Jesus the Christ Chapter 17 conclusion...
Matthew 7:7-29
Luke 6:43-49; 11:9-13; 13:24-30
"Men are prone to judge their fellows and to praise or censure without due consideration of fact or circumstance...Have the centuries between the days of Christ and our own time made us less eager to cure the defective vision of those who cannot or will not assume our point of view, and see things as we see them?...The spirit of the address [Sermon on the Mount] is throughout that of sincerity and action, as opposed to empty profession and neglect. In the closing sentences the Lord showed the uselessness of hearing alone, as contrasted with the efficacy of doing," James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ.
Recently, I've come a bit closer to understanding the idea of judging not. It's not as if we are to condone behavior contrary to the law of God. No, however, we must love all men as brothers and neighbors even when their actions don't seem proper. Nobody on earth can change the laws of God to suit the whims of society. BUT...we also don't destroy or persecute people for their different points of view as some persuasions demand. We let God do the judging, while doing all we can to protect against anarchy/violence/theft/vice/murder/etc. The thing is, we don't know what heart or head baggage a person carries that influenced their actions. They may be at a different place on the path, counting on us to help them along OR there to help us along. I think of my grandmother, who's had her share of misfortune but is by far the most charitable person I've ever met. She doesn't judge or try to force her ideals but is anxiously engaged in loving others as her good cause and invitation to her ideals.
