There are a couple of problems when people start bashing you with this verse. Here's the first--usually what they mean is, "I want to do whatever I want to do and you have no right to tell me that it's wrong."
They miss the obvious hypocrisy that they are judging you for being judgmental, but we'll let that slide...
The liberal whine about people being judgmental has beneath it a sandy foundation of relativism--that there is no right and wrong, and what the relativist can't really understand is that it is possible to judge actions and beliefs without judging the person who holds them.
If a person says, "I'm a Christian, but I don't believe that Jesus rose from the dead." I can judge their beliefs. They are not actually a Christian. They are a heretic. That's just an objective call. The same is true of moral actions. "I'm living with my boyfriend" says a young girl. When you object she cries, "You're being judgemental!!"
That's right. Like I'm judging the heretic's beliefs, I'm judging your actions. They are immoral according to the teaching of the Catholic Church.
What I'm not doing is judging you. That is, I'm not judging the state of your mortal soul. I don't know if you're damned or not. To say you're going to hell would be to make a judgement. That's for God to do.
Catholics should be the most objective about this because we have clear teaching both doctrinally and morally. We should be able to say quite honestly and openly that someone is "living in sin" if they are or that someone is "a heretic" if they are. It doesn't mean we have to be mean to that person or shun them or be constantly disapproving.
We might have to distance ourselves if we have the consciences of young children to protect, but we are tolerant. We let them make their own decisions. We don't impose a way of life on them. We don't rant and holler and blow and have steam coming out our ears. We make the objective call and leave the rest to God.
I'm not an admirer of Bridey--the prig of a brother in Brideshead Revisited, but we can at least admire his objectivity. He understood mortal sin. He understood the objectivity of Catholic theology and moral teaching. What he lacked, however, was mercy.
Mercy is the quality that allows us to judge an action or a belief and yet still embrace and love the person who has made the mistake. The point of today's gospel is that everyone deserves that mercy. There is usually more than meets the eye. There may be circumstances and intentions that mitigate the guilt. There may be ignorance and inability that inhibits grace. There may be good reasons for the person's error or sin.
Everyone deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt, and if we don't grant others mercy...
...we will be denied that mercy ourselves.
The homily today was that the "Judge Not..." is the most ignored command. And everybody violates it and if you say you don't you are lying.
ReplyDeleteFr D, I think I learned more from your post. Thanks.
Haha, when I saw your title, all I could think was "Oh Bridey, don't be so Jesuitical." I always love when other blogs reference Brideshead.
ReplyDelete(No offense to St. Ignatius intended; my fiance is a fine example of what Jesuit education can do.)
Interestingly, one of the best practical books I've encountered against Relativism is, "Relativism: Feet Planted Firmly in Mid-Air", by Frank Beckwith and Greg Koukl (Koukl's book on Apologetics called 'Tactics' is great too).
ReplyDeleteAs most will know, Beckwith reverted to the Church in 2007, but Koukl's still a card-carrying Reformed Evangelical (but lapsed Catholic, too).
One of the interesting aspects of Koukl's organisation, 'Stand to Reason', is that it is so reasonable and philosophically astute. It gives great tips on how to argue the pro-life position and counter the pro-choice one. He is also great on how to counter the 'judgementalism' accusation.
However, if you raise any hint of suggesting that Koukl's Protestantism is 'Do as I say, not as I do', as denominationalism is just as relativistic as the positions he so effectively demolishes, STR just tells you to shut up.
It struck me from Fr L's post that STR is very effective in defending the pro-life position, but lacks mercy.
I've been wondering what it was about William Lane Craig, too, that bugged me, and Fr L's insight is so helpful.
It's as if they both have a utilitarian view of Philosophy - that reasoning is only as useful as it serves their purposes, and not a good-in-itself, because humans, being totally depraved, can't do anything good, and so their approach can't avoid conflating, and thereby judging, the (nature of) human personhood - throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Why bring any more totally depraved people into the world...?
Awww, I like Bridey. He's not without mercy so much as he's just a person with really poor people skills.
ReplyDeleteBut I do agree with the major thrust of your post and what you say about judgement.
--C.B.
"they are judging you for being judgmental"
ReplyDeleteThis is the one that just drives me crazy! I'm supposed to "not force my opinion on them", when that is precisely what they are doing!
I have always believed that when I meet the good Lord I will say 2 things to him (and only two things): Glory, glory, glory to you, Lord, and please, have mercy on me!
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't need to hear anything else, because He knows all the rest.
"Judge not that ye be not judged" is a statement about the person doing the judging, while "don't be judgemental!" is a statement about the person being judged. Jesus's warning is about the perils of judging unfairly or judging the wrong thing. "Don't be judgmental" is often a protest at being judged fairly.
ReplyDeleteMatthew 7:1-7 isn't a commandment, it is a directive. This verse does not prohibit judging, it prohibits hypocrisy. It tells people to remove the "problem" from their life before they correct a person who is dealing with the same problem. Fix yourself first, then help others. Another thing many don't understand about studying the Bible is scriptural synergy. Another text to look at is Ezekiel 3: 16-21. It talks about warning others of their sins. Paul tells us in his letter to Galatia that he confronted Peter for his hypocrisy. Judging (correcting) isn't wrong, it is condemning that is wrong. We don't have the authority to say who goes to hell. We simply know what sends a person to hell.
ReplyDelete