Stop Judging Me

            Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.—John 8:15

           

            Every person in this world makes choices. As you go throughout your life making those choices, people are going to judge you. That’s just how life is; how the human race is. It’s human nature. They will make judgment after judgment, and you can’t stop that. Even if you stop judgments from coming out of their mouths, those judgments will always appear in their heads. As the race of man, we judge.

            This principle is evident throughout human history. Men have always been controversially judged and criticized by other men. This especially happens to celebrities, because everybody can see their choices and what they do. One example of this is Porter Rockwell. Rockwell was one of Joseph Smith’s closest friends and one of the most loyal members of the church from the start, but anti-Mormons as well as Mormons often criticize him even today. Is it really right for us to judge Porter Rockwell? He died more than a hundred years ago. Nobody living on this planet personally knew Porter Rockwell and what kind of a person he was. Many are ignorant of the time period that he lived in, and they make judgments on him from a present-day standpoint. We shouldn’t be judging people that we don’t know, especially if we haven’t even studied about them.

Do you personally know MJ? No.
So stop judging.

            Another example of this that I’ve found is Michael Jackson. It seems like everyone I talk to about Michael is disgusted with me for listening to his music. They talk about how terrible of a person he was, and about how terrible his music is. Really? Ninety percent of the music on the radio that you listen to is worse than the worst Michael Jackson song (yeah, that’s an exaggeration, but my point stands). Don’t judge a man if you don’t know who he is and especially if you haven’t studied him. I’ve studied, listened to, and watched documentaries on Michael Jackson, and I’ve come to find out a lot more about the man behind the fedora. Of course I never knew him personally, but I do know a lot more than most people. He started out as a nice, humble kid from Gary, Indiana who wanted to make the world a better place. Much of his music reflects his intentions (go listen to “Man in the Mirror” or “Heal the World,” if you want to know what I’m saying). Yes, he had problems, but we all do.

            

I think it’s very hard for us to comprehend what celebrities like Jackson go through. People get after them for their money, fortune, and fame. Narcissists really tried to pull Michael Jackson down. There are evil, greedy people in this world who want only money and will do anything they can to get their hands on it. Michael sang about this a lot in a few of his songs and albums, and I think it was definitely hard for him. He was very manipulated by the media and the haters. I’m not qualified to judge Michael Jackson because I don’t know what he went through, but if you still don’t get what I’m saying, go listen to “Leave Me Alone” or “Childhood.”

            I have hard things that I go through. So do you. Do people judge us? Yes. They don’t understand what we’re going through, but they still judge us. They don’t know our situation, but they still critique our choices. Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you. There is only one person who really knows what we’re going through, and that’s because He went through it too.

            Of course, we all know the ultimate judge, and that is Jesus Christ. He knows our hearts and our intentions, and He knows what kind of people we are. He knows the real Porter Rockwell and the real Michael Jackson. He knows the real you and the real me. One day we’ll stand up before the judgment seat and answer to Him for our actions and choices, but that is between Him and us and nobody else. So, be cautious of your thoughts and words. Don’t say things about people when you don’t know the whole story. Don’t talk behind people’s backs and gossip about them, because you are not the judge, Christ is. 

Seriously, stop judging me.