Abstain from truly judging others, or you too will be judged.

This simple but extremely powerful quote from the religions we grew up to hate resonated with me recently in a truly magical way.

We are all guilty of judging each other at one point in our life. Failing to realize the mechanism behind judgment is really just an insidious but real reflection of our own weaknesses and fears. We hate our fellow human beings for the things we don't have the courage to acknowledge they also reside inside us.

The trick with judgment, considering we are all attracted to it whether we like it or not, is to make sure there is no attachment to it and that it is replaced with compassion or love in the end. Most people seem to feel somekind of satisfaction resulting from sending anger and hate towards others. For example,
Let's say someone do a really stupid move in his car on the road and put both of yourselves in immediate danger. The majority will react by saying sh-t like "What an imbecile!"... the thing is everybody make mistakes in one way or another. So by choosing hate and resentment towards that individual's wrong doing you are setting you up for the same judgment in a later time without even realizing it.

Like I said, we all make mistakes and since we are all connected what you send will come back to you.
"What goes around comes around"

So consider this. In these dark times we need understanding more than ever. They are trying to divide us so the next time you feel the urge to judge someone in front of you just remember yoy might the one being shamed next time.

Peace,
StorD

One LOVE,

Bob knew


a reply to: St0rD

originally posted by: ReadLeader
One LOVE,

Bob knew


a reply to: St0rD

Yes as cringy as it seems, it is all about love.

I've been working hard to learn to feel love even for my worst ennemy. It's one of the hardest I had to do so I guess Jesus Christ was truly a prodigy in this regard.

a reply to: St0rD

This is what is not taught in schools, nor is meditation, the key to unlocking our internal direct connect to source.

St0, we are all working hard, in this NOW, moment; keep the faith friend & know, you are not alone

originally posted by: ReadLeader
a reply to: St0rD

This is what is not taught in schools, nor is meditation, the key to unlocking our internal direct connect to source.

St0, we are all working hard, in this NOW, moment; keep the faith friend & know, you are not alone

Thanks for these words of motivation. I truly appreciate.

Sometimes we feel alone in front of this overwhelming madness. It's always good to remember we are anything but alone in this fight.

Take care m8

Cheech and Chong had a record cut about this.

a reply to: St0rD

Excellent thread! Beautiful!

If we start judging, i am the first one who should get stones thrown at.

a reply to: St0rD

You are correct, we are all sinners.

What we are also not allowed to accept and promote sin in our lives and act as though iniquity is OK. This is currently what we have seen in modern times. Anything can be justified if you call it "Love".


“And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. 17 “And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer. 18 “Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst”


Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Kind of difficult to do considering churches are closed, you need to keep a distance of six feet, and you can’t have a group over 5 people in some states. I get the context! You should address the issue in private with a person first, than get a few more people than go to a church.

But what if the person isn’t bound by church or friends and they proceed to judge you on everything? Like a government or a politician! What are we to do than?

a reply to: St0rD

The bible puts it this way:

Matthew 7:1
Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

I think there are so many levels to this.

To use Buddhist terms: as long as you are attached to finding mistakes, you can not and will not develop compassion.

How can you "love thy neighbour as thyself" if you are busy telling him off?


Example: I used to drive for a living and I have driven many a mile, if you have a pregnant wife on the passenger seat who desperately needs to be in hospital you drive differently...
And there were other drivers on the roadwho used very bad words that day...


Who are we to judge someone else?
Who are you to say if I am sinning?
Apostle Paul said: if someone wants to follow the rules of clean and unclean food, them let him be, if you want to eat meat offered to the gods, don't fight over it.
Jesus speaks of the "father who sees in secret", how do you know if I am sinning or following the holy spirit's guidance for my life?



@ OP: you started a very good topic & a very difficult subject
I have another similar thought experiment for you, you may enjoy this one: "by forgiving someone else you gain the merit to attain forgiveness".

