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Observing vs judging
A topic come up in the youth meeting today on your ego and how you look at other people. The speaker said always try to help people if you see they have a problem, but he also said not to judge.
For example, say you See someone come to church late, and you feel like its becoming a problem for that person, so you automatically make an assumption on why that person is late.
Where is the line between observing that someone has a certain issue and judging them?
For example, say you See someone come to church late, and you feel like its becoming a problem for that person, so you automatically make an assumption on why that person is late.
Where is the line between observing that someone has a certain issue and judging them?
Comments
I guess to answer your question in one sentence, I would say in order not to judge the other person, always keep in the back of your mind that that *was* me and that that *could be* me...then thank God for His grace in your life.
However, Christ didn't mean don't judge at all. In fact, when the Pharisees accused him of blasphemy, he said something to the effect "You Pharisees observed many good works. Which of these works do you condemn me for?" In other words, "Which good deed did you observe that made you judge me wrongly?" He didn't say you have no right to judge me" because the Pharisees, as priests, did have the authority to judge. And the beauty of the Incarnation is that Christ humbled himself and God whom no one has the right to judge chose to submit to judgment, even the evil judgment of the Pharisees.
If you read Pope Shenouda's book "Judge Not Others", he says the same thing. Parents have to judge the actions of their children. People have to judge requests and actions of sinners so they do not sin the same way. The clergy are supposed to judge someone's progress as a father of confession. These are all valid judgments. The problem comes when you discriminate and act on your false observations or observations that can't change. For example, judging a short person is inferior to you and not letting him play on your basketball team.
So in your hypothetical example, you made a choice to stop focusing your spiritual eyes on God in prayer in order that your physical eyes can see the person walking late into Church. And after multiple instances of your choice, you made the assumption and judged why that person is late. This is not to say we should not ask about our other members in the one body of Christ. But because the human psyche automatically concludes that a consistently tardy person must be spiritually deprived and I am spiritual because I come early, then that tardy person needs my help. This is where the problem lies. Since authority to judge another person's spirituality belongs to the clergy and his father of confession, you have done the exact opposite of what God does.
To illustrate this point, look at the story of St John the Short. As a novice monk, he was consistently mocked, abused and judged by elder monks because he was short. But God gave him the grace to know what right judgment is. "It was said of St John the Short, that he was called 'God on earth' because when he saw someone sinning he would act as if he did not see anything." The story seems to say St John was a self-centered priest condoning evil. But really it is saying St John never turned his eyes away from God and he would not let the sins of other distract him from God. In addition, by focusing his gaze on Christ, he subdued the natural human mechanism to place blame on the wrong person. By doing this, the sinners would see St John's example and repent from their sins.
To answer your question, Peter, never. There is no line distinguishing observation and judgment. The issue comes down to three factors: who has authority to judge, is "blame" placed on the right person and what actions come from this judgment.
Does this make sense?
Every visual stimulus is processed and a choice is made by the person: ignore it or acknowledge it. The mind is judging the value of the stimulus. From there, the mind judges whether this stimulus is good or evil and how it affects the person personally. The problem is not judging. The problem is judging and placing blame on the wrong person. The human psyche is programmed to blame everyone else and consider itself exempt from the same mistakes. That is why Christ gives the analogy of the beam in your eye and concludes it's better not to judge at all.
However, Christ didn't mean don't judge at all. In fact, when the Pharisees accused him of blasphemy, he said something to the effect "You Pharisees observed many good works. Which of these works do you condemn me for?" In other words, "Which good deed did you observe that made you judge me wrongly?" He didn't say you have no right to judge me" because the Pharisees, as priests, did have the authority to judge. And the beauty of the Incarnation is that Christ humbled himself and God whom no one has the right to judge chose to submit to judgment, even the evil judgment of the Pharisees.
If you read Pope Shenouda's book "Judge Not Others", he says the same thing. Parents have to judge the actions of their children. People have to judge requests and actions of sinners so they do not sin the same way. The clergy are supposed to judge someone's progress as a father of confession. These are all valid judgments. The problem comes when you discriminate and act on your false observations or observations that can't change. For example, judging a short person is inferior to you and not letting him play on your basketball team.
