There are few charges Americans dread more than “being judgmental.” It ranks as one of the worst of the new “secular sins.” But what exactly is judging? The way it has come to be understood in common parlance is considering someone’s beliefs or behavior to be wrong. Both Christians and non-Christians alike commonly quote Jesus saying “Do not judge lest you be judged” as their moral authority for their brand of non-judgmentalism, but did Jesus mean it’s wrong to tell others they are wrong?
If Jesus’ prohibition on judging means it’s wrong to tell others their beliefs or behavior is wrong, then Jesus Himself is both judgmental and hypocritical. If it’s wrong to tell others that they are wrong, then Jesus was wrong to tell those people that what they are doing is wrong. When our understanding of “judging” leads us to conclude that Jesus is a hypocrite, we ought to reconsider whether Jesus defined judging the way we do.
Thinking to Believe 