Sunday thought: Judge not?

As I have said a few times, virtue ethics necessarily implies believing that some lives are better than others and therefore, that some people are better than others. So how do I square that with Matthews account of the Sermon on the Mount?

Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. (Matthew 7: 1-2)

For starters, this is one of those places you have to read the literal meaning and not the literalistic meaning. One surefire hint you are doing literalism and need to change is if the interpretation you use makes the Bible mean something stupid.

So, just stop and ask what it would mean to never judge? Imagine someone wants to marry you but you have doubts they are the right person for you. Isn't that judging? Literalism would require you to not pass judgment and accept their offer. That is stupid and therefore not what the Bible requires of us.

The problem is that the English "judge" doesn't convey the right meaning here. "Judge" is too weak for the sense required. "Condemn" is a little better but it is too strong. "Don't pass final judgment" is best but clumsy.

Another way to think of it is to start with Rene Girard's nice distinction that "Love others as yourself" means not one tiny bit more. You should never let pass behaviour in others you wouldn't tolerate in yourself.