One of the foundational reservations against Christians is that we judge people.  Here are some phrases you will hear:

“I can’t tolerate any intolerance.”
“Love sins, hate sinners. Saints say they are sinners. Hate them, Sinners say they are saints. Love them.”
“Judgmentalism is a very bad thing.”
“Everyone is prejudiced except us.”
“Negate all negativity.”

Mother: I am uncomfortable with the idea of unisex toilets, to the point that I will not enroll my daughter at this school unless this is changed.
SJW: You are clearly a bigoted transphobe.[1]

On a personal note, I remember a pastor sharing how when he worked with a Lesbian, she revealed how “judged” she always felt, knowing that what she did was wrong, believing that God has already judged her, and will never love her. 

Thus, we must articulate God’s judgment on these matters very accurately. 

Everyone Judges

In the article titled “Judgment” by Dr. Peter Kreeft, he discusses the concept of judgment and identifies nineteen different kinds of judgments. Here’s a summary of the main points:

1. Theoretical judgments: These are judgments about what is true or false, corresponding to our beliefs and knowledge.
2. Practical judgments: These involve decisions about what to do or not to do, based on our understanding of right and wrong.
3. Logical judgments: These pertain to the validity or invalidity of arguments and reasoning.
4. Aesthetic judgments: These relate to matters of beauty and taste, such as evaluating artwork or music.
5. Moral judgments: These involve assessing actions as morally right or wrong, based on ethical principles.
6. Legal judgments: These are judgments made in a legal context, determining guilt or innocence and appropriate punishments.
7. Religious judgments: These pertain to matters of faith and religious beliefs. 
8. Historical judgments: These involve assessing events and actions in the past, interpreting their significance and impact.
9. Psychological judgments: These relate to understanding and evaluating human behavior, thoughts, and emotions.
10. Sociological judgments: These involve analysing and interpreting social structures, institutions, and behavior.
11. Economic judgments: These pertain to the assessment of economic systems, transactions, and policies.
12. Political judgments: These involve evaluating political ideologies, systems, and actions.
13. Scientific judgments: These pertain to evaluating scientific theories, hypotheses, and empirical data.
14. Technological judgments: These involve assessing the impact and implications of technological advancements.
15. Medical judgments: These relate to the diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation of medical conditions and practices.
16. Educational judgments: These involve assessing educational methods, systems, and outcomes.
17. Personal judgments: These pertain to self-evaluation, introspection, and understanding one’s own thoughts and actions.
18. Interpersonal judgments: These involve assessing and understanding the thoughts, intentions, and behavior of others.
19. Divine judgments: These relate to judgments made by a higher power or a divine entity.

Dr. Kreeft emphasizes that understanding and practicing these different kinds of judgments is essential for wisdom and the pursuit of truth. Each type of judgment has its own principles and criteria, and developing discernment in these areas contributes to a well-rounded and insightful perspective on life.

When we hear the word judge, we mostly think of judicial, legal verdicts and immanent penalty.  Although this is certainly the case, the Bible has a more general, broader estimation of judges.

In life, we are all judges: we make regular judgments concerning the friends we choose; the right partners we marry or go in business with; the judicial process of appointing new staff; forming political opinions, the purchases or investments and the beliefs we base our life on. Life is a series of judgments, decisions and conclusions based either on facts or gut feeling, group pressure, impulse, emotion or research.  We all seek the truth! We all seek the right judgment in our life (Gen. 16:5; 18:25).

Most of all, in relational conflict, we deeply desire someone who could judge or arbitrate a feud or disagreement towards reconciliation. 

THE EVIDENCE PROVES – WE JUDGE POORLY

Wrong Gut-feeling:

Story: Malcolm Gladwell – “how thin-slicing, gut-feel is trained.”[2]

Wrong Decisions

I also remember a most interesting TED talk we reviewed in Bible School class on “Being Wrong” by Kathryn Schulz.[3]

The Best Of Us are Wrong Too

Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 514, a Boeing 727 inbound from Columbus, Ohio, that was scheduled to land at Washington National Airport. The crew had flown a normally functioning Boeing 727 aircraft into a hill at an altitude of 1669 feet, just short of the hill’s peak of 1764 feet. The 85 passengers and seven crew members died in a horrific fiery crash 29 miles northwest of Dulles International Airport. Human error and Pilot’s misunderstanding each other was the cause of this accident.[4]

Wrong Self-Awareness

“Unskilled and unaware of it: How Difficulties in Recognizing One’s Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments” Justin Kruger and David Dunning Cornell University

Even the Genius amonst us seek critisism

Elon Musk “Constantly seek criticism”[5]

We all make hundreds of daily judgments

In the realm of human interaction, we often find ourselves making judgments about others based on limited evidence or no evidence at all. These hasty conclusions can have far-reaching consequences, leading to gossip, slander, prejudices, stigmas, and stereotyping. Such behaviors can be harmful, both to individuals and society.

