Is it ever OK to judge someone? I listened to a sermon on judging this week, and the speaker made what I thought was a really good distinction between what he called “judging” and “testing.”
The Bible typically has two definitions for the word “judge.” The first is the one we think of when we think of judgemental people. Judge not lest ye be judged. But the second had more to do with “testing,” or being careful what you accept.
We all agree, I’m sure, that judging in the judgemental sense is wrong. But “testing,” or using good judgement, is quite alright. Take, for example, John Belushi’s Animal House character. You don’t know him, so you can’t judge him as a person. On the other hand, if you found out your daughter was dating him, you would be well within your rights to “test” whether or not he is someone you want your daughter spending time with. Or at least I am sure you would want her to test whether or not he was going to be worth her while!
So where do you draw the line between “judging” and “testing?” According to the speaker, it has to do with what he calls your “realm of responsibility.” You shouldn’t judge him because he’s not within your realm of responsibility. But if he wants to date your daughter, she’s within your realm of responsibility so testing his character is almost required of you as a parent.
Christians can be a judgemental lot. But many times, I think, we’re accused of being judgemental when really we’re just using our own best judgement. There is nothing wrong with testing, and rejecting, ideas. Christians and atheists alike do it all the time. But when it devolves into judging the people with those ideas, that’s when we’ve gone too far.
Posted in A Cacophony of Posts, Mike O | 6 Comments »Six weeks ago I wrote about false assumptions and how Christians suffered in the past because of them just as atheists suffer today. Atheism doesn’t have a philosophy or principles to counter these false assumptions any more than it has a philosophy or principles to deserve them. Secular humanism does put forward a set of positive traits and promotes a world view. These are:
This life – A concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
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Often times when I’m listening to Christian teachings, I wonder whether atheists would accept it readily as I do. I wonder how someone with a completely different world view would see it.
Solomon is considered to be the wisest man who ever lived. I’ve always accepted the book of Proverbs as sound, common sense advice - obvious, even. I still do. But would irreligious people agree?
What follows is a story Solomon tells about the dangers of promiscuity. When you read this, instead of seeing Solomon looking out the window at some unknown youth, see yourself looking out at your own son or daughter. Would your counsel differ from Solomon’s? Read the rest of this news item »