Several years ago I was a card-carrying Evangelistic Fundamentalist in the largest Church in the US. I led large groups of Church leaders in prayer; I was considered by many to be a lay pastor; I led a group of about 45 servants to the Lord to show others the Way; I was caught up in the wonderful feeling that I was completely correct in all that I thought because the Bible told me so.
Or was it because people that I trusted told me so.
I was already questioning the tenets that I adherred to when I started a Bible Study concerning a sentence by sentence breakdown of Gallatians.
I read every line to mean something different than anyone else in our group.
I really started to listen to what I was being told as 'Gospel'.
I now realize that I was a member of a cult that was harmng my personal relationship with God, the Creator.
I lost all my new friends....good
I gradually regained my old friends that I had driven away with my judgement of them and their values.
I am now desparately trying to regain my soul...yes, that's right, my soul.
Beware those filled with hate while draped in the robes of righteousness.
Now, I will call things as I see them. And I see hate and Religeous self-righteousness pulling this country down. I am too upset to be more erudite on this subject.
It still hurts too much.
One could say the scales fell from your ears!
Thank you for your post... rest easy.
So when we condem the judgements of others we ourselves are judging..it is the splinter vs. the log all the time.
What does God ask of us? Are we to stand silent in the presence of evil? Is calling evil ,evil a sin? Did paul stand silent when he saw sin in the church,or did he address it?
I do believe we must be cautious..because God's word tells us the measure we use to measure others is the measure used to measure us.
Judgement belongs to Jesus Christ..but we are to be watchmen,if we fail to warn (not judge) we will be held responsible..it is a very fine line