True religious hypocrisy isn’t defined by someone failing to live up to the teachings of their religion one hundred percent of the time – it’s normal for people to fall short of their goals while they are still on the path. True religious hypocrisy occurs when leaders are afraid of open and honest dialogue that includes some who might be perceived as outsiders even though they share a common path and engage in the dialogue in a civil and respectful manner. That defines true hypocrisy because when we are afraid of honest and respectful discussion then we must have something to hide. I was reminded of that in a very real way last night. When we find that kind of nonsense going on inside a religious or spiritual group it’s a sign that there are deep problems in that group. The best policy is to run far and run fast, because we aren’t going to be able to change anything for the better and in fact stand a pretty good chance of being brought down by the sickness inherent in the group and being asked to drink some Kool-Aid before too long.