How to be Judgmental

Here lately on the Hubpages forums I've been seeing a lot of judgmentalism, from both sides of the aisle (both the non-religious folk and the religious folk). Each person holds a certain set of beliefs dear (whether a belief in pure science or a belief in God) and it is human nature to desire that others share our beliefs. It is validating to speak to someone who understands us, and it can be painful to suffer day in and day out without comeraderie.

My observation has been that most people feel that threatening others is the best way to encourage them to agree with their own set of beliefs. "You are sinful, therefore you must repent! If you don't, you're going to go to hell!"

This, my dear friends, is judgment. We've all seen it, whether we are Christian or not, and the unfortunate thing is that I realize that so many Christians agree with the statement (which is, from a Christian standpoint, true), that they fail to see the problem with this type of profession (threat).

As Christians, we all have a responsibility to witness to one another. If I know that a friend of mine from church has begun using recreational drugs, I have a responsibility to make mention of the incident and to do what I can to lead her back to Christ. If a co-worker is an alcoholic and is suffering because of the liquor, I have a responsibility to encourage him to seek help with his problem. If someone I love is falling into very sinful ways, I have a responsibility to lead him or her down the right path.

Jesus did tell his disciples to go out and become fishers of men. Even in our modern times we are still His disciples and have a responsibility to sow goodness and righteousness and the love of Jesus upon the world so that He may one day be able to reap a bountiful harvest of those people who have loved Him.

There are things that we know as Christians, and there are things that we are taught as Christians. The unfortunate thing is that sometimes we are taught things that defy the Bible and defy Jesus.

Several months ago someone recommended to me that I read the book The Excellent Wife (Martha Peace). I was excited to read it because it had (supposedly) helped so many women just like me who were struggling in their marriages. The recommendation came from other women who had chosen Christian submission to their husbands as their path in life. I was certain that the book would teach me how to submit more deeply to my husband and how to better serve God.

Instead, Martha Peace taught women about "witnessing" to their Christian husbands. She taught us how to "correct" them if they made a mistake. To my mind, she taught us to undermine their authority in their own home. I put the book down after that.

Martha Peace taught women to be judgmental of their husbands.

Certainly we don't want our family and those that we love to fall into such sin that they cannot be redeemed. As Christians, our responsibility is to pray for the individual who has fallen and to do our best to lift them up, not to drag them down with harsh criticisms.

My dear, sweet Christian friends, you often don't know that you're doing it. You point out to an atheist or other non-Christian that they are sinning and that they will be led to hell. You tell them that you will pray for their redemption and that God will forgive them. And the truth is that you truly don't understand.

Your friends, whether they are atheists, Hindus or Buddhists don't believe in Hell. They don't believe in the concept of sin that you embrace. And except in the case of atheists, they already have their own religion and are very likely happy with it without your help! Witnessing to these people about their sin isn't the way that you are going to achieve your goal of receiving another brother or sister in Christ.

Listen up, ladies and gentlemen: I've been there. For sixteen years I listened to the Christians proselytizing on the square and at the bus stops. For sixteen years I rolled my eyes whenever I sat down and there was another Watchtower magazine. None of these things brought me to Christ! It was concerted prayer and love from Christian friends that ultimately changed my mind in the end (I'm sure of it).

I am not an evangelist in the sense that most people understand the meaning of the word. I don't seek out unbelievers and share the Gospel with them the way that many feel we are called to do. Instead, I go to the Bible and I try to live my life in a way that is a reflection of my Christian values and virtues.

Jesus has done so very much for me! He has changed my life and made me absolutely a happier person. He has answered my prayers and made me feel fulfilled for the first time in my life. I am far from reaching the finish line but He is making sure that I am going to get there!

More than anything else, however, Jesus has taught me to look for the beam in my own eye before I point out the speck in my neighbor's eye. If we all approached our relationship with Christ and with others in this way, I believe that every last one of us would be significantly happier!