The Ego and Judgment

Have you ever noticed how every thought you have is a judgment of some type? You may be aware of some of those judgments you make about people, but in addition to those that are "obvious", I am referring to those you don't classify as judgments. Maybe you classify them as preferences or observations, like seeing a certain person as intelligent. Every single thought we have classifies something with a system of good or bad, a hierarchy of one thing more preferred than another. Regardless of how "minor" you see your judgments/preferences, they are still in the same category as a judgment you would recognize, like a full hatred of someone. And there is no difference between what you would classify as a good judgment and one you would classify as a bad judgment. When you judge something as good, like in the intelligence example, you automatically judge its counterpart as bad. You are judging the intelligent person as better than a dumb person, even though there may not be a dumb person present when you make the comparison.

Judgments are intrinsic to this illusory dream that we live in, because this dream is one of differences, as opposed to the Oneness that is God and of which we are a part. So any judgment or preference is an illusion, regardless of how minor you see it or how you place it in your hierarchy of preferences. All of these judgments come from your ego mind, because this ego mind was created out of judgment. The ego exists solely because we have judged ourselves. Its thoughts can only be ones of judgment. Thus the ego, because it was created out of judgment, cannot lead you out of judgment. You must go to the Source, that Self which shares the Mind of God and which has judged itself as not worthy, thus creating an ego mind for this dream.

What would it be like if you didn't judge anything? Complete freedom, complete peace. We believe that judgment is a sword we carry to protect ourselves, but this is the farthest from the Truth. We carry a sword, because we fear attack from other egos. But our safety lies in defenselessness, not defensiveness. This was Jesus' true message. The Love that we are protects us and keeps us safe, because we have never left God and His Love.

Does God Reward the Good and Punish the Wicked?

There is a belief that God rewards the good and punishes the wicked, yet this is a belief that is formed from a mind which thinks it is separate from God. God expresses through us. You are One with Him. Why would God punish Himself?

The belief that God rewards and punishes is a classic error of ego thinking that originates from seeing what appears to be a certain result and working back to a false cause. Yes, it appears that "good" things happen to "good" people and that "bad" things happen to "bad" people, but you realize the effect is created by a completely different cause when you see through Oneness and a unified Mind. Good people are joyous, love to serve others, and are bright lights because they more closely recognize the unity of All. In doing so they are more open to the qualities they share with God --- peacefulness, joy, Love, and abundance. Referring to the latter, they innately know that full abundance is part of their inheritance as a Son of God, and this belief draws great abundance to them. Thus it appears that good things happen to good people. The opposite is also true. Those who feel no connection with God and who believe that they are an island unto themselves, separate from everything else, bring to themselves what they believe. If they believe in a cruel and punishing world as their true reality, or even if they believe in a "milder" version that they are not deserving (there really is no distinction between the two as there are not degrees of illusion), then this is what is brought to them as their thoughts create their reality. Fear and lack of abundance will be brought to them, which only serves to reinforce their belief that the world is a dark place. This downward cycle can only be broken when they take Atonement for themselves and begin to see through eyes of Oneness.