Sunday our topic was judging. We started by voting on the following:
- How many of you think judging is bad?
- How many of you think judging is good?
- How many think that both are possible, depending on the circumstances?
We talked about how we can know, and how to tell the difference.
To help us figure this out, I looked up the word "judge" and found a number of possible meanings. I have narrowed them down to five that I think sum things up nicely. Each of the definitions follow. You can click on them to see the example we discussed.
- Judge: To hold an opinion or preference (link)
God gives us the freedom to hold our own opinions. - Judge: To hold a conviction after weighing the evidence (link)
God gives us the responsibility to hold convictions and help our friends - Judge: To govern or rule (link)
God gave our rulers the authority to judge us. - Judge: To sit in judgment on (link)
God alone is able to judge our hearts. - Judge: To form a negative evaluation of someone based upon our impressions (link)
This form of judging is probably one of the most common. But this is something no one is entitled to do!
