Empathy is in a weird place right now. Most of us probably think the ability to place ourselves in someone else’s shoes is a good thing. That’s what compassion is all about right? But a recent trend in conservative Christian circles is calling empathy into question. Some people even believe it’s a sin.

Even those who think of empathy as a good thing struggle with the concept. Erica Steenberger, a therapist based in Chicago, admits that at times it can be overwhelming — and she’s basically empathic for living. “I’ve been really thinking a lot lately about the darker side of being someone who practices empathy on purpose as a career all day, every day, and there’s been some really hard parts of it that I was not prepared for,” she told the Explain It to Me hotline, Vox’s weekly, call-in pod

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