I don't know about you, but I have had my battles with being judgmental of other professing Christians. Old habits are hard to break, but my Catholic journey has taught me to be more loving and less judgmental.
Being brought up as a Pentecostal often caused me to think that everything that I did was a sin and that God was out to send me to hell. I often saw God as more of a judge than a loving Heavenly Father. Although women in the church I grew up in did not wear make up, I had the feeling that some could be judgmental of others who did not outwardly appear holy. Don't get me wrong, I do think that a Christians life should reflect a life being lived for Christ. Even for someone committing outright sin as defined in the Bible like adultery, we are not God and most likely have some kind of sin that we struggle with in our own lives.
Yes, adultery is sin, but it's not our place to condemn someone to hell, but it is our place to LOVE one another. Will someone really stop committing adultery if someone forcefully beats them over the head with a Bible and tells them they are going to hell?
So why Metallica and Whisky in this post title?
I saw a man at church wearing a Metallica and Whisky t-shirt who later participated in Holy Communion ( The Eucharist ). The old me would have been judgmental. The new me thought that he may not have anything else to wear. Who knows? Does a Metallica and Whisky t-shirt disqualify someone from receiving the Eucharist? Keep in mind that as of this post, I am not fully a Catholic as I am still on my journey through RCIA. I cannot participate in Holy Communion and along my journey, I have been judgmental because it seemed unfair at times. Why them? Why not me? Am I not good enough?
I'm beyond that now. I understand the Catholic Church position and I get it. However, my human nature still may raise up its ugly head and some thought pop in that shouldn't be there. It's what I do with that thought that helps me grow or become bitter. I want to grow. I want to love Christ and love others more than I ever have before.
I am reminded of words from Jesus in the Bible.
Matthew 7:1-5 - “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."
And a COMMAND from Jesus that seems to be overlooked at times by many professing Christians which I think the Catholic Church in general does a nice job of concerning the love of others: Matthew 22:34-40 - "But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sad′ducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
Jesus commands us to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. There is a lot to Christianity, but I think if we all strive to love God more and strive to love our neighbors more that we will be better human beings and better Christians. Notice, I didn't say perfect. I said better.
