Do we become what we judge?

Question

this has happened to me in my life- and i realized that this is a way of gaining compassion for that which we have looked down upon. a way of walking in the others' shoes.

anybody else experience this?

Answer 1

I don't know if we become what we judge, but we definitely focus on what we judge. Think about this Republican senator who just got busted for soliciting gay sex and was publicly anti-gay. People who are anti-anything constantly have their attention on the things they say they hate. It's like the preacher who, instead on focusing on how to promote more good in the world, tries to denounce the sinners. I have tried this in my own life and have witnessed it over and over with others and have come to the conclusion that denouncing doesn't work. Or at least, it doesn't work well. Judging and talking about how crappy something is, does... nothing. I mean, I hate to sound simplistic, but it's true. Criticizing and complaining and judging gets absolutely zero accomplished. So do we become what we judge? I guess it's possible. I mean if I'm a preacher and I tell my congregation over and over and over "Don't sin, don't sin, you sinners, don't be vile sinners, don't, don't don't" maybe that preacher is banging a prostitute and maybe he isn't. What we can say with certainty is that he's focused on all the bad and misses out on all the good. And I believe, at least, it increases the incidence of him sinning. I believe the things we pay attention to show up in our experience.

Compassion is the opposite process. It is saying "Hey I've done that and it's okay, I don't judge you for it." Jesus was a living example of having compassion for absolutely everybody, even the people who were killing him for crying out loud. Wow.

So if you're saying you got a few lessons in your life where you actually became the thing you judged and you felt what it felt like to be the thing you previously looked down upon, sure, I'm sure you felt something like "OHHHH my god, this is what it feels like."

Crap. Maybe you're right. I never looked at it that way. Maybe all the things we judge someday we will experience and we will all go "sooooo this is what it's like." Sort of to balance out the equation. If this is the case though, more than half of us are going to become George Bush.

Answer 2

Frequent the court docket scenes. Make peers with the Lawyers, Solictors, receive presents of trial via Jury! You would simply be appointed a pass judgement on if you do not offend someone! Or write to a Judge like Judge Judy.. praise the Judge without a doubt and inform him or her that you're curious about fitting a Judge you'll be able to most likely get a few well support that means! There probably different approaches.. probably be a Judge's secretary for a at the same time would support!

Answer 3

I take your question to assume "in this lifetime" because you'd otherwise have to have died already in order to answer this question.

I doubt it. You could say "SOMETIMES we become what we judge." For example, I have no desire to become a Muslim. When I was a kid, I was very judgmental of Muslims.

I also judged people that were fat. Over time, I became fat. Then I got to struggle with losing weight. However, not all people that negatively judge people who are fat become fat. In fact, the worst people perpetuating negative stereotypes about fat people probably never become fat until they are very very old.

I also never raped anyone, yet I have been very judgmental of rapists for most of my life. I think maybe there is a fundamental difference in life histories that separates me from a rapist though, so perhaps if I was in their shoes I could understand.

On the other hand, I have tempered my being judgmental over the years and am not quite so hate-filled as I was as a kid. Others, however, continue to hate people freely and use God to justify their hates. This is what I used to be, but now I despise it. That too is judging, yet I doubt I will ever become a Christian ever again.

There are, of course, many other ways to learn compassion and empathy. Usually I would recommend using one of those other methods rather than conversion.

Good luck.

Answer 4

When we judge we place ourselves as superior to that which we judge. The law of reciprocity demands that we experience that which we have judged. In other words we ask for it. And, yes that will bring compassion and understanding into your life. It's much easier to be empathic to people and experience their lives in that manner. It's easier to learn life's lessons by empathy and listening to others that have been there. Finding out by having to experience instead is senseless and painful.

Answer 5

It has been written that what we judge, we ourselves will be judged also. But, this is a warning against those who do the very things they judge others for (Romans, the end of Chapter one, into the beginning of ch. 2).

Sometimes, we do tend to judge without judging ourselves first. So, when we feel we are beginning to look down upon another, we should pray and examine ourselves first.

Answer 6

If you are talking about judging others the Bible is very specific..."Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1-2

Answer 7

When we focus on a person that we hate or despise, we have allowed them to infect us. This gives them power and influence over us, controlling with the anger, sulking, whatever the method.

This in turns sours our thoughts and we take the ill feelings to bed. This in turn produces the very poison we hate.

That is why it is so important to have boundaries, letting good things into your soul and rejecting the bad.

Yes, it can happen if we allow.

Answer 8

No, we do not become what we judge..If it seem to happen to you it is only a coincidence..But...We will be judged the same way we judge others..That is one of the many rules of life from Our Creator !

Answer 9

Well, in the end, we will be judged according to how or if we judged others. If we judge other according to the Scriptural reference by getting others to acknowledge that they are in sin, then we do a good work. But if we judge them outside of God's Word, then we are judging on wrong grounds.

Answer 10

Judge not so that you will not be judged as everyone is imperfect. Moreover, judgement must be internal first or towards self and thus, externally, synthesize oneself with others. Thus, THE LORD GOD is the sole JUDGE of all men.