point of view that Jesus would have endorsed.
Worse is when we reflect on our own prejudices and cold attitudes and see that we ourselves have had a part in that whole driving people from God process.
We need to look in that mirror not with vanity but rather with probing, self-aware eyes and hearts that see the times we have unleashed our inner Pharisee and hurt others.
Then we need to ask forgiveness. And receive grace. And start again with renewed heart.
Faith Venture 
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