Should we judge any "group" of people by the actions of some members?

Question

Do you judge an entire group, nation, or faith based on the actions of a few of it's members or do you take them as individuals? There will always be a few bad apples in every bunch. I choose to overlook the bad and see if there is any good. Why make rash judgements? Should I "judge" all humanity based on the worst of it or take it as I find it?

For example would you judge a "group" based on 1% of it's mistakes?

Answer 1

No we shouldn't, but it seems to be human nature to do so.

Answer 2

It is not fair if the 1% are diverting from the original faith. Usually, most faiths are based on some kind of humanitarian basis, like love your neighbor and do good. The 1% who stray away are disobeying the original teachings.

In the case of muslims, who are violent, if this is what you are referring to, the violent ones are actually following the teachings of Mohammed. This is more like 10-20%. He said to destroy all those would would not convert to Islam. So they are obedient to the faith, not disobedient. The other 80-90% agree with the violent ones, but will not admit it, and refuse to do anything to stop the violence.

Answer 3

I don't judge Catholics by the sexual actions of a couple of abusive, gay pedophile priests victimizing innocent children, and changing their lives forever for a couple of minutes of sinful pleasure. At best it is only a bit of reminder of how religion hasn’t improved.

I judge it on 15 centuries of wars, killing, thieving and plunder. I include 9 Holy Crusades, the Holocaust, Civil wars, witch-hunts, European wars, and colonialism. At the end of WW2, German Christians even stepped up their final solution as they thought western Christians would praise their efforts, principally in the face of atheist USSR. The Crusades were especially interesting. In the early years, if the Muslims won, they would spare the surrendering Christians and set them free. But if the Christians won, they slaughtered every last single heathen man, women and child. After centuries of this, I understand Jihad, and why some Muslims sects are extreme radicals. It’s what they learned from Christians!

This is just the beginning of the blood on the hands of Christians. Even today, when the Christian Leader of the most Christian Country in the world, leads a mostly Christian Army into Iraq and kills thousands based on lies to steal oil. Those pre-maneuver marine prayer circles before heading out to kill innocent civilians really seem hypocritical to me.

I also judge Christians by what I hear around me. I could find half a dozen witnesses in an hour. I have 9 aunts and 9 uncles all forced to go to Christian boarding schools. It was a very, very sad childhood for all of them. I grew up listening to stories of forced labor, starvation, sexual, physical and mental abuse from Christian authorities. Lots of stories, things that happened to them, things they saw. Being close within my greater family’s community, I have been listening to similar stories for 30 years.

Answer 4

It's bad to judge any group on the actions of one or a few. As can readily be seen in this section, there are those that think about their answers and structure a good response, and those that shoot blindly from the hip. Personally, I read the responses that are well thought out and "can" the rest.

Answer 5

You answered your own question by stating that you choose to overlook the few bad. Yet I agree if we do not look at the individuals we do not get a complete story or idea of the over all.

Answer 6

The reality is that it is not fair to judge a religion by the actions of its followers alone because there are good and bad followers in every religion. The correct thing to do is to judge a religion by its documented revelation from God and the prophet who brought that revelation.

Answer 7

I never judge a person based on their race,nationality, religion etc.
Unless, of course you're blue. All blue people are bad people and should be wiped clean off the face of the earth.

Answer 8

If we were to do that then we have to do that to all groups. So that would mean that you would hate everyone even your own group. But people seem to pick and choose who they want to blame the actions of a few on the whole group. Depends on who you are as to who you hate.

Answer 9

No, I make my decisions on what I feel about the particular individual only after I have been with them long enough to see what their character is like. Generalizations to one particular group or another never do any good.

Answer 10

you may or you may not...
it depends on what they have done,,, how you would judge,, and what judgment you will make...
if their action is what the whole group really wants to do then you judge the whole group...
but if the action taken is personal without relation to the stand of the group then judge the person... not the group,,,

remember that you will be judge on how you judge others...

Answer 11

They should be judged by their response to those few.If they do not condemn their actions and enact some punishment to those few then they will likely receive the judgment as a whole.