Why are so many of you afraid of the word "judge?" To make a judgment on something or someone is not all that hard. Most people do it multiple times a day. Parents do it hundreds of times a day. Let's look at the definition of the verb "judge."

Judge - To form an opinion or estimation of after careful consideration: judge heights; judging character.

• Law. To hear and decide on in a court of law; try: judge a case.
• To act as one appointed to decide the winners of: judge an essay contest.
• To determine or declare after consideration or deliberation.
• Informal. To have as an opinion or assumption; suppose: I judge you're right.
• Bible. To govern; rule. Used of an ancient Israelite leader.

As you can see, this is not a term limited to "court of law" or "from God" only. Have you never hired or fired someone? Have you never voted "yes" or "no" for someone on a polling? Ever chose one candidate over the other in an election? As parents, have you ever had to tell you kid they couldn't go to a party because you decided it wouldn't be safe? Or that your child was not yet trustworthy enough to go to the prom?

Fritz I agree with you that it is important to get all the fact before coming to a decision but I'm sure you too would agree that sometimes it is important to make a judgment on-the-fly. When I'm driving down the highway and guy in the next lane over is weaving into my lane I'm not going to stop to get his side of the story, I'm going to hit my breaks and honk my horn to warm him. But generally, Fritz is right. You need to ensure you have taken the available time to consider the issue before making a snap judgment. I too hate those.

Judging someone or something should be done with the utmost care and respect for the situation. Giving your judgment of their actions or efforts should be done with kindness but also with confidence and conviction. When I look at the "to govern" portion of the definition I think about the parent child relationship. Good parents are suppose to treat their children with dignity and respect but never as equals. (Have you seen the resent ads that say "I'm your parent, not your friend?") I am not a peer to my boss. What she says goes. When she judges me or my work I don't scream "unfair, only God may judge me."

My point is this, too many people today have been intimidated into not using the verb form of "judge." It is ridiculous to limit yourself in such a way that you can't make an independent decision. When everyone else's opinions become more important than your own you become an intellectually bankrupt shell of a human living in fear of having to make an independent decisions on what's right or wrong.

Lemmings don't make independent decisions either. They are just...lemmings.

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