Judgement (noun)
-the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions.

dictionary.com

This began as a thought about political discourse in this country. Then I begun to explore that idea in the larger society. Thinking about societal norms are changing and perhaps not for the better.

Society appears to be at a crossroads. We are somewhere near the intersection of hyper-awareness and the repeal of use of judgement. We are more self-aware but willfully ignoring our better judgement in favor of spoon-fed opinions from every direction. We are intentionally told that opinions differing from our own are not only wrong but need to be banished from the world.

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When I was a child, I remember when the news was reported using the simple rules of journalism: who, what, when and where. Now, journalism has to contend with getting good ratings. This was never more apparent than with news cycle during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. And coverage went from bad to worse from then on. All network news begun to run like tabloid news program offering more opinions that was light of factual information. Still journalism has its place at the table. Having no information available for digestion for the masses wouldn’t be good either.

What about those who claim to represent Christian faith? It seems that Christianity is often times seen as interchangeable with intolerance and superiority. The Christian faith I grew up believing in was the following of the teachings of Jesus Christ who was by far more tolerant and benevolent than I could ever be. He hung out with the dregs of society showing them a better way of life. Not beating them over the head and insisting it was His way or the highway. Religious intolerance drove the earliest European settlers to this land because they believed in a place where they could practice their faith in peace. And even the most faithful Christian should remember that Jesus went to the Mount of Olives to teach and was asked what to do with the female adulterer that Moses’ law said should be stoned. And He said, ” He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. ” So are the people claiming to espouse Christian values actual following their faith or using it to persecute others?

And finally politics, there isn’t much to say other than it’s more about mudslinging and blaming than it is about governing. There is some governing going on, but it has been broken into partisan by-products of stubbornness. Those with differing opinions in politics now call their counterparts of other parties enemies. This attitude filters into the general population. Seems that you can only be conservative or liberal. You can only be broken down into the political party agenda. No one would believe that elected official of your party may not espouse the same values as your own. Even though daily, we see politicians breaking party ranks to represent either themselves or the constituents. Individual identity has been replaced by labeling people by affiliation.

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We are given our daily doses of vitriol and spit it out at the undeserving world making it a more toxic place to live. Society has a general apathy for their fellow man. It would much rather judge one another than spend time discussing an opposing point of view or consider that no man is perfect. Judgement has fallen to the wayside.

Sick and tired of the Church, talkin’ religion
But then they talk about each other, make a decision
No more racisim, two face-ism
No pollution
the solution
a revolution

-“Revolution” Kirk Franklin