So in your hypothetical example, you made a choice to stop focusing your spiritual eyes on God in prayer in order that your physical eyes can see the person walking late into Church. And after multiple instances of your choice, you made the assumption and judged why that person is late. This is not to say we should not ask about our other members in the one body of Christ. But because the human psyche automatically concludes that a consistently tardy person must be spiritually deprived and I am spiritual because I come early, then that tardy person needs my help. This is where the problem lies. Since authority to judge another person's spirituality belongs to the clergy and his father of confession, you have done the exact opposite of what God does.
To illustrate this point, look at the story of St John the Short. As a novice monk, he was consistently mocked, abused and judged by elder monks because he was short. But God gave him the grace to know what right judgment is. "It was said of St John the Short, that he was called 'God on earth' because when he saw someone sinning he would act as if he did not see anything." The story seems to say St John was a self-centered priest condoning evil. But really it is saying St John never turned his eyes away from God and he would not let the sins of other distract him from God. In addition, by focusing his gaze on Christ, he subdued the natural human mechanism to place blame on the wrong person. By doing this, the sinners would see St John's example and repent from their sins.
To answer your question, Peter, never. There is no line distinguishing observation and judgment. The issue comes down to three factors: who has authority to judge, is "blame" placed on the right person and what actions come from this judgment.
Does this make sense?
Minatasgeel,
READ. THIS.
Every visual stimulus is processed and a choice is made by the person: ignore it or acknowledge it. The mind is judging the value of the stimulus. From there, the mind judges whether this stimulus is good or evil and how it affects the person personally. The problem is not judging. The problem is judging and placing blame on the wrong person. The human psyche is programmed to blame everyone else and consider itself exempt from the same mistakes. That is why Christ gives the analogy of the beam in your eye and concludes it's better not to judge at all.
However, Christ didn't mean don't judge at all. In fact, when the Pharisees accused him of blasphemy, he said something to the effect "You Pharisees observed many good works. Which of these works do you condemn me for?" In other words, "Which good deed did you observe that made you judge me wrongly?" He didn't say you have no right to judge me" because the Pharisees, as priests, did have the authority to judge. And the beauty of the Incarnation is that Christ humbled himself and God whom no one has the right to judge chose to submit to judgment, even the evil judgment of the Pharisees.
If you read Pope Shenouda's book "Judge Not Others", he says the same thing. Parents have to judge the actions of their children. People have to judge requests and actions of sinners so they do not sin the same way. The clergy are supposed to judge someone's progress as a father of confession. These are all valid judgments. The problem comes when you discriminate and act on your false observations or observations that can't change. For example, judging a short person is inferior to you and not letting him play on your basketball team.
So in your hypothetical example, you made a choice to stop focusing your spiritual eyes on God in prayer in order that your physical eyes can see the person walking late into Church. And after multiple instances of your choice, you made the assumption and judged why that person is late. This is not to say we should not ask about our other members in the one body of Christ. But because the human psyche automatically concludes that a consistently tardy person must be spiritually deprived and I am spiritual because I come early, then that tardy person needs my help. This is where the problem lies. Since authority to judge another person's spirituality belongs to the clergy and his father of confession, you have done the exact opposite of what God does.
To illustrate this point, look at the story of St John the Short. As a novice monk, he was consistently mocked, abused and judged by elder monks because he was short. But God gave him the grace to know what right judgment is. "It was said of St John the Short, that he was called 'God on earth' because when he saw someone sinning he would act as if he did not see anything." The story seems to say St John was a self-centered priest condoning evil. But really it is saying St John never turned his eyes away from God and he would not let the sins of other distract him from God. In addition, by focusing his gaze on Christ, he subdued the natural human mechanism to place blame on the wrong person. By doing this, the sinners would see St John's example and repent from their sins.
To answer your question, Peter, never. There is no line distinguishing observation and judgment. The issue comes down to three factors: who has authority to judge, is "blame" placed on the right person and what actions come from this judgment.
Does this make sense?
Makes a lot of sense! Thank you!