We all make judgments as a natural cognitive process to make sense of the world around us and navigate our daily lives. Judgments help us evaluate and categorize information, make decisions, and form opinions about people, situations, and ideas. They serve as mental “shortcuts” that allow us to process vast amounts of information quickly and efficiently.

Judgments also affect our social interactions, helping us assess trustworthiness, safety, and compatibility.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed how people interact, leading to a “great disconnect” in social relationships. One contributing factor is the increased reliance on indirect social media connections. While social media platforms offer a means of staying connected virtually, they often lack the depth and authenticity of face-to-face interactions. People may present curated versions of themselves online, leading to a sense of disconnection and superficiality in relationships.

Moreover, prolonged periods of physical distancing and isolation have reduced opportunities for in-person interactions, resulting in a decline in face-to-face connections. Non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language, which play a crucial role in communication and building rapport, are limited in virtual interactions.

Additionally, the prevalence of fake news, misinformation, and echo chambers on social media platforms has further contributed to the disconnection. People may become isolated within their own “echo chambers”, reinforcing their existing beliefs and disconnecting them from diverse perspectives and experiences.

Everyone Does What Was Right In His Own Eyes

We live in an age when the following statement has never been more accurate and relevant; “…everyone did what was right in his own eyes”  Judges 21:25.

We have more information available than ever yet people appear to be entirely ignorant of their lifestyle decisions, and it’s consequences. Our alienation from God and Truth could set us on a course of deep darkness.

THE GRAVE DANGER IS: WHAT IF I WAS WRONG ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE???

Choose life!

All wrong decisions and judgments will cost you something, but not being ready for eternal life will cost you your eternal life!

We use all kinds of measuring tools to help us sustain life: we have a unified musical note/frequency standard; we have standard time; standard measurements; standard temperature and atmospheric pressure standards; yet we fear a standard for how we should live life! We trust doctors to use all kinds of measurements to make a prognosis, but we rebel and are offended when the Word judges our sin and error. We use all kinds of smart measuring devices like smart-watches to measure heart rate, pace and speed to improve fitness, yet we feel so quickly condemned when corrected, admonished, rebuked or disciplined in character. 

Solomon sought wisdom, and discernment to make the right judgements, and His Kingdom flourished.  As we are drawing closer to the end, and the final judgement it has never been more important to become judges after God’s heart. “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:9) The criteria for the appointment of the role of chief justice in the nation is determined by his or her influence and respected voice among the people and peers, their impartiality, administrative integrity and efficiency, their intellectual brilliance, long-levity of policies which stimulate inclusive equitable fair economic growth. 

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Mat 7:1-4 This verse is often quoted to justify the notion that we should never judge. But this is not what this verse is saying. It speaks to HOW we judge.  We should not Judge, as if we have no faults. This judging from a moral high ground, is a form of pharisaical religious hypocrisy. 

Biblical Examples of Wrong Judgments

The Pharisees’ Judgement of Jesus:

The Pharisees (religious leaders during the time of Christ), often made erroneous judgments about Jesus, considering Him a blasphemer and false prophet. They failed to recognize His true nature and purpose despite witnessing His miracles and hearing His teachings. Eventually, they justified His malicious and cruel crucifixion! The ultimate example of an INNOCENT falsely convicted to death.

The Misjudgment of Joseph by His Brothers:

In Genesis 37, Joseph’s brothers wrongly judged him based on jealousy and sold him into slavery. They assumed that Joseph’s dreams and favored status indicated youthful arrogance and sought to punish him. However, their misjudgment was redeemed by God by ultimately causing dire circumstances to contribute to Joseph’s rise to power in Egypt.

The Misjudgment of Job by His Friends:

In the Book of Job, Job’s friends wrongly judged him, assuming that his suffering was a result of his sins and wrongdoing. They offered simplistic explanations and false judgments, failing to grasp the complexity of God’s plan and the depths of Job’s faith.

