I reckon the best-known verse in the Bible today is ‘Judge not’. It’s a nifty, two-word response to almost any moral criticism. Are you meant to be on a diet and your friend sees you tucking in to a big bag of crisps? ‘Judge not!’, you retort.
The church minister preaches a sermon from the Bible about a common sin in society; at the door, on the way out, an upset listener collars him: ‘Doesn’t the Bible say, “Judge not?”’ A politician is explaining the damage that extra-marital affairs do to society: ‘Judge not!’ the newspaper columnists say.
These two words serve as a convenient moral force-field that shields us from anybody’s disapproval. It is, of course, a rather silly misuse of the verse. Try putting it on the lips of a war criminal. ‘You’ve just killed innocent Syrian civilians,’ says the judge. ‘Judge not!’ says the army officer. The police arrest a youth for stabbing someone to death; ‘Judge not!’ is his defence.
