My Unrighteous Judgment

Although I think of myself as being mostly free of judgment and beliefs, I sometimes am blindsided by incredibly judgmental thoughts! Recently, I voiced the opinion that someone I play a word game with is cheating. When the words came out of my mouth, they felt ugly, and they have come back in memory numerous times. And then, a friend and I were discussing books for our book club in 2024. When she mentioned Virginia Wolfe, I reacted negatively. When she asked why I felt that way, I didn’t know. I told her it must be from my college years, but I did’t know why! As she told me of the reasons she loved this author, including how she had become a feminist partly because of her writing, I realized I was basing a present judgment on a past belief. Good grief! Today I am grateful that my erroneous thoughts were noticed and questioned. I pray that these incidents help me to see any future intrusions in my thoughts before they come out of my mouth!

“The choice to judge rather than to know is the cause of the loss of peace. Judgment is the process on which perception but not knowledge rests. I have discussed this before in terms of the selectivity of perception, pointing out that evaluation is its obvious prerequisite. Judgment always involves rejection. It never emphasizes only the positive aspects of what is judged, whether in you or in others. What has been perceived and rejected, or judged and found wanting, remains in your mind because it has been perceived. One of the illusions from which you suffer is the belief that what you judged against has no effect. This cannot be true unless you also believe that what you judged against does not exist. You evidently do not believe this, or you would not have judged against it. In the end it does not matter whether your judgment is right or wrong. Either way you are placing your belief in the unreal. This cannot be avoided in any type of judgment, because it implies the belief that reality is yours to select from.” 

A Course in Miracles T-3.VI.2:1-12

“Who, that has felt the perilous beliefs in life, substance, and intelligence separated from God, can say that there is no error of belief? Knowing the claim of animal magnetism, that all evil combines in the belief of life, substance, and intelligence in matter, electricity, animal nature, and organic life, who will deny that these are the errors which Truth must and will annihilate? Christian Scientists must live under the constant pressure of the apostolic command to come out from the material world and be separate. They must renounce aggression, oppression and the pride of power. Christianity, with the crown of Love upon her brow, must be their queen of life.” 

Mary Baker Eddy -Science & Health Page 450:25-7