reaganaut - not particularly aimed at you, but your post crystallized what I was thinking.
Was gonna stay out of this, but:
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Christian charity exists for a reason. Because we cannot judge. Only God can do that. Are you God? Or even The Shadow?
Didn’t think so.
So you have zero idea of what is in the heart of any man, woman or child.
So lets judge a little less and accept that the Lord knows what he is doing a little more.
That verse “judge not” is about not judging HYPOCRITICALLY, not not judging at all. Christians are called to judge false doctrine and teachings and warn of false prophets - which is exactly what we do.
If I condemned someone for adultery and was having an affair myself, then your comments to me would be justified. However, I am not judging hypocritically at all.
It is IMPOSSIBLE for a Mormon to have a personal relationship with Christ and remain a faithful Mormon. Why? Because Mormons to not believe, or teach, the Gospel of Grace. In fact they teach AGAINST a personal relationship with Christ. All ex-Mormons who have become Christians will tell you that they NEVER heard the Gospel of Grace until AFTER they left Mormonism. That is just a fact. It isn’t judging their heart, it is judging their teachings.
Mormons are spiritually blind and lost. Every one of them who still believes in it. I spend hours every single day weeping and praying for God to open their eyes.
I do what I do because God has called me to it and who are YOU to tell me not to do what God has called me to do?!?! You are judging my heart by claiming I don’t have charity. Now, that makes YOU judging me hypocritically, which is contrary to the verse you posted.
I thank God that more people didn’t have your attitude, or I would still be a member of that demonic cult and not have ever become a Christian. You may not agree with our methods, but they work, and most ex-Mormons will tell you they work. The Christians who were ‘nice’ to me when I was LDS, I had no respect for. The Christians who challenged me, made me angry enough to prove them wrong are the ones that reached me with the truth and got me to really examine the claims of Mormonism. They are the ones who loved me enough to tell me I was headed for Hell and PRAISE GOD they did.
So, back off and let me do what God has called me to do. I answer to him, not you.
One cannot judge the condition of a person’s heart, but one can judge the teachings of a group by comparing them to Scripture as to whether they are true or false, that is do they line up with Scripture or not?
Mormonism does not.
For the record, I am not nor ever have been Mormon, nor do I have family members who are Mormon.
But I can read.
Well, if I recall correctly...Jesus -- who had no beams, motes, or even splinters in His eyes -- made this statement...whereas the rest of have these "blinders" of various sorts...varying in size...
So when you cite this...it apparently assumes the eye surgery on your own eyes has left you in a position that's left you "beam-free" then? (Elsewise, have could you possibly just the size of Reaganaut's supposed motes? ...Do do you claim to be holier than all & have no beams? ... And now somebody could post me asking if I'm "holier-than-thou" compared to EnglishCon & we could have one-upsmanship queries til Jesus returns! )
You are sadly mistaken about Judging....the verse you quoted
“Judge not, that you be not judged” is often the wailing cry of false teachers and hardened sinners who misapply the verse to ward off censure for their evil deeds.
We are not to be intimidated by such people, for Jesus has commanded us to judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24).
“Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?... And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?... Do you not know that we shall judge angels?... How much more, things that pertain to this life?.. If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? (1 Corinthians 6:1-5).
Many commands of God require the exercise of righteous judgment.
“But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us” (2 Thessalonians 3:6).
“And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother” (2 Thessalonians 3:14,15).
“Teach and exhort these things. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wrangling of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself” (2 Timothy 6:2b-5).
“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17,18).
All these commands require the careful exercise of righteousness judgment. Do not be deceived by smooth words and flattering speech. Beware of wolves who come to you with a sheep’s skin.
We must be careful not to make unqualified judgments. But we must judge appropriately when commanded to do so. “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24).
Only God? Sounds like only God -- and Englishcon! (Hint: You just judged reaganaut). I guess that must make you "God's shadow," eh, Englishcon?
This is what's so tragically sad in our culture. Posters commonly refute themselves on these threads...Englishcon just did...Laotzu did in post 918...Eastforker has done it a few times on this thread (I'll cover this not only in this post but in my next post as well). Posters will claim -- in essence -- "thou shalt not" -- all as they proceed to do it! Simply amazing!
Since some of you still can't figure out how you refute yourself, allow me to try to spell it out:
* When you say "Stop being judgmental" -- some "judgmentalism" is involved in telling others to stop being judgmental! ...
* When you negatively attach labels -- otherwise known as "bashing" -- to people you condemn as "bashers" (like Eastforker did in post #157 & Laotzu did in post #918 -- in bashing religious others as "un-American")...
* When you say that the ONLY absolute is that there are NO absolutes -- that only YOUR absolute (of apparent 0 absolutes) carries the day (like Eastforker has done in posts #70 & #286) ... all while hypocritically railing vs. other perceived "religious absolutists" like Eastforker did in post #84 ...
When you're entirely intolerant of the religious expressions of others -- as Eastforker (& others) have repeatedly shown on this thread...all as he repeatedly accuses others of being intolerant ("bigots")...and says in post #46: "It is the bigot that has a closed mind. They are the ones that don’t understand when someone else has a different perspective." ...
...Then how much more religious hypocrisy & self-contradictions are we suppose to wink at???
We have that "different perspective" religiously from Eastforker & others on this thread. If you, EnglishCon, Laotzu, Eastforker, & perhaps others don't understand that, then by Eastforker's very definition of a "bigot" means you qualify as one.
So you have zero idea of what is in the heart of any man, woman or child.
(But apparently you, EnglishCon, have plenty" of idea as to what's in Reaganaut's heart, eh?)
So lets judge a little less and accept that the Lord knows what he is doing a little more.
So let's discern all we want to as Christians -- per what the apostle Paul says to do in 1 Cor. 2: (vv. 13-16) (Paul even uses the word "judge"). Why does Paul say to do that? (Because those in Christ collectively have the Mind of Christ)
Uh...
Do you NOT know there are OTHER verses in the BIBLE that tell believers TO judge?