Unfounded Judgments

An Innocent Charged and Convicted

A true story of Brian Banks, a promising high school football player, was wrongly accused of kidnapping and rape. Lacking resources, he pleaded “no contest” and spent five years in prison. Determined to prove his innocence when released on parole, he recorded a conversation with his accuser where she confessed her lies and deception. Her motive was to receive handsome compensation with no intention of remorse or repayment.  He was eventually released, charges were dropped and through persistent determination, he remarkably managed to secure a try-out with the Atlanta Falcons in 2013. He later played for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League.

A Moral Psychologist’s View

In his influential work, “The Righteous Mind,” psychologist Michael Haidt explores the moral foundations that shape our judgments and behaviors. Haidt argues that our moral judgments are not solely based on reason but are deeply influenced by our intuitive, emotional responses. These responses are often shaped by our social and cultural backgrounds, which can perpetuate stereotypes and biases. 

Haidt proposes six moral values that influence our judgments and shape our moral beliefs.[6] These values are:

Care/Harm: This value is related to empathy, compassion, and concern for the well-being of others. It involves a sensitivity to the suffering and welfare of individuals. When this value is overemphasized, it can lead to biased judgments based solely on the perceived harm caused to others without considering other moral dimensions.

Fairness/Cheating: This value revolves around justice, reciprocity, and fairness. It involves a desire for equal treatment and rejecting cheating or taking advantage of others. However, an excessive focus on fairness can lead to a narrow perspective that disregards other moral considerations or the complexity of certain situations.

Loyalty/Betrayal: This value centers on loyalty, group identity, and commitment to one’s social group or community. When this value is overemphasized, it can lead to biased judgments that favor in-group members and result in discrimination or hostility towards out-group members.

Authority/Subversion: This value relates to respect for authority, hierarchy, and obedience to social norms or rules. Overemphasis on this value can lead to judgments that prioritize conformity over critical thinking, stifling individuality and inhibiting necessary societal progress.

Sanctity/Degradation: This value involves reverence for purity, cleanliness, and the avoidance of anything considered impure or disgusting. When this value is excessively emphasized, it can lead to judgments driven by personal aversions or disgust, disregarding the importance of diverse perspectives and the complexity of moral issues.

Liberty/Oppression: This value pertains to the desire for individual freedom, autonomy, and protection against oppression. However, an extreme focus on liberty can lead to judgments that prioritize individual rights at the expense of communal well-being or fail to address systemic issues and social inequalities.

Trauma Clouds Right Judgment

Recent trauma can have a significant impact on decision-making and lead to false judgments of people. When individuals experience trauma, it can affect their cognitive and emotional functioning, leading to various challenges in processing information and making accurate assessments. Here are a few ways in which recent trauma can influence decision-making negatively:

Hypervigilance and Fear: Trauma can heighten an individual’s sense of threat and trigger hypervigilance. This heightened arousal can lead to distorted perceptions and interpretations of others’ actions or intentions. It may cause individuals to misinterpret neutral or benign behaviors as threatening, leading to false judgments and biases.

Cognitive Impairment: Trauma can impair cognitive functioning, particularly in attention, memory, and executive functioning. This impairment can impact an individual’s ability to gather and process information accurately, leading to errors in judgment and decision-making.

Emotional Dysregulation: Trauma often results in emotional dysregulation, making it challenging for individuals to regulate their emotions effectively. This emotional turmoil can lead to impulsive or irrational decision-making, where decisions are driven by overwhelming emotions rather than sound judgment.

Negative Filtering and Generalization: Individuals who have experienced trauma may filter negatively, focusing primarily on negative aspects or experiences while disregarding positive information. This filtering can lead to biased judgments and negatively distorted perceptions of others. Additionally, trauma can contribute to generalization, where negative experiences are applied to a broader group, leading to stereotypes and prejudices.

Trust and Attachment Issues: Trauma can disrupt individuals’ ability to trust others and form secure attachments. This mistrust can influence their judgments of people, making them more likely to assume negative motives or intentions in others, even when unwarranted.

21 Games of the Mind

While there are various cognitive biases and thinking errors that can impact our decision-making, here is a list of 21 common mind traps or cognitive biases that can influence our thinking: Daniel Kahneman

Confirmation Bias: Seeking or interpreting information in a way that confirms our existing beliefs. Only seek out news sources that align with your political beliefs and disregard opposing viewpoints.

