Don't Judge?

Don’t Judge?

Recently, I’ve noticed a common phrase used among my generation. It’s becoming common to drop it before almost anything we say or even do and has honestly begun to bother me. The phrase is, “Don’t judge.” I don’t like it one bit.

What does the statement say about our culture? Well, it obviously shows that our culture does not have a worldview built on absolute truth. A sentence or an action prefaced with “Don’t judge” basically means that what is said has no value of being either right or wrong. It’s just an empty phrase that doesn’t mean anything. Don’t think about it. Don’t worry about it. Just believe it or forget it. Our culture has come to a place where our thoughts and actions are not judged and challenged to the point we don’t know what we believe or why we believe it. Thus, we’re ignorant about how to stand up for what we say because we never really believed what we said in the first place.

Now, as a Christian I believe in absolute Truth which is found in God’s Word and all of what it says. Already, “Don’t judge,” or at least the meaning behind it is against my worldview. Since for me absolute truth is real, everything I take in must be processed as truth or not. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 states: “²⁰ Do not treat prophecies^(AI) with contempt ²¹ but test them all;^(AJ) hold on to what is good,^{(AK) 22} reject every kind of evil.” EVERTHING must be tested. I must hold on only to the good and reject evil. Therefore, I have to judge everything anyone says next to the Truth I believe.

However, just because I “judge” what people SAY does NOT mean I judge THEM. It’s not my place. I cannot decide whether they’re going to heaven or hell, and I cannot save them. Only God can do that. I’m supposed to love all people as Christ would. And how could I judge people for sins that I myself am fully capable of committing? It is not my point to judge people. My point is to be careful with what I believe and to be continuously on alert for lies that I could be tricked into believing. Maybe every time I hear the phrase, “Don’t judge,” I’ll start asking, “Why not?” It might lead to some neat conversations.