Judgement

Being judgemental

Do you have opinions. I am sure you do. Everybody has opinions about all sorts of things. But when your opinions are about other people there is a risk that you are being judgemental. It’s alright to have opinions about others but not if your attitude is that you are better than they are.

Mathew 7:1-2, “”Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you”.

That’s one of the problems about being judgemental. You are elevating yourself above others. Seeing yourself as superior. The bible identifies that it is hypocritical to be judgemental of others when you fail to recognise your own faults. 

Recognising our own faults

It’s easy to judge other people but hard to judge ourselves. 

Without contemplation or reflection it can be difficult to recognise our own faults. If you want to improve as a person and be happier in life it is important to put in some effort. Do some self examination and be honest with yourself. 

Using the approach that I have mentioned in previous blogs is relevant. Try acting in a more spiritual way. Detach from self-interest and view your behaviour, thoughts and actions from an external perspective. That way you will be capable of addressing issues without internal conflict.

Being a good judge

To be a good judge you need to be someone of good character. You need to be independent and have integrity, impartiality, rationality and a sound knowledge of the law. At the highest level you need to have had a long and distinguished career in the judiciary. You need to be compassionate, ethical, an intellectual and a good communicator.

Not too many people are able to meet those criteria. As human beings we are all capable of acting in inappropriate ways. It’s so easy to judge other people and to do this in an unfair manner. We don’t necessarily know all the facts and can jump to the wrong conclusions. 

When we judge others we are forming an opinion about their behaviour or about something that they have said. Often we will judge people by the way they look. Think about how often you do that to complete strangers. We don’t always have a full appreciation of their circumstances so it can result in us judging unfairly. 

Your opinion about how others look or about what they may have done or said is affected by your own views and outlook on life. It is only natural that your past experience, attitude, preferences and success in life will have an impact. The important point is don’t be so reactive and jump to conclusions about other people. By having an interest in their well-being you will become less self-focussed. It will relieve you of a lot of anxiety about your own circumstances.

Christian belief about judgement is that it is something best left to God. He is the only one who is perfect and in a position to make judgement.

We are all sinners

If saying that we are all sinners upsets you then I apologise. The word sinner may seem extreme but perhaps I should have said that we have all done things that are wrong. The bible uses the word sin to describe a wide range of unacceptable behaviour. I think the use of this term may cause some people to react against what might follow. 

It’s natural to react against criticism. We want to defend ourselves so deny that we are sinners. The term sinner suggests an extreme fault but it also covers minor faults. A typical reaction might be, “I’m not a sinner, I always try to do the right thing”. The use of a biblical term like ‘sinner’ tends to draw negative comments about being a bible basher. But, put that aside and focus on the primary message. We all have faults and do things that are inappropriate.

In the bible (John 8: 7-11) there is a story about a woman who had committed adultery. She was being persecuted by a large crowd. They wanted to stone her to death, which was an ancient penalty. Jesus said to the crowd, “He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone”. No one threw a stone and the woman was saved from certain death.

If you accept that you have faults you are on the way to recovery. You have viewed yourself from an external perspective. What you do next is the important thing. Maybe you could show genuine regret, adjust your behaviour and ask God for forgiveness.

Rejection and acceptance of religious belief

It is a common claim that most wars arose due to religious belief. The 2005 book ‘Encyclopedia of Wars’ apparently claims that just under seven percent of all documented wars involved religious belief. That is not, however, suggesting that the sole reason for those wars was religion.

I did say that I would not be discussing religions other than Christianity. But there are several different religions and the statistics about wars and religion covers all of them. 

My own views on Christianity is that it has the best ethos. Being a Christian means making every effort to be more like Christ. It means having self-control and being kind, caring, faithful, loving and non-judgemental. These are the aspects of Christianity that appeal to me.

We can only judge based on what we know. It’s why so many people these days don’t have religious belief. They are unable to see God and feel that those with faith have blind faith. That might be something worth discussing another time. I feel lucky, however, as my new found belief comes from actual experience (my epiphany). There are none so blind as those who cannot see.

Societal collapse

There are numerous historic examples of the societal collapse of empires. It is clear that they don’t last forever. When things are ripe for collapse it is a natural reaction of most people to be protective of their own position. 

In my view, any society that is unjust, where there is unfair distribution of wealth is destined to fail. Selfish, greedy behaviour and being overly critical of others are inherent in a deteriorating society. Staying calm and collected when all about you is falling apart is difficult. Christian belief can, however, make tough times easier to bear.

The final judgement

Christian belief is that we will all be judged by Jesus once we die. Although our bodily form will go back to earth our spirit will by God’s grace join Him in heaven where we will have eternal life.

That’s a great thought and it helps us to reduce the importance we place on our human existence. We let go of selfish desires and are more accepting of traumatic experiences. Christians believe that God is watching over them and will give them refuge. This personal connection to a loving, just and caring being is very reassuring. 

Once again I am stressing that provided we truly believe we are able to detach from our human self to become more spiritual. I believe that it is this aspect of Christianity that brings us peace and acceptance of our lot in life. It means that we become less self focussed and more caring towards others.