Jeff, this is an example of “ingroup/outgroup bias,” rather than a statement of demonstrable fact. In other words, this is an impossible stereotype. EVERYONE has their OWN opinion.

Diversity, esp. diversity of opinions is extremely valuable, it is not a threat to be feared.

JHP,

I once had this talk (judging vs. judging righteously) with a girl I had just met. She declared that of course we judge THINGS. But we shouldn’t judge PEOPLE.

So I said,”OK, marry me.”

“Uhm, we just met.”

“Does it matter? If you’re not supposed to judge me, then go ahead and marry me.”

She backed off her position.

Since the extent of my relationship with her was the “judgement” thing, and she wasn’t really hot, I wasn’t too keen on marrying her.

Still, it’s a cruel double standard for me not to be the sort of person I’d want to date, for my quirkiness if nothing else.

It’s easy to see if somebody is smoking pot or watching R-rated movies or disregarding the words of a particular apostle, but how many of us are afflicted on a daily basis by pride, the sin scripture explicitly calls the worst of all? Judging somebody for the sake of judging them (meaning that your judgment is unlikely to help them or others avoid the behavior) is probably sinful, as it leads others toward complacency about their comparatively more serious sins.

That’s why I think most judgment should be internal rather than external. I’ve never been turned by a self-important judger, but I’ve been helped immeasurably by the good examples of others.

Thanks for this good post. Your blog attracts a lot of dissenters, but just know that the actual number of dissenting voices is smaller than it may seem. The dissenters just speak louder.

I don’t need a law to tell me that being a heroine addict is probably a bad idea. I was provided a decent education and parents who tried to fill in the gaps in that education. If the teachings of the Church, our schools, and our parents did their jobs, we wouldn’t need more and more laws.

These proposed laws are simply trying to streamline the hard work that goes into raising kids and molding society. The problem is that once you have these new laws, they are hard to undo, which is probably fine for those resistant to change and the people backing the propositions. But I’d prefer that these restrictions be kept to the home, church and schools, where they are more malleable for the times.