Judgements and Criticizms

One particular think seems to irk me in my christian class at school. I have certainly learned a lot from it, but it is usually the discussion part where I am bothered.
First off, I am a cunning speaker, debater, and personality changer. (I play as a one man news cast with my camera at home) So when I speak in class, it has to be well thought out and I can always say in such a way where neither side is offended. However I am always intrigued when others speak in class.
When it comes to matters of opinion and some philosophy, it is not uncommon for people to flat out say that the other speaker was wrong. One boy once said that a fairly upper class girl was too engrossed in her fashion because she always wanted the nicest things. And that another girl was too caught up in what she was going to wear and who she was going to impress.
The common teacher response was to say that we should not judge because only God can judge. I hold this to be true also, but does not Jesus say to help those on the wrong path?
When is it right for us to say that the other person is wrong? When do we have that right? Most of the things I hear in school is that we should not judge others based on a philosophy or belief. "That's there belief and you should not judge it!"
To a certain extent, it is true, but it can greatly be bypassed. Sometimes, we must stand for what we hold to be true and right. Am I wrong to call a racist a fool and tell them they are wrong? Is it so hard to say what Hitler did was wrong? That the extermination of 6 million Jews was okay just because that was Hitler's belief and we should not judge? I think not. The same applies on the smaller scale debates in philosophy. So can we accuse a very rich self centered person of being greedy? I think so.
I may be judging, but what do you think?

No, nothing wrong in that. It depends on what you do. If you judge others and exalt yourself with "I" in the process, then it is wrong. If you are trying to help the person or other people, it may not be wrong. It's all in the purpose and manner. The same Jesus who said "do not judge" also said "when you judge, judge righteouss judgement."

That, at least, is my opinion.

Jesus says " Do not judge, lest you be judged"

So its not good to judge people however Jesus also says

" I am the way the light and the truth"

So we are not to judge people we are to judge ideas If an idea is acceptable to scripture then it is right, however if an idea is not acceptable to scripture then it is wrong. much like your Hitler argumetn (which I have used many of time)

The greek is a tad muddy until you get to "judgement" (krima), which means a decision for punishment.

You see, we use judge in two ways... as discernment (Judging a man's character)

Or as sentencing (You are condemned to death)

Jesus whole heartedly endorses discernment:

Matthew 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. NIV

IOW, we are supposed to be fruit inspectors.

However, we are never to pass judgement on another:

Romans 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. NIV

passing judgement and helping others are two different things. If you tell someone flat out they are wrong, and thus pass judgement, most of the time you will find they will shut you out in the future. Kindness is better than condemnation.

wa:do

Mt 22:29 But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.
Correction is good, as you see the master doing, you do also. No judgement. State the facts, from the source.

Thanks for your input everyone. Good food for thought.

Doc writes: When is it right for us to say that the other person is wrong? When do we have that right?

Click to expand...

I can’t ever think of a moment when it is okay to judge right from wrong. For one thing we do not understand all the circumstances involving a situation. When it comes to other people or other situations it is safe to assume that we are usually just given “surface information” to base our opinions on. Here are a couple of reasons why people must feel they are “right”.



1. It is popular decision among a majority of people and some believers do not want to be “left behind”.



2. A person who feels they are “right” do not want to consider another possibility because there is a chance they may be PROVEN wrong and it does not feel “right” to be “wrong”.



Though there is a part of me that doesn’t blame these people for reacting this way there is the fact that this type of accusation stunts the path to UNDERSTANDING, halts the forgiveness process and makes it easier to apply judgments to other aspects of their lives more quickly but with less accuracy.



In a world where it is imperative that many people remain “right” I find it more difficult everyday to offer a possibility just for consideration.