Peer Responses

Peer Reply 1

One believe I find in society that I consider to be merely relative would be Church goers who tend to judge others who do not attend church on the daily basis. I have a pastor who works with us and had to call out a person because he was trying to push his beliefs onto others. As someone who does not attend church often I know that telling others who do not attend church that they are going to hell for living their life is wrong. They are being judgmental over those who do not see the same ways as them. They do not practice what they preach judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven (Luke 6:37). They will judge the way you dress the way you speak, your day to day activities, and how you carry yourself as a person. The way they justify their actions is that they are looking out for you to make sure that you go to heaven and that this is the way God wants you to live your life.

The way in which we judge each other takes on several forms. It is important, I think, to differentiate the two major forms of judgment. Indeed, whether someone is going to hell is quite a different thing than whether the person is doing the right thing. Even if some people disagree about what the right thing is, there is a difference. For example, if one person (or a group) is bullying another group, that is wrong and should be condemned. However, something else that is more personal and not harmful to others such as whether someone goes to church is a different matter. After all, there is nothing in the Bible that says that not going to church leads to eternal damnation. Further, it is also said that any group of people, no matter how small, gathering in the name of God is technically a church. After all, the church is the peoplenot the building in which people happen to be. Even so, there is such a thing as living a moral life. Encroaching on whether someone is worthy going to heaven is not rightbut guiding people in the right way when they are clearly doing wrong, inclusive of forgiving them when they wrong you, is something that is very important.

Peer Reply 2

A few beliefs that I find in society that could be considered merely relative is "A degree is a degree" and "C's get degree's". People justify these beliefs in my personal opinion on money spending and avoid being looked down upon by their peers. After reading "Trying Out One's New Sword" by Mary Midgley I'll ask myself does the isolating barrier work both ways? In my opinion it does. One my argue that going to a different school or getting a different degree will help their chances of a better future and the other may argue that it doesn't matter how I get my diploma/degree, I'll still have that degree which will equal...…often also used as a way to deflect blame and legitimate criticism. After all, the poor are often poor for a good reason. It is true that generational patterns are what they are. The other saying about how the apple does not fall far from the tree is often truebut not always. Some people in those situations see the mistakes that their family or friends are making. They may also experience their own setbacks. Rather than deflect, blame society or otherwise perpetuate the same problems, they adjust their actions and lifestyles so as to get on a better path. Getting out of such a rut is hardbut it is possible. Beyond that, making bad decisions is something that can and should be judged. Even if we say otherwise, we judge people every dayand often times, that is precisely what we should do. For example, if a woman leaves her husband for being abusive, she is making a judgment. If a prospective employee picks one firm over another to work for, that person is making a judgment. It is not the judging, in and of itself, that is badit is WHY the judgment is being made and for what purpose. There are notable reasons to use discretion and judgmentbut there are also bad ones. It is potentially incendiary to assume the worst about people and to otherwise cast aspersions. However, there are times where such judgments are spot-on and should be taken seriously. Just because a person does not like judgments being levied against them does not make them untrue or…