Christianity and Judgement

Too many Christians do the thing which Christians are forbidden from doing. Too many of us judge others. In the world we live in, sometimes judging others is unavoidable. Some of us (those in authority) have a responsibility to judge, and judge fairly, the actions of those under their influence. Parents and teachers judge the actions of children. Employers judge the actions of their workers, and Judges must judge the actions of defendants in trials, but the key here is that all of these people are judging the actions, not the person. As soon as you start judging a person, you lose your firm footing. We don’t know what goes on in a person’s head, and we can’t know everything which led to an action, so all we can judge is the action itself. Some loud Christians seem to have forgotten Matthew 7:1.

There seems to be no end of small minded Christians telling the world that it should be ashamed of itself.

I agree with them, but we ought to start with ourselves. Matthew 7:4-5 tells you that you shouldn’t be worrying about others until you have your own shit straight, and if that isn’t a good enough reason, then Matthew 7:6 goes on to the flip side of why you shouldn’t waste your time preaching to people who don’t want to hear it!

We Christians have a duty to be the light of the world. That doesn't mean we should go around setting dry  brush ablaze. We have a duty to be the salt of the earth, which is quite the opposite of salting the earth, something which loud Christians don’t seem to get. We are meant to preserve, to repair, to help. All that judging others gets you is fear, anger, and resentment. It’s not only counter productive, it’s stupid!

Love your brothers, no matter what! Love him even if he sins. Feel his pain as if it were your own. That’s the way to start guiding people, not by yelling at them about what you think they’ve done wrong today. Oh, and don’t bother trying to convince me that you love someone if you’re holding up a sign that says “God Hates...”


 God doesn't hate, God loves. Period.

Trying to love (in this case, feel compassion toward) everyone is a good thing to do, regardless of your personal religion or lack thereof. People who try to see the good in others are generally happier than people who focus on the bad. I like to say that it’s better to assume ignorance than malice. An earnest desire to think the best you can about everyone around you and their intentions will keep you from being bitter, and will probably improve your interactions with other people.

Of course if you find that the nicest thing you can think about a particular person is that they’re rather a fool, or unaware of the world around them, then you may want to have a conversation with them. Far from passing judgement or spouting vitriol, however, a conversation with someone for whom you care, about how they can better themselves is a loving endeavour.

I guess that’s the key. We aren’t going to change the world by shouting at it and holding up signs. We’re going to change the world by having quiet conversations with people who will listen. I hope someone out there is listening.

Thanks for reading,


-Step.