We all judge, and we all are judged. Always. All the time.

The trick lies to be aware.

Aware of what we do with it and what we learn from it.

Yeah I find myself doing this too much.

Sometimes I remember The Egg by Andy Weir? and then I ask myself why I would be doing whatever it is that just annoyed me and can have compassion and chill out about it.

One thing that has stayed with me for (bloody hell 30years+ now) was when as a late teen I was driving into Edinburgh to see a friend or gf don't remember that just this moment.

It was a nice sunny day but I was feeling really down and just as I approached Princess St I happened to look up to the windows of the flats above the shops and bars and saw a girl at one of the windows, who I briefly caught in my gaze and she smiled and waved down at me - it was just what I needed apparently as it instantly lifted my mood in an almost euphoric fashion.

I suppose the point of this story is that a tiny act of kindness/friendliness can have a massive effect on somebody which in turn means a tiny act of aggression/ hate can have the opposite effect.

So I guess I should try to keep that at the front of my thinking and spread 'love' not 'hate' (why do so many of us find this corny?)

a reply to: St0rD

Balls to that I have no problem with being judged, the worlds religions fail by holding a carrot on a stick, do what we want and you will be rewarded with heaven..don’t do the right thing and you will be judged, and suffer...

Bring it on! I will do my best by what I know to be right as far as I can. Only I can judge me in the end.

originally posted by: surfer_soul
a reply to: St0rD


Only I can judge me in the end.

I love that statement. It indicates a set of morals that is unfazed by Pascal's Wager and strives to do good for goodness' sake instead of achieving some reward in an afterlife.

Sometimes people lash out anger from frustration too having nothing to do with the current situation.

Find your peace with your freedom.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

There is an appointed time for everything,

A time for every activity under the heavens:

A time for birth and a time to die;

A time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted;

A time to kill and a time to heal;

A time to tear down and a time to build up;

A time to weep and a time to laugh;

A time to wail and a time to dance;

A time to throw stones away and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to search and a time to give up as lost;

A time to keep and a time to throw away;

A time to rip apart and a time to sew together;

A time to be silent and a time to speak;

A time to love and a time to hate;

A time for war and a time for peace.

Is there a time to judge?

“Stop judging that you may not be judged,” said Jesus Christ to a crowd of listeners. (Matt. 7:1) Did he mean thereby to rule out judgments of all kinds? Or, are there times when it is altogether proper to pass judgment without coming under adverse judgment from God?

The Bible definitely indicates that within the congregation of God’s devoted people situations arise that require passing judgment. For example, elders may be called upon to judge fellow believers who become involved in serious wrongdoing. (1 Cor. 6:1-6) They must determine whether such wrongdoers are truly repentant and desirous of living in harmony with Bible principles. In the case of unrepentant ones, elders must follow through on the Scriptural command: “Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.”​—1 Cor. 5:13.

It may be noted, however, that, in judging a person as an unrepentant wrongdoer, elders are acting in harmony with a judgment already set forth in God’s Word. They are not making a personal judgment based on their own opinions. To do so would be dangerous, opening up the way for personal prejudices to influence their decisions.

In some cases individual Christians must determine whether certain persons in the congregation are good companions for themselves or their children. (1 Cor. 15:33) When doing this, they should make sure that they are guided by a judgment already expressed in the Bible and are not selfishly motivated. No Christian, not even an elder, is authorized to pass judgment according to his personal standard.

The apostle Paul, in his letter to the congregation at Thessalonica, discussed this matter of handling situations involving persons manifesting a wrong spirit. Some in the congregation there were lazy; they took advantage of the hospitality of their Christian brothers and meddled in things that did not concern them. (2 Thess. 3:11, 12) As to the attitude of the individual members of the congregation toward a person who continued in such a course, Paul wrote: “Keep this one marked, stop associating with him, that he may become ashamed. And yet do not be considering him as an enemy, but continue admonishing him as a brother.”​—2 Thess. 3:14, 15.

