The Way to Judge

When we hear the word "judge" we may initially think of the counsel Jesus gave in Matthew 7:1, "Judge not, that ye be not judged."
Or...
A different scripture may come to mind and we may think of Mormon's words, "I show unto you the way to judge."

So which is it?  Are we to judge, or not to judge... "that is the question."
I think the answer is: both.

One day at the laundromat, I was mastering my "one-arm skills" as I carried my newborn baby girl while simultaneously sorting dirty clothes into the washing machines .  My other three children were playing across the room together  when suddenly they erupted into a panic.  They were screaming as they ran to me,  I thought something terrible must have happened.  In unison, they shouted and pointed to a man who had just walked through the door carrying his own basket of laundry, "Mommy, it's a kidnapper, a kidnapper!"
My face went red as I tried to quiet them.  I looked at the man they were pointing at.  He was dressed a little grubby and had tattoos up and down his arm, but there was nothing alarming about him to me.
I bent down and tried to hush my anxious children from talking so loud.  I was certain he had already heard their first outburst and was slightly embarrassed.
"Why do you think he is a kidnapper?" I asked quietly.
"Because he has tattoos on his arm, look mommy!"
"Oh no," I said, trying to keep them at a whisper, "No... just because someone has tattoos that does not make them a kidnapper at all." I reminded them that both of my brothers have tattoos, that they were very nice guys and reminded them of all the other nice people they knew who had tattoos.  I wasn't quite sure why they had chosen to react in such a way about this guy but after talking with them they felt better and resumed playing as before.

I thought to myself, "Man, I really need to work on helping them judge a dangerous situation and at the same time avoid judging because someone looks or dresses differently."  If it had been a real kidnapper, I would have wanted them to know.  I would have wanted them to scream and run. But that afternoon in our little situation, there was no threat and I wanted them to be able to recognize that.  There is wrongful judgment and righteous judgment.

One of my favorite stories about righteous judgement is in Moses chapter 1, where Moses had just seen God face to face and after that glorious and wondrous experience, he then had this experience with Satan:

"And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?

 For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely?

 Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God"  - Moses 1:12-14

As a mother, there is nothing I desire more than to teach my children to learn to judge righteously, to recognize the Spirit because, "the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really care, and of things as they really will be." - Jacob 4:13

I want them to be able to discern between right and wrong, between truth and error.  I want them to actively seek and choose those people and those things that will edify and inspire them to be better.  I also want them to recognize when they are in danger and know when to run, when to leave a party, shut a movie off, or get out of a certain situation.

Basically, I want them to constantly seek, recognize, and pursue after those things we believe in the 13th Article of Faith, for "anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy." 

Moses  recognized Satan for who he really was because it was "darkness unto [him]."  There is truly something to be said about the relationship between "discernment" and "light."

Jesus taught, 
"Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light." - John 12:35-36

Mormon taught his son Moroni,
"For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night."

"For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God..." 

"...Ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.  Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ." - Moroni 7:15-16, 18-19

Our Spirits are "children of light." It is hardwired within us to know the difference.  "The glory of God is intelligence or in other words light and truth." - D&C 93:36  We are to "search diligently in the light." We are commanded to "bring up [our] children in light and truth."  

My prayer for my children is that as they learn to discern between good and evil, darkness and light, that they will seek out and discover the incredible magnificence and wonder of these eternal truths:

"intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things."- D&C 88:40

"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." - D&C 50:24

"Since we are what we are by the impacts of those who surround us, those who surround themselves with the highest will be those who change into the highest.  There are some men and some women in whose company we are always at our best.  While with them we cannot think mean thoughts or speak ungenerous words.  Their mere presence is elevation, purification, sanctity." - Henry Drummond 

It is an eternal and fixed principle that when we receive light, everything about us and in our lives will grow brighter and brighter!  It is imperative we understand that in the light we will see so much more clearly, we will be able to have the gift of discernment that we so desire and as we shine this Light we will help others see clearly too.

This is the way to judge!

-Alicia