Availability Heuristic: Relying on easily accessible examples or information when making judgments or decisions. Assuming that shark attacks are more common than they actually are because they receive extensive media coverage.

Anchoring Bias: Being overly influenced by the first piece of information encountered (the anchor) when making judgments. Deciding on the price to offer for a used car based solely on the initial asking price set by the seller.

Overconfidence Bias: Overestimating our abilities, knowledge, or the accuracy of our beliefs. Believing that you will perform exceptionally well in a job interview without adequately preparing or researching the company.

Hindsight Bias: Believing that events were more predictable or foreseeable after they have occurred. Believing that you knew the outcome of a sporting event after it happened, even if you didn’t make any accurate predictions beforehand.

Gambler’s Fallacy: Believing that past events or outcomes influence future probabilities, even when they are unrelated. Thinking that a coin is more likely to land on heads because it has landed on tails several times in a row, despite the odds remaining the same.

Halo Effect: Allowing our impression of someone’s positive qualities to influence our perception of their other qualities. Assuming that a physically attractive person is also intelligent or trustworthy without any evidence to support that assumption.

Sunk Cost Fallacy: Continuing a behavior or investment because of previously invested resources, even if it no longer serves our best interests. Continuously pouring money into a failing business because you have already invested a significant amount of time and resources into it.

Status Quo Bias: Preferring the familiar or maintaining the current situation rather than considering alternatives. Resisting changes to your daily routine, even if there are clear benefits to making adjustments.

Bandwagon Effect: Adopting beliefs or behaviors because many others hold them without critically evaluating them. Supporting a political candidate simply because they lead in the polls rather than critically evaluating their policies and qualifications.

Negativity Bias: Paying more attention to negative information or experiences than positive ones. Focusing on one negative customer review and ignoring numerous positive reviews when purchasing.

Authority Bias: Overvaluing the opinions or judgments of authority figures or experts. Accepting a medical diagnosis without seeking a second opinion solely because the doctor is considered an expert in their field.

False Consensus Effect: Assuming that others share our beliefs, values, or attitudes more than they actually do. Assuming that everyone at a party shares your taste in music because most of your friends do, overlooking the diversity of musical preferences.

Framing Effect: Being influenced by how information is presented or framed. Choosing to purchase a product because it is advertised as “80% fat-free” instead of “20% fat,” despite the information being the same.

Self-Serving Bias: Attributing successes to internal factors and failures to external factors. Taking credit for a successful project but blaming external factors or colleagues for failures or setbacks.

Primacy and Recency Effect: Remembering information presented first or last more quickly than information presented in the middle. Remembering the first and last items on a shopping list, forgetting the items in the middle.

Mindlessness: Engaging in automatic, thoughtless behaviors without conscious awareness or evaluation. Automatically reaching for your phone to check social media notifications without consciously considering if it is the best use of your time.

Emotional Reasoning: Allowing emotions to guide our reasoning and decision-making. Believing that someone must be untrustworthy because they give you a bad feeling, without any evidence to support that conclusion.

Personalization Bias: Believing that events or outcomes are primarily about us, even when they are not. Assuming that when a friend cancels plans, it is because they don’t like you, ignoring that they mentioned being sick earlier.

Fundamental Attribution Error: Overemphasizing dispositional and underemphasizing situational factors when explaining others’ behaviour. Blaming a co-worker’s mistake on their lack of competence while disregarding the stressful circumstances or lack of resources they were facing.

Social Desirability Bias: Modifying our responses or behavior to align with social norms or expectations. Giving answers on a survey you think are socially acceptable, rather than expressing your true opinions or behaviours.[7]

Emotions Deceive

In her book, “How Emotions Are Made,” Lisa Feldman Barrett challenges the traditional view that emotions are universal, pre-wired responses to specific stimuli. Instead, she proposes that our brains construct emotions based on individual experiences, cultural influences, and learned concepts. According to Barrett, our emotions are not fixed and automatic but relatively flexible and shaped by various factors.

Barrett argues that our emotions are crucial in shaping our perceptions and judgments. When we experience an emotion influences how we interpret and make sense of the world around us. However, since emotions are constructed and influenced by our personal and cultural contexts, they can sometimes lead to false assumptions and judgments.

For example, let’s consider a situation where someone receives a curt email from a colleague. If that person is feeling anxious or insecure, they may interpret the email as hostile or disrespectful, assuming harmful intentions from their colleague. However, if the same email is received when the person is feeling confident and secure, they may interpret it as neutral or even positive.

