Why do the most devout Christians.....?

Question

seem to be the ones to quickly assume or judge the eternal fate of others? For instance, I was talking to my mother- in- law yesterday about the VT tragedy. I was reading about how he was obviously mentally unstable. The article that I was reading said that Cho ranted against the rich and Christianity. As soon as I read that out loud, she says, " Well, we know where he's going, 'cause it won't be heaven". I am not as well versed as she is, however, it says in the Bible that we aren't supposed to pass judgement on each other. Yet, making an assumption such she did, doesn't seem to phase anyone. I am a Christian and not afraid to ask these types of questions. So, I pointed that out to her. After that she was quiet and acted as though I had done something wrong. I'm fine with that. Why do people do this as though they have the right?

My question is not whether it is alright to pass this judgement. I have read the bible and been to Church enough to know that what he did was wrong. I'm in no way defending Cho. My question is in the thought process of those who judge like this. I am not claiming to be better than anyone else. The thing that bothers me is that Cho was obviously mentally ill. I did look up info before asking anything. For some reason, he thought this was his only option. He had an ill that he never got help for. I don't think God would reject someone for having an illness. That is why I was upset. There was no concern for his human condition. Only what he did.( Which was heartbreaking.)

Answer 1

God is the judge not us. This person was very troubled mentally. Only God knows His fate. Let's pray for his family. Can you imagine what pain and suffering they are going through? They love him.

Please forgive your mother in law. She jumped to a conclusion that first came to her mind. She wasn't thinking about God's grace for those who are not of sound mind. If this is the case.

Answer 2

That's what I call a "Sunday morning Christian." The rest of the week they're no different than the rest of us heathens. They're very fond of picking and choosing what passages they'll uphold. Why do they do it? Because it's easy to get smug when you're told you'll be granted eternal life in heaven while all others will burn in hell. It's the same principle as being a teachers pet. However, I can't say her comment was so un-Christian as if she said he's not getting into heaven because he was Asian and probably raised non-Christian or whatever. I mean the guy did go on a killing rampage. I believe the wording is "Judge not, lest ye be judged" or something like that. I'm not Christian though so I could be quoting Skakespeare for all I know.

Answer 3

You are right, we, Christian or not, are not the ones to judge. The Bible says' "Judge not lest ye be judged".
My heart goes out to everyone involved in the VT tragedy......the students, the parents, and even the gunman and his family. God is a most gracious and loving God.....yes, cho shot himself but I believe God will judge his mind and heart. Who are we to say what he might have done seconds before his death...if he asked the Lord for forgiveness.....guess what? He would have gotten it.....
He was a troubled young man and it seems like alot of people knew it, someone dropped the ball on this.....

Answer 4

I would have reminded her that only Jesus can judge whether a person goes to Heaven or Hell. Besides, how does she know whether this guy was ever sane enough to either accept or reject the Gospel? Or, for that matter, how does she know whether he DID accept the Gospel prior to his mental illness taking hold of him? If he did, then, whether she likes it or not, Cho was saved.

The truth is, NONE of us know where Cho is right now. It's best to leave it at that.

Answer 5

Pride and judgemental behavior are parts of our sin nature. We all have it in us. Have you ever read Screwtape Letters? CS Lewis in his brilliance gives a great illustration of how the devil works on us. The man in the story became a Christian so the tactics became more about how to make him ineffective as a Christian. Part of that plot was to whisper in his ear how wonderful it is that he's not doing those "bad" things that others do. That feeds our natural human pride and if we don't catch it, it can blow up and cause us to be Pharisees.

You did the right thing in confronting it. Matthew 18 tells us to confront our fellow believers and show them their sin. Elsewhere it tells us not to judge those outside the body of Christ. So often we confuse these two points. If we love, we will show our brothers and sisters where they have been misled and guide them back onto the path of holiness.

Answer 6

It is impossible to live in any society without judging others. What the bible is exhorting us to do, or not to do, is to judge based on incomplete facts...and then, when judging, judge the act as opposed to the person. That said, when the weight of an individual's acts become apparent, for either good or ill, it is then appropriate to cast judgement on the person, if only as a means to protect oneself from him.

The biblical "judge not lest ye be judged" does not mean that one should not judge others....but rather that one should judge oneself and understand that judgement with complete clarity before taking one task of judging others.

Answer 7

Theres others factors involved here but in general we should pass judgement that is true but there other pricipalities and powers involved and it should be taken as a wake up alert that we are in "perilous times"
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (King James Version)
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away

Answer 8

This could go on endlessly. Look at all that ink. As well as the bold type. I wouldn't get through all that. Just enough to catch what you're saying. It shows a cross section of the typical attitude. Put it to you this way; you remind me of a three cushion shot in pool. You, personally, say you don't know. Then you post this. Then you say what you say about your mother in law. To cover yourself, you end it with a question and put it on the general answer platform. Yet, you never, yourself, take any personal responsibility by opening that book and looking it up for yourself. Again, leaving the platform as though this is what you want to know, while aware, this would only at best be second hand information. In a forum hostile if blasphemously erroneous on all counts, practically. Hope this helps.

Answer 9

My opinion is that a lot of pastors minister condemnation,fear and guilt to people..and people minister condemnation and guilt forward. That`s the moment they start judging,because they`re judged also.
It is not ok to judge. I`m a Christian and i wish i wouldnt judge that much...it`s not something Jesus told me to do here on this earth! He told me i should have a Christ-like character. That means i have to minister love,compassion and understanding ;but also make His love and sacrifice known to other people around me.
I think the principal reason Christians (not only the most devout) judge is because they feel guilty and still expect punishment and condemnation for their errors,sins. ...Which is not true,because, biblically speaking, Jesus took all of them and payed for them. Hebrews 10,i think,tells us that God doesnt even remember our sins anymore.
If we ,Christians,would let ourselves be filled with the loving kindness of God and pass it on to others as well...then we would escape this trap of quickly judging the eternal fate of others,and try to do something about it.."reconciling hurting humanity back to a loving Father",like Jesus did. Then,maybe, people would start noticing Christianity is not as much of a religion,but a relationship with God.

Answer 10

Amen Sister! My sister is the same way...telling me to just accept the fact that my Jewish friends are burning in hell. Oh, it makes me so angry. And those little looks they give you. Try to make you think your crazy. Sorry but God is the judge of it all. They having been flipping the pages of the Bible like Burger King. Think they know so much. Sometimes I'd like to call Jesus or God down and let him in on a conversation. Just wanted you to know that I know where you are coming from. Sadly enough. I live in a house with seven conservative Christians. And I have to say they are the most selfish, self absorbed people I know.