Why You Should Judge (Carefully)

Many believe that the Bible tells us not to judge each other and are confused when confronted with others’ immoral behavior.  When they try and confront people engaged in or supporting immoral behavior, they are quickly told they are judgemental and that the Bible says “not to judge others.”  For support, proponents point to  Matthew 7:1, “stop judging, that you may not be judged. Reading one line from scripture is a problem with judgment and other theological issues. The Bible is not meant to be read line by line without understanding context and referring to other passages. In 2 Pet 3:15-16, we are warned that Sacred Scripture can be very difficult to interpret and understand.

It is not possible, however, to follow Jesus without being “judgmental” of another’s behavior. In the New Testament, Jesus told the Jews, “Do not judge by appearances but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24). Jesus was not telling his disciples that they could not ever judge the behavior of others. Rather, he was cautioning them to live righteous lives themselves so that their judgment of others’ behavior would not be rash judgment, and their efforts would be effective in admonishing their neighbors. In just the next passage of Matthew, we read, “For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” Jesus also warns us against being hypocrites, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3)

Jesus’ teaching was not new. In the Old Testament, we learn that we can and should judge righteously. For example, Leviticus 19:15: “You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. Proverbs 31:9: Open your mouth, judge justly, defend the needy and the poor.” The Christian is called to speak with charity and avoid calumny (Catechism of The Catholic Church). As the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a devout Catholic put it;

“some very good people have some very bad ideas.”

The “don’t judge me” argument is often invoked when it comes to abortion, a very bad idea. Many of my Catholic and non-Catholic Christian friends will say, “I am against abortion, but women should be allowed to have one, and it is up to God to judge them, not me.”  Perhaps nothing illustrates the danger of taking a line from the Bible out of context and ignoring other passages better.  No one would say, I am opposed to burglary but remain quiet while their neighbor’s house is being robbed. They would rightfully call the police. We know stealing from others is wrong, and the right-thinking person is not afraid to admonish the burglar.

For Catholics, the abortion issue is not a hard call. You can not support abortion and be Catholic, no matter what mental gymnastics you want to try and go through. If the “don’t judge” crowd means that we can not judge someone’s eternal salvation, then they are quite right. Only God knows the heart of another human being, and he knows it better than the person themself. However, if by “don’t judge,” they think they are to sit by silently while innocent children are robbed of the gift of life, then they are not following the words of Christ.