The emotional state of the individual influences these interpretations and judgments. Emotions can cloud and distort our perceptions and influence how we attribute meaning to events or behaviors. Our emotions can lead us to make assumptions about others’ intentions, motivations, or character, even when there might be little or no evidence to support those assumptions.[8]

Righteous Judgements by the Holy Spirit

Okay!! We get the point. We all Judge poorly at times.  How can we be sure our judgments are RIGHT!!

The Bible is very Practical in helping us to DISCERN WISELY. 

In the END, we are ALL JUDGED by our ACTIONS! 

“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit, you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:16-20 (NIV).

• What is the ultimate practical GOOD for society of more same-sex marriages?
• Population Decline.
• No Collective DNA Offspring for parents, family lineage dies out.
• More Women in population less and less reliable comparable men available, women take longer to have children.
• Permanent physical damage of decisions made on the premise of fluid sexual constructs.
• Biased overprotective Feminine oriented culture leads to slow reaction time in crisis.
• Sexual freedom leads to more sexual abuse not less.
• Complicated relational conduct… difficult to not offend… normal language “pronouns” becomes complicated.
• Too many options lead to more and more people become A-sexual or Pan-sexual. [9] Less family structures.

Maturity is to invite judgment into your daily life.

Jesus quite often refers to his training from His heavenly Father.  Jesus asserts, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he see the Father do” (John 5:19-20, 30). “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). “as the Father hath taught me”(John 8:28) “I speak just what the Father has taught me” (John 12:49). If Jesus, the Incarnate Word, finds it requisite to be in perpetual dialogue with the Father, seeking guidance, instruction, and correction, then how infinitely more so should we, who are blemished by the frailties of human imperfection?

Even the most skilled pilot still needs a compass and the stars for guidance; the most adept sailor still keeps an eye on the lighthouse. We, too, in our own life journeys, often find ourselves at crossroads or in challenging circumstances. And just like Jesus, we’re best guided when we seek instruction from a higher authority, when we consult our “spiritual GPS,” so to speak, which is the wisdom and teachings that come from God.

How did Jesus Judge? 

When a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought before Him, demanding judgment on the basis of the scriptures is very insightful.
1. Jesus did not condone her sin, and by giving her mercy gave her the right to continue in her sin. Adultery is a sin! 

2. He gave her GRACE, “the power unto” the ability to stop sinning. Many can tell people their wrongs, but few can give people the power to right living, a way of escape, the way out towards holiness.  

3. He did not hurry His answer. He took his time to write on the ground. No one knows what He wrote, maybe a list of sins that convicted them, not to judge. “He who is without sin, let him be the first to throw the first stone” No one is without sin, we all still miss the mark of His righteousness.  

4. He did not start a new magic method, of writing in the sand. This was a once-off occurrence, meaning you work with individuals, and you wait on the Spirit to give you the keys to this person’s heart. No one method works for all.  

David loved God’s Judgments!

Psalms 18:22 For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. Psalms 19:9-10 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Psalms 36:6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.

David sings a song on God’s Judgments, about how he loves it! Psalms 119:7, 13, 20, 30, 39, 52, 62, 66, 75, 102, 106, 108, 137, 156, 160, 164, 175

[1] Zille, Helen. #StayWoke: Go Broke: Why South Africa won’t survive America’s culture wars (and what you can do about it) (p. 162). Obsidian Worlds Publishing. Kindle Edition.

[2] Gladwell, M., 2019. Blink. New York: Back Bay Books.

[3] Schulz, K., 2011. Being Wrong. London: Portobello.

[4] Helmreich Robert L. On error management: lessons from aviation  BMJ  2000. 

[5] Kruger, J. and Dunning, D., 1999. Unskilled And Unaware Of It. Estados Unidos: American Psychological Association.

[6] Haidt, J. (2012). Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Penguin Books, Limited.

[7] https://youtu.be/nYYkRaU0xh8 Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman https://amzn.to/3Wn6bz8

[8] BARRETT, LISA. FELDMAN. (2020). How emotions are made: The secret life of the brain. PICADOR. 

[9] Pansexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by the potential for attraction to individuals irrespective of their gender or gender identity. In other words, pansexual individuals can feel attracted to people of any gender, including male, female, non-binary, genderfluid, and more. This is distinct from other sexual orientations like heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality, which typically define attraction within the context of a binary understanding of gender.