"don't judge"- really?!?

Originally Posted by aladdin

maybe the idea came from a literal interpretation of the gospels. but jesus was a very judgemental person so i doubt he meant it literally...

John 7:24

"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."

If that is not literal enough, then, Jesus meant to stop judging by outward appearances and judge rather according to righteous judgment.

[Perspective]

Originally Posted by aladdin

where does the "don't judge" concept come from?

its interesting that the people who tell you to "don't judge" are actually some of the most judgemental people around. i have experienced that even on this forum. and its especially true in the gospels of jesus.

in my view we must judge everything if we are to be wise.

i'm not saying to judge peoples souls on whether they will go to heaven or hell or whatever. im talking in more general terms...

I agree, mostly.
I think "Judge not that ye be not judged" refers to our relative ignor-ance, & as mentioned, we see things & people not so much as they are, but as we are.
Still, apathy, IMO, is the ultimate in ignor-ance.

What about "Don't sit in judgment, don't condemn others - you haven't walked in their shoes."?

Let's be thankful that we aren't like others - we might pass judgment if we were....

[Perspective]

Yeah, thanks for not judging me for judging u 4 judging me. Lol

Actually, once again, a topic's been brought up, that i've been thinking about.
Yin & Yang within the Yin & yang...
We strive for a balance, yet we're not supposed to be luke warm.
What then??
I'm thinking... Give up pretending to be perfect, with humility...
act on faith... Passion!! Love, hate, FEEL fully!

[athribiristan]

Well I try to practice non-Judgement because I believe that Judgement is the opposite of Love. Given that I accept that everything is a conscious choice, I choose Love over Judgement whenever I am able.

In my belief God is perfect Love, and by the principle of duality, also perfect Judgement. I also believe that only God is perfect. Thus, neither my Love nor my Judgement can be perfect.

Knowing all of this, I would much rather subject the world to my imperfect Love than my imperfect Judgement.

[Perspective]

Originally Posted by athribiristan

Well I try to practice non-Judgement because I believe that Judgement is the opposite of Love. Given that I accept that everything is a conscious choice, I choose Love over Judgement whenever I am able.

In my belief God is perfect Love, and by the principle of duality, also perfect Judgement. I also believe that only God is perfect. Thus, neither my Love nor my Judgement can be perfect.

Knowing all of this, I would much rather subject the world to my imperfect Love than my imperfect Judgement.

Good points.
I think real love is based on understanding, which due to our imperfect natures, involves temporarily conclusive judgment.
Our understanding is limited, so is our love.
Yet, that shouldn't limit us! Jesus taught to be hot or cold, not luke warm, as the Pharasees...(He judged them for being judgmental...)
And that our spiritual progress is measured by our ability to LOVE!
...Loving ourselves as well as others.

I previously mentioned to feel fully... Love or hate - joy or pain. Let me clarify...
Expressing or releasing emotions need to be done with both wisdom and faith/intuition. Ie - Exercise, music, writing...
However helps us harmonize the emotions.

[7luminaries]

Being judgmental is wrong, by general consensus. However we need to be careful not to tar the quality of Judgment with the same brush.

"Judgmental" has negative connotations. But judgment in and of itself is and should remain a neutral term. It is simply our position or perspective, and "good judgment" is one measure of maturity and wisdom. Love and judgment need to be in balance...not in the sense of equally weak but in the sense of being interwoven and being equally strong and true.

Jesus taught the same as many many leaders, sages, and masters before him. In his own tradition, there were many who said exactly what he said. He was reminding the elders of his day to always remember the spirit of the law (compassion, love, and forgiveness) in their minding of the letter of the law.

But at the same time, he was exercising his right to voice his opinion as a member of the community. He was expressing his love for his community within his judgment. If he had been apathetic, why bother to speak? In fact that's what he spoke out against, if I understand correctly...against apathy, lack of compassion, arrogance or bias (against those who are less fortunate or less powerful) and/or corruption. He was motivated by humanitarian issues & issues of social justice.

His judgment was not motivated by ego or negativity of any kind...and that's where our judgment, our voice, needs to be...coming from a place of full engagement and love.

To everyone who has ever called the establishment on anything..here's to using your judgment and standing up for your beliefs. Our judgment is a part of our conscience...and a product of who we are.

It doesn't necessarily mean we render a decision on the worth of people...when judgment is used to condemn people's intrinsic worth, that I agree is Wrong.
And I'll be among the first to stand up and say so.

7L

[Chrysaetos]

There is no point in hiding it, we all judge..

But somehow it doesn't sound like a spiritually cool thing to do.. relativism is too deeply ingrained in our society.

[7luminaries]

Hmmm....

If I take a knife and cut veggies for dinner, the knife is good...useful and necessary to the (good) end.

if I use it to harm someone...the knife is bad. We tend to say judgment is a bad knife.

But judgment is just the tool in my hand.

Whether it cuts for good or bad depends on my intentions and motivations, and on whether I'm really engaged or aware, and whether or not I'm accepting or biased toward self or others, etc...

I agree with many that, in general, ppl tend to be too judgmental of others in their hearts & minds. This is what I would call a misuse, or a poor use, of judgment, and one that is detrimental to others' wellbeing on many levels.

This is where we hope and pray that everyone will eventually "see" more clearly, because a biased or unfair view of others is often the product of our own general lack of perception.


Peace
7L

[Chrysaetos]

7L, when I find myself in agreement with you, you say things so well.. ;D