Judge Righteous Judgement

"Judging" is a word that gets thrown around very liberally in our day and age. If someone says something in opposition to your opinions or behaviors, they are "judging" you. If they don't agree with your choices or choose not to participate in something they find inappropriate (but that you are okay with) then they are judging you. I really think there needs to be some clarification on the word "judge". I really don't think it means what we think it means! :)

First, in the Book of Mormon, the prophet Mormon talks about making judgments about good and evil. He says, "For the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." So we need to make judgments if we are to make good choices. We have to know the good from the evil. And how do we know the good from the evil? It is not always going to be apparent, especially in the time we live in, what is good and what is evil. Mormon says we "should search diligently in the light of Christ". We need to want to know the truth and seek after it. There is so much out there that can confuse and deceive us. So many things are apparently good and seem to make us happy. But again Mormon tells us to "take heed" that we should "not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil." So this kind of judging is important for us to do in order to make good and correct choices.

Secondly, the word "judge" is used to talk about the dealings of God and/or Jesus Christ with us. They will judge us according to our desires, thoughts, deeds, actions, etc. The apostles and other leaders are also given this role and responsibility--to judge those whom they have stewardship over. This brings up the point that judgment, meaning the act of deciding what a should be done with a person, is not for us to decide. Especially in terms of the final resting place of the children of a God. God is the one who decides where we will be. He alone knows us--our intentions, our actions, our circumstances, our hearts. As human beings, we do not truly know this about any of our fellow men. We are not to decide who someone is or what they deserve. We really do not know. Does this mean we have to agree with what everyone does? It seems that is a mentality our society has adopted: that disagreeing with someone or thinking something they are doing is wrong means we are "judging" them. Well to a certain degree I guess we are, but I don't think that's a bad thing. It really is possible to disagree with someone's choices and still love them and treat them kindly and with respect. We can make judgments about things without being JUDGMENTAL about people. The word "judgmental" more describes how we look at and treat people, and that is where we can mess up. If our judgement of a person's behavior impacts now we treat that person, we need to reevaluate. Jesus Christ was the perfect example of teaching truth and inviting others to do good, but without making them feel stupid or unworthy or unloved. He did not condone sin, but neither did He condemn the sinner.

We should follow Jesus Christ's example of love and kindness and always treat people as He would, no matter what we think of their behavior or choices. We should remember that we are all children of God and that everyone has had different life circumstances and experiences that have brought them to different points in their lives. We are all imperfect, but we can help and inspire each other to become better just by being a friend, an example, a confidant; and not letting differences affect the way we treat each other.