“God’s teachers do not judge.” To judge is to be dishonest, for to judge is to assume a position you do not have. What is there in you that knows all the ramifications of every situation whereby you can render fair judgment of any brother or any situation? Judgment without self-deception is impossible. When you judge against your brothers, it implies that you have been deceived in them. How, then, could you not have been deceived in yourself?

Judgment implies a lack of trust. This brother or this situation would not be in front of you if it were not put there by the Holy Spirit for your learning and growth. Trust in Him to know where and how your lessons can best be learned. Trust remains the bedrock of the teacher of God’s whole thought system. Let this be lost, and all learning goes.

“Without judgment are all things equally acceptable, for who could judge otherwise?” Without judgment are all men brothers, for who is there who stands apart? In order to judge another, you must see him as “not you” and as “apart from you.” Otherwise, who would be the judge, and who would be the judged? You and your brother both share the Christ Mind, and the Christ is the Son of God. God has only one Son. So how could you and your brother be apart? “Separate bodies” means nothing, as “bodies” mean nothing. They are not real. God’s Son IS real. Created in love, He IS love.

“Only what He created is real.”

(Preface, page x)

“Judgment destroys honesty and shatters trust. No teacher of God can judge and hope to learn.

In our efforts to tame the wilderness of life, we believe it is crucial to have high standards. These high standards tell us what belongs inside the garden of our mind and what must be kept out. We feel that if we relax our standards and let just anything or anyone into our “space” that we have decided does not belong, we not only lose control, but we lose our self-respect and our peace.

But have we forgotten that everything and everyone that comes to us is sent by the Holy Spirit? And that He will tell us who to see and what to say, where to go, what to do, and even how to do it? If anyone or anything is NOT supposed to be in your ”space,” let go and trust God to remove him/it.

The advanced teacher of God sees something we have missed. He sees that this constant process of attempting to order our world through judgment – judging what to let in and what to exclude – comes with a heavy toll. For one thing, it establishes a very narrow range of acceptability. It says things have to be just right (as we see it) or we lose our peace. For another, it makes us a rejector, an excluder, one who cannot tolerate people unless they meet our standards. As a result, we are sour on ourselves and we are sour on them. We frown while we pound that “no trespassing” sign into the ground, because we are inwardly frowning on ourselves.

The teacher of God is unwilling to pay this price. Hence, he discards judgment. He is unwilling to distinguish between pleasant and unpleasant situations, or between desirable and undesirable people. True, he makes decisions, based on His guidance. But in his heart, everything is just fine with him, and everyone is welcome. “Without judgment are all things equally acceptable . . . Without judgment are all men brothers.” (1:8,9) This is how the advanced teacher of God looks on the world. He has found a tolerance as limitless as the love of God; his peace knows no bounds. He knows only GOD IS.

MANUAL FOR TEACHERS

4.III. TOLERANCE

RECAP

1. “God’s teachers do not judge.”

2. To judge is to be dishonest, for to judge is to assume a position you do not have.

3. Judgment without self-deception is impossible.

4. When you judge against your brothers, it implies that you have been deceived in them. How, then, could you not have been deceived in yourself?

5. Judgment implies a lack of trust. Trust remains the bedrock of the teacher of God’s whole thought system. Let this be lost, and all learning goes.

6. Without judgment are all things equally acceptable, for who could judge otherwise?

7. Without judgment are all men brothers, for who is there who stands apart?

8. Judgment destroys honesty and shatters trust. No teacher of God can judge and hope to learn.

9. Judgment carries a heavy toll. It says things have to be just right – according to YOUR perception of “what is right.” So it establishes a very narrow range of acceptability. Tolerance would therefore preclude judgment.

10. The teacher of God discards judgment, and looks to the Holy Spirit for His Way of looking at the world and all things in it. The tolerance of the advanced teacher of God is inherent in the love of God. God loves all equally and maximally, and therefore so must we. AMEN.