For an individual to mark someone as a person with whom he should not associate in a social way definitely requires assessing or judging him. But such assessment manifests good judgment, since it is motivated by a desire to help the individual to change his ways. At the same time it protects the ones who stop associating with him from coming under wrong influence.

Parents especially have to give consideration to this when helping their children to appreciate that even in the congregation there may be some who, because of being strongly influenced by the world in attitude, speech and actions, are not good associates.

However, when a Christian judges according to his own standards, he is actually making an unauthorized assessment of an individual’s worth as a person. By taking it upon himself to judge by his own standards, he is placing himself in a serious position before God. The disciple James pointed this out, saying: “He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against law and judges law. Now if you judge law, you are, not a doer of law, but a judge. One there is that is lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But you, who are you to be judging your neighbor?”​—Jas. 4:11, 12.

James could rightly use such strong language, because Christians are commanded to love their brothers. (Jas. 2:8; 1 John 3:14-17) Now, would it be loving for them to speak against their brothers, to judge their actions, motives and manner of living by a standard other than that found in the Bible? Certainly not. Rather, persons thus judging would be setting themselves up as being above the law of love that God gives. (Matt. 22:36-40; Rom. 13:8-10) They would be ‘judging that law’ as not applying to them.

What can cause a person to become involved in wrongly judging his brothers? He may impose his conscience on them in strictly personal matters. He may make his own tastes and manner of doing things the basis for judging their worth and motivations. Thereby he ignores the fact that people are very different and have different needs, likes and dislikes. It is vital therefore to watch that a person does not get an exalted opinion of himself. No imperfect human can set himself up as a standard for judging others.

Christians are also counseled against judging nonbelievers as individuals. The apostle Paul reminded Christians at Corinth that “God judges those outside.” (1 Cor. 5:13)

Clearly, then, Christians can make serious judgments or assessments with reference to persons only when they do so on the basis of the Bible. For them to rely on personal opinion or preference could lead to their being judged adversely by the Supreme Judge, Jehovah God.

Following his counsel about the need to seek God’s kingdom first, Jesus admonished his hearers to desist from a very harmful practice. He said: “Stop judging that you may not be judged.” (Matt. 7:1) According to Luke, Jesus added: “Stop condemning, and you will by no means be condemned. Keep on releasing, and you will be released. Practice giving, and people will give to you. They will pour into your laps a fine measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing.”​—Luke 6:37, 38.

During the first century C.E., the Pharisees tended to judge others harshly according to the false standards of non-Biblical traditions. Any of Jesus’ listeners who were in that habit were to “stop” it. Instead of continually finding fault with others, they should “keep on releasing,” that is, forgiving and overlooking the shortcomings of their fellowman. (Compare Luke 6:37, Authorized Version.) Doing so, they would impel others to reciprocate with the same forgiving attitude.

In addition to pardoning others and treating them mercifully, Jesus’ disciples were to “practice giving.” This would result in the disciples’ receiving into their laps “a fine measure, pressed down, shaken together and overflowing.” The more a person practices generosity, the more he encourages others to respond in kind.

Pointing to an important general principle, Jesus stated: “For with what judgment you are judging, you will be judged; and with the measure [way of dealing with people] that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you.” (Matt. 7:2) As to their treatment of others, people ‘reap what they sow,’ so to speak. This will prove to be true, not only in what they reap from fellow humans, but, more importantly, in what they reap from God.​—See Matthew 5:7; 6:14, 15.

To emphasize the danger of imitating the overcritical Pharisees, Jesus gave a twofold illustration: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Both will tumble into a pit, will they not? A pupil is not above his teacher, but everyone that is perfectly instructed will be like his teacher.”​—Luke 6:39, 40.

