We love to judge, don't we? Man, I do. I enjoy looking at the 29-year old in all black clothes and piercings and saying something under my breath like, "How's mom's basement?" For some reason our brains need to instantly compartmentalize everything we see, feel, smell, hear and taste: good v bad, beautiful v ugly, smart v stupid, moral v immoral, funny v 2 and a Half Men, independent v mom's basement. And we do this for EVERYTHING.
This complicates things for me. Just when I think I have it all figured out, I realize that, wait a second, people are doing this to me! I'm pudgy, creepy, aging, writer, dad with trophy wife!
What I hate more than anything is being lumped into a group. I hate it when people think because I voted for Obama that I'm a communist, that because I believe in God I can't also be logical. I hate it when people think that because I'm Mormon I want the Gays to burn and that because I'm American I am a fat, angry, violent imbecil. I hate it that people think that because I am writer/actor that I don't have a job and I cry a lot. (I do cry a lot.)
So if I hate it, why do I do it to others? I don't know. And, why if Christ gave me some great advice on the subject, do I do it anyway?
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."And,
So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."Why, especially if God will judge us for the way we judge others, do we insist on adjudicating each person we meet and throwing stones around willy-nilly?
We have people condemning others for watching R-rated movies, while they cheat a little on their taxes.
We have people chastising others for drinking caffeine while they check out porn on the Internet.
We have people bashing others who skip church a few times a year while they go further and further into debt.
Then there's my Golden Calf theory.
I think we all have things we really worship, whether we are aware of it or not. These are things we hate to give up so we make them a part of our justifications, mores and policies without any evidence of them being supported as actual commandments, revelation or Gospel. When we judge others, we're really saying, "I know it's judgey but He'll understand that no righteous person could (insert problem here). So, we're solid."
Thoughts like these, while often hilarious, begin to pull us away from the Spirit. I shudder at the number of times I cast judgement on people in one day. Is that appropriate for someone trying to keep his covenants? Is it acceptable for someone striving to have the Spirit guide him while he teaches his family and practices his Priesthood? I wager that if I eliminated this judgement from my life, the blessings would be plentiful. I'd have a better and more positive outlook on things. Then, why is it so hard to do?
Well, maybe we start feeling a little itchy when we don't see the hand of God the way we want to in our everyday lives. Our world is almost turned upside down when the congregation Democrat turns out to be a great Gospel Doctrine teacher. Or when the lady who loves herself some Glenn Beck is the first person to deliver a meal to the woman with cancer. We choose to ignore things that God or His servants have said that may make us question our systems and seek the Lord in prayer to get an answer of truth. No, we'd rather be commanded in all things. Often we take that one step further. We want our personal opinions and societal dividers to be the Lord's too. We tune our Spirits into the world or into our own belief systems instead of Him and equate authority (religious or political or other) with revelation. What happens? We miss what God may actually be trying to tell us. We miss our real answers.
In our spiritual panic and pride, we throw our gold and silver in a pot and start smelting a new god. We make it resemble the one we go to church to worship but he's actually a Frankenstein we create for ourselves. One that we control. One who believes what we do, votes Republican, loves the Cougars and hates the Utes, blesses the rich and punishes the poor, the Gays and the Mexicans. He's a god who supports the U.S. in proactive wars and who has given us the world to use as we please. This god is one who doesn't mind when we cut someone off on the highway or teach our children to complain to the refs, who let's us entertain our unclean thoughts as long as they don't hurt anyone. But deep down we know a Prophet always comes back down the mountain to remind us of the difference between our god and the True and Living God of Heaven. When that happens, are we willing to let our god go?
"We must realize that all of God’s children wear the same jersey. Our team is the brotherhood of man. This mortal life is our playing field. Our goal is to learn to love God and to extend that same love toward our fellowman. We are hear to live according to his law and establish the kingdom of God. We are here to build, uplift, treat fairly, and encourage all of Heavenly Father’s children." - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
I've got some work to do.
