Saints' Discussion Forums

(I was working on a paper today and it got me to thinking)

[i]"Judge not, lest you be judged." [/i]

What does this mean to you?
_______________________

I don't like to be judged.  I do judge.  Sometimes I think it is unavoidable.  Sometimes I judge in my head then have enough common sense to "check it out."  For example, someone says something to me.  My feelings are hurt.  And so I judge them as insensitive and cruel.  After checking it out, I find out they didn't mean it as I interpreted it. 

But then there are times I must judge or "discern" whether a person is good for my children to associate with or not, for example.  In that case, I am judging a person. 

That's a coincidence Baily2 as some friends and I were discussing this very topic on sunday. There was a "Gay Pride" march through our city on Saturday and when one speaks in opposition to such things you can quickly be accused of being judgemental and a whole host of other adjectives for good measure.

My own thoughts on these words of Our Lord are that I'm forbidden to judge anyone, however I still have to judge between right and wrong. I can judge my own actions and even those of others without actually judging the person. I can state that this or that action or behavior is objectively right or wrong without passing judgement on the one who's doing it.
Unfortunately when one points out the wrongness of an action to someone who's committing it, that person automatically presumes that they themselves are being judged.
I have to do this at times with my children and I do so because I love them. Not to do so would be neglectfull of my duty of care towards them and even when they don't like what's being said (as none of us do) they do really know that I'm doing it because I love them.

One of the spiritual works of mercy is to admonish the sinner. There are very wise guidelines on how and when to do this on an Audio Sancto sermon; it's entitled  "Fraternal Correction. When in doubt do not give it."

So I feel that we are always bound to judge the action or behavior but to leave the judging of the person to God.
This is why it is right for you Baily to be discerning of those who are permitted to be with your children and you can do this without passing any judgement on the individual concerned.
I do this all the time concerning my young grandchildren without any qualms of conscience and I even do it with my older kids regarding the company they keep. They of course can chose to ignore my advice but it certainly won't stop me giving it.  :-\

In psychology, we call this personalization.  Wasn't intended but you gave me an example for a talk when I give it.   :D

Also, this is a very nice differentiation.  I never really had it worded so clearly.  Food for thought.

I can give a good example of this. I had gone to my daughter's classroom yesterday for orientation. Saw a lady sitting there and observed her face for a while. I imagined she was pompous and too snobbish to associate with anyone else.  Why did I think that? Just because of the way she looked and dressed. Very judgmental of me!   After class I end up talking to her and she was the friendliest person ever.  How terrible judgmental of me!  Never judge a book by its cover, as they say. I have a tendency to do this, and have to get rid of this habit.

I really think Martin put it splendidly!  :D

I agree and Patricia's example of judging is all too common for we human beings. Our discernment of the behavior of another has to be carefully done also as we are all too easily mistaken. That's probably why (or one of the reasons) that the sermon Martin spoke of is titled so as to say that we are not to give fraternal correction unless we are entirely sure of all the circumstances. Now with children, as parents also have the responsibility for their teaching, more assumptions can probably be taken.

Judging a person's bad behavior as bad behavior wouldn't be judging the person, but judging the person with the bad behavior as a bad person condemned to hell would be judging the person.

That's precisely the piont Theresa. In a nutshell.

I'm glad I got it right.  I thank Fr. Corapi for his explanation on judging.  He got into what you were talking about: we can judge a person's act as either good or bad without making a judgement of the person perforning the act.  He also said that to judge is to make a rash judgement.

I like this priest's sermons too. Listen to them sometimes in the van on Ave Maria radio.  God has given him a great gift of eloquence.