Jenx67, thanks for following up. I can see what you're saying. (And I can see why I'll probably never make a living off of my blog! :)

Larkinsmom, sharing your own story with the rest of us, as it relates to this issue of not hiding our struggles and pain, really helps bring the whole point home. That's what a community should be about: Sharing and embracing one another's pain rather than ignoring and attempting to downplay or negate it. Thanks for doing that, and for being so honest, here and on your own really wonderful blog!

ejly, yes, I heard that commentary when it was first aired. It's a really painful story and important lesson. I'm not sure, though, how it's an example to consider "instead" of the examples I shared. It seems to fit right in. Child abuse is happening, whether we see evidence of it or not, and as a society we have a responsibility to try to uncover even the abuse that's happening "behind closed doors." Were you referencing the need to "judge" the boy's abusive parents? If so, not judging someone is a separate issue from advocating for human rights, safety, and justice. Jesus was very much about all of those things. I think I'm misunderstanding you, though. Can you explain more what you mean by "I think judgment is called for?"

In general, I realize the "Do not judge" Bible verse was maybe kind of a surprise ending. Here's what I meant, and how it relates to what I was writing about. Jesus is telling people not to judge, because we all have problems of our own, and we can't rank or value sin and say "your sins are a 9, but mine are only a 2, so I'm going to focus my energy on what you're doing wrong, not what I should be working on." We're "bad" at being judges because we never have all the information or the right perspective. A Christian might judge someone for openly being homosexual, while not judging someone who sits on the church council and is having an affair in secret—simply because it's kept hidden! Meanwhile, that very person might be consistently verbally abusive to his wife and kids, but doesn't think it's a "big deal." (Again, refraining from this kind of judgment does NOT excuse us from advocating for and protecting people in need. These are separate issues, and I don't think Jesus' use of the word "judge" here can be applied to justice issues.)