Would I be judging my friends who are dating, if I stop mixing with them? I honestly do not want to harm my spiritual life. What is your Graces’s opinion in this matter?
His Grace Bishop Youssef:
The first thing you should do is talk to your friend about dating and why it is wrong to date. A good book that you can give him to read is “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” by Joshua Harris.
Secondly, concerning judging, when we disagree with peoples’ actions, we are not judging them but are judging their actions. If two people are not old enough, nor socially, spiritually, financially and psychologically ready to be responsible enough to start a family then there is no point in having a relationship that is not going to lead to marriage, but could very well be the cause of great temptations. You should not feel you are the guilty party and be defending yourself to your friend. On the contrary, it should be the other way around: these friends or couples should feel they are actually a stumbling block to you and to others. “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way” (Rom 14:13).
