Judge What?

"The tendency to turn human judgments into divine commands makes religion one of the most dangerous forces in the world.”*

Recently, I have had a hard time determining whether or not someone is good or bad. Such a characteristic can be handy to know. For instance, I don't want to risk any type of vulnerability with someone who seems nice one day but is ripping out my jugular the next. But how can I tell?

A person can do good deeds and have a hateful soul. Likewise, a person can do bad deeds and have a loving soul. Thus the old cliche, "judge the sin not the sinner." I cannot say who is a good person and who is a bad person. Often, though not always, it is easy to decide what is a bad behavior and what is a good behavior. There are consequences to either. For example, if someone kills another person than the crime must be dealt with accordingly regardless of intent or whatever. However, determining what is really going on inside a person is impossible.

I guess the bottom line is that I have not right to say whether or not someone is good or bad. Hitler supposedly loved his dogs. I knew a boy scout leader who was molesting members of his troop. Most likely, I ascertained that it is my duty to determine someones goodness due to old fire-and-brimstone church messages I received in my early years. Most of those messages I have abandoned and this is another useless one I need to get rid of too. This one is harder though because I use it as protection and a means to avoid others.

Indeed, religion can be quite dangerous.

*Georgia Harkness