Teach believers to avoid false sympathy, as it hinders the development of strong characters and perpetuates self-pity and misery. [1] Jesus taught that one cannot develop strong characters out of self-pity. [2] Avoid seeking unearned recognition and undeserved sympathy, instead strive for honesty and fairness in preaching truth and proclaiming the gospel. [3] The gospel should never be preached through coercion, but instead through respect for the personalities and spiritual power within each individual. [4]
Jesus rarely showed pity, preferring instead to offer genuine sympathy and sincere compassion that was practical, personal, and constructive, never allowing familiarity with suffering to breed indifference or increase self-pity in those he ministered to. [5] Avoid false sympathy and do not offer consolation to those who give up without a fight. [6]
Overmuch sympathy, like any virtue carried to extremes, may degenerate into serious emotional instability or even fanaticism, as Jesus warned against during a discussion on the importance of possessing well-balanced characters. [7] Allowing free expression of evil in rebels' hearts uproots sympathy for evildoers in all citizens of Norlatiadek. [8] Ignorance breeds suspicion, incompatible with sympathy. [9]
Jesus urged his listeners to embrace sympathy without sentimentality, piety without sanctimoniousness, and reverence free from fear and superstition, cautioning against the dangers of both recklessness and presumption. [10]