It would be ridiculous for a literally blind person to try guiding another blind one over unfamiliar terrain. If there was a pit along the way, surely both would fall into it. When it came to judging their fellowman, the Jewish religious leaders were figuratively “blind.” (Compare Matthew 15:14; 23:16, 24.) They refused to take note of good qualities in the humble common people. On one occasion the Pharisees exclaimed: “This crowd that does not know the Law are accursed people.” (John 7:49) Anyone imitating such a condemnatory attitude is headed for dangerous pitfalls.

Too, just as “a pupil” who imbibes the thinking patterns of his teacher becomes “like his teacher,” so all who imitated the Pharisees would end up being like them​—out of God’s favor and in danger of losing their lives. Hence, Jesus said on another occasion:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut up the kingdom of the heavens before men; for you yourselves do not go in, neither do you permit those on their way in to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you traverse sea and dry land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one you make him a subject for Gehenna [eternal destruction] twice as much so as yourselves.”​—Matt. 23:13-15.

Pointing to the foolishness of being overcritical, Jesus asked: “Why, then, do you look at the straw in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the rafter in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Allow me to extract the straw from your eye’; when, look! a rafter is in your own eye?”​—Matt. 7:3, 4; compare Luke 6:41, 42a.

Jesus is not speaking merely of individuals who pay attention to the faults of others while having greater ones themselves, though this is a common human failing. Instead, he refers to someone who would take note of a minor defect in his brother’s “eye.” The critic would claim that his brother had impaired faculties of moral perception and judgment. Even if the fault was a minor one, like a “straw,” a sliver of wood or a speck of dust, the one criticizing would make an issue of it and hypocritically offer to “extract the straw,” that is, to aid the individual to see matters more clearly, enabling him to render more acceptable judgments.

The Jewish religious leaders were especially prone to criticize the judgment of others. For example, when a person whom Jesus healed from congenital blindness declared that Jesus must have come from God, the Pharisees retorted: “You were altogether born in sins, and yet are you teaching us?” (John 9:34) However, when it came to clear spiritual vision and ability to judge, the Pharisees had, as it were, “a rafter” in their own eye. They were altogether blind.

Hence, Jesus exclaimed: “Hypocrite! First extract the rafter from your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to extract the straw from your brother’s eye.”​—Matt. 7:5; Luke 6:42b.

Did this mean that disciples of Jesus were to use no discernment at all in connection with other people? No, for Jesus next said: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, neither throw your pearls before swine, that they may never trample them under their feet and turn around and rip you open.”​—Matt. 7:6.

According to the Mosaic law, dogs and pigs were unclean. (Lev. 11:7, 27) It was permissible to throw to the dogs flesh of an animal torn by a wild beast. (Ex. 22:31) But Jewish tradition forbade giving to dogs “holy” flesh, that is, meat of animal sacrifices. The Mishnah states: “Animal-offerings [Hebrew, qodashim: “holy things”] may not be redeemed in order to give them as food to the dogs.” Throwing literal pearls “before swine” would be something else quite inappropriate. Likely the swine would mistake them for peas, acorns or other items in their diet. Finding them inedible, the pigs would trample them underfoot and, becoming enraged, could harm the one who threw the pearls.

In a figurative sense, “what is holy” and “pearls” refer to precious Scriptural truths regarding God’s Messianic kingdom. Disciples of Jesus were to share these truths with everyone. (Matt. 24:14; 28:19, 20) But if individuals showed themselves to be without appreciation of spiritual things, like dogs or swine, Christians were to seek out more receptive ears.​—See Matthew 10:14; Luke 9:5; 10:11; Acts 13:45, 46; 18:6.

originally posted by: St0rD


The trick with judgment, considering we are all attracted to it whether we like it or not, is to make sure there is no attachment to it and that it is replaced with compassion or love in the end.

Exactly, Mercy triumphs over judgment. Praying for your enemies is an immediate transformation of mal-intent into good-will. This has worked wonders for me and the people who I pray for.

And if Judgement brings anger we should seek wisdom from the wise for answers....