I get slammed all the time for being judgmental and the thing in the New Testament about "judge not lest ye be not judged" is thrown out there. Under what circumstances can a person you think make moral and value judgments about another person in good faith and not themselves be subject to criticism?
Well, for a start, when someone is holding onto their face going "ouch!", one is forced to ask "well, how did we get here?". The rest kind of follows.
Dayton, You've been told several times that you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the passage. You are correct in that "Judge not, lest ye be judged" is not an admonisment not to judge. Indeed, the New Testament has several examples of Jesus and the Aspostles telling us to judge. However, if you keep reading the passage, it talks about being a hypocrite and the tendency to point out a spec in someone else's eye while ignoring the log in your own. And while you may certainly call various behaviors sinful based upon scripture, you must not give in to the inclination to point at someone else's behavior, judge it as sinful and feel superior because you do not exhibit that specific behavior. We are ALL sinners. In the passage you've cited, the exact sins do not matter. What matters is keeping yourself from sinning. So, unless you are completely free from sin, you are a hypocrite.
My son, these maxims mak a rule, An' lump them aye thegither: The rigid righteous is a fool, The rigid wise anither. The cleanest corn that e'er was dight May hae some pyles o' caff in; So ne'er your fellow creature slight For random fits o' daffin.
Under no circumstances. Everyone should be subject to criticism, and should be prepared to examine themselves based on said criticism. And no-one should expect their own criticism of others to be taken seriously if it is stupid, like yours is.
I think a lot depends on why you are judging. Is it to help someone else or just yourself? Also on what basis are you making the judgment, demonstrable harm or something more subjective like bronze age cultural norms or because it makes you uncomfortable etc.
Just in case the boards switch before anyone sees my rep comment: This one is the perfect answer (and much shorter than I could have phrased it). You never judge for judging's sake. You only judge because you want to act on that judgement for a specific purpose (shall I trust him? shall we put him in jail? should I warn my friend against his behaviour?), including considering your own morals (if I should ever be in his place, should I...?), and in the latter case, you needn't share it.
In any circumstance. But if you judge them, then be prepared to be judged yourself. This passage is not about judging others per so, it's about the laws of Karma. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Judge someone, you can be judged yourself. Kill someone, you can be killed. Show kindness, receive kindness.
When you don't post every fucking aspect of your life online and then say shit like slapping your wife once is better than premarital sex.
Everyone judges everyone else, all the time. And you have a right to do that. Just as those who do it to you have that same right. The quote may be about resisting your natural inclination for judgment, but moreover it's about staying humble about it, because just as you judge, so are you being judged. It's not a "don't do it because someone else might" -- it's a, "keep a lid on it because it is being done to you, too."
Dayton's problem is not about the right to judge, it's about his motivation for that judgment, as Anc has hinted at above. I am forced to conclude that Dayton wishes to judge others in order to reinforce his own ego and self declared superiority. Such would be a nasty motivation for judging another. If, however, his methods were constructive and any judgments or criticisms he made were for the purposes of selfless good or help then that would be another matter entirely. Unfortunately I don't think Dayton really cares about helping anyone other than himself.
When a not-at-fault person is measurably harmed. For instance: Mother smokes meth, fumes physically harm her children. Judge her Mother smokes joint, nothing harmful ensues. none of your business.
It also has to do with how one defines "judge" One definition is "I evaluate whether or not a given action seems wise or productive"\ the other is "I condemn you for making a choice other than the one I would have made." The former is completely reasonable and necessary. The latter, often not.
