“We don’t need sophisticated economics. We need people who understand the difference between bigger numbers and smaller numbers. We don’t need nuance in race relations. We need to judge people by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. We don’t need wise men who manage an endless series of nation-building wars. We need our wars to be purposive, rare, and short. We don’t need a candidate who wins the grudging respect of the professional left. We need a candidate who has an uncanny ability to set them all off as barking mad” (Rules for Reformers, pp. 164-165).
Have 'Em Delivered
Write to the Editor
Good stuff. Here’s a potential new trend from our friends on the Left…no more op-eds or letters opposing homosexual marriage. And some still want to win their respect…
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2015/06/gay_marriage_anthony_kennedy_o.html#incart_big-photo
“As a result of Friday’s ruling, PennLive/The Patriot-News will very strictly limit op-Eds and letters to the editor in opposition to same-sex marriage.
These unions are now the law of the land. And we will not publish such letters and op-Eds any more than we would publish those that are racist, sexist or anti-Semitic”
We don’t need more of the same! *proceeds to rattle off 30 year old Republican talking points*
Well, clearly truth can’t be truth if it is as hoary as 30 years old.
Maybe it’s been said for 30 years because it’s still true and still needs to happen?
So you want more of the same then?
So where does scripture teach one to judge others.
Argue it with MLK.
Pretty much the entire book of Proverbs teaches us to judge others in the sense intended here — that of discerning what kind of person we are dealing with and responding accordingly.
Just curious, are you totally non-judgemental when it comes to child molestors and white supremacists?
I would hope that I ought not pass any judgments on another man for any reason for in so doing I would have already failed in the effort to love them.
Kisses of an enemy or wounds of a friend? Sometimes love requires hard knocks.
Can you not, in love, judge them in need of repentance for a particular sin? How can you exhort and admonish them if you refuse to make any judgments?
Can I fully love. Or maybe He who has fully loved and, is love let him be the judge of the living and dead. Yet convince others of the love that is the way.
But, “Yet convince others of the love that is the way”, is making a judgement that they are not doing what you are trying to convince them of, yes?
Is judgment love?
Yes.
Yes let love judge. For who is love?
How are you going to figure out that you should tell him to stop cheating on his wife if you’re not allowed to judge that cheating on his wife is wrong?
How are you going to decide whether to hire the guy to fix your plumbing if you can’t judge whether he’s likely to cheat you or steal your stuff?
No one’s suggesting that you should attempt to be the judge of his eternal destiny. But that’s clearly not the kind of judging in view in the expression “judging a man by the content of his character.”
one ought not use the word judgment there. Or anywhere out side of the full extent of its meaning rather reserve it for its true placement in language. I defiantly understand the concept of lesser decision making based on analytical deductions but rather less damning words seem more appropriate.
Alas, in this pesky language of ours, words can have more than one meaning, and we don’t get to demand otherwise. Jane’s using it correctly. ;^)
It is clear that Judging a man by there character is contrary to message that which the word teaches. The Scriptures do not use the word judge in the decision making process of man. yet only in place reserved for God. God can judge a man and bye ones character or being for it is only known to God so yes judgment was the wrong word in this post. To say we need to judge people is defiantly not speaking loving language that would call others to walk in the way.
The scriptures were not written in English, and in English, we can use
the word “judge” to describe a human process of discernment.
Actually, it’s clear from Scripture that judging by character is exactly what we should do: “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). “A tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). This kind of discernment is absolutely a kind of judging, and fruit is all about character. Sam, how many times have you read the Bible? How well do you really know what it says? Are you really in a position to be making the sweeping statements you’re making, or are you just repeating what you’ve heard from others? Also, here’s a list of references where the Bible,… Read more »
Scripture is quite clear that we are to make many judgments. Jesus cautions people about making judgments because we are not accuse and sin means we have a tendency for self-righteousness. In general we are not to make judgments of the heart (because we can’t). See passages about the eye being bad or good for this. We are to make right judgments, that is not superficially (by appearances), John 7:24. And we are to avoid hypocrisy. We are not to judge others in areas that we behave as badly or worse. Matt 7:1-6. But we are to help others after… Read more »
look at john 7.24
Stop judging by appearances but insted judge corectly
so don’t judge by the flesh but by Love that is correct judgment leaving it only for use as the supreme judge can. So yes do not judge.
Hi, Sam! Long time no see. Hope you’re well. :-) Jane’s comments are spot on (as usual…she’s a smart one!), but I’ll add a bit more. Here’s what Jesus said about judging: “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” (Matthew 7:1-2). The second sentence clarifies the first. It shows that Jesus expects that we will judge, and that we will in turn be judged by the same standards. So Jesus isn’t absolutely prohibiting judging; He’s saying we… Read more »
Yes long time no see :)
so to what measure is one judged? one ought to long for a judgment of Love.
God is the standard because He is perfect. He reveals His character to us in His Word, so that’s the standard we use to judge AND that’s the standard we submit to being judged by. We submit to it knowing we don’t meet it, and that we deserve to die as a result. There are two ways we can die: We can die on our own, or we can die in Christ. If we die on our own, the condemnation for our sin falls on us, and we stay in the grave because of our guilt. If we die in… Read more »
Gods is the perfect love. The standard to which we are judged is love For God is love. In Gods loving Grace he has reveled his love through the word who’s is with god and who is God. If One is able to judge out side of appearance or flesh than judge correctly but man cannot so yes judgment is reserved.
Romans 2:3
So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?
Yes, God’s character is perfectly loving. So since God judges, not only is judging lovingly a possibility, it is a necessary component of what love is. We must imitate God’s perfect love in every way, including judging.
Romans 2 is condemning hypocritical judging, which is unloving. It’s not a blanket prohibition against judging.
At the risk of presumption, I’ll propose adding this: “We need a candidate who understands ‘Thou shalt not steal . . . except by a majority vote,’ is not an acceptable moral or governing principle!”
We also need a right wing that understands that collecting taxes is not stealing. Where is this mythical beast?
Depends on how it’s levied and on what. But I will say that so-called right wingers in the GOP are every bit as willing to take the fruits of their constituents’ labor as the most rabid tax-and-spend Democrat; they just do it differently.