Stop It. [Now.]

Last night, my family and I had a lengthy discussion over dinner about why Mormons are the most judged group of people. We came to the conclusion that:
It's not because of our views.
It's not because of our standards.
It's not because of our faith.
While these things seem to be the leading causes of judgment emanating from "outsiders",  it is completely reversed. It is because of the way we judge others based on our views, our faith and our standards. So stop it.
Have you ever wondered why Mormons are typically referred to as bigots, homophobes, haters and many other seemingly harsh and hurtful things? Have you ever thought that maybe--just maybe--it's not them? It just might be you.
But then again, it can't be you! Because you're perfect, right? You're a good, upstanding, obedient member of the Church. You never do anything wrong, so everyone must be held to your standard because you know what the Lord expects of you!
Think about this:
Others may not know or even understand the Lord's expectations for them as they walk through life. This doesn't just apply to the nonmembers. We've all judged members of our own congregations. Don't deny it.
We've all seen a girl come to church in a shorter skirt than what For the Strength of Youth encourages. We've all thought to ourselves, "Wow. How can her parents let her out of the house like that? What horrific parenting." While we think this, we disregard our own faults, and from the pride boiling in our hearts with a hint of judgment, we have created a monster: a hypocrite.
While it's awful to judge members of the Church, it's just as bad to judge those outside of it. Yes, people drink coffee and beer. They haven't learned about--let alone accepted--the Word of Wisdom. Yes, people get tattoos. They haven't made covenants to refrain from doing so. Yes, people smoke. Addictions are real. Yes, people curse aloud. They weren't taught that speaking that way is not in harmony with the Spirit. Yes, people dress immodestly. The definition of modesty in the LDS Church differs from that of another faith or even no faith at all. Yes, people act on homosexual urges. Not everyone has ready The Family: A Proclaimation to the World; they may not have yet received a witness from the Spirit that is revelation from God given to His prophet. We just don't know, and because we don't know the hearts of those around us, we can't judge the individuals because of how they choose to use their agency.
Mormons tend to stick their noses up at people who have sins that are noticeable--as if they aren't good enough to run with our crowd. Wait, our crowd?
I thought this was the Church of Jesus Christ.
I thought that Christ spent most of His earthly ministry with those who were sick and afflicted. I'm not just talking about the literally ill people of His time. I'm talking about the spiritually sick.
We shouldn't be sticking to Mormons. We should be putting ourselves out there to show the world that we're exactly what they think we are not. We should be shining our light.
But maybe we should find it first.
I wish I could say that we were all at least close to perfect at loving our neighbor. We aren't anywhere close.
When someone does something we don't particularly agree with, we shouldn't shoot them down. In fact, we should be raising them up and loving them more. Right?
Who are we to say that someone isn't going to make it to Heaven? I thought God was the only one who had the authority to make that judgment.
Who are we to sneer at and make snide remarks towards two boys holding hands at the mall when we're breaking a commandment that we have covenanted to keep? Love one another. Just not, lest ye be judged. Be meek and lowly in heart. Honestly, I think Christ would turn around and walk with them.
We are disciples of Christ. Rather than judging the afflicted, as we are all guilty of doing, we should be lifting their spirits and showing them that we don't care where they've been or who they are. We should be showing them that we want them to understand their potential, but we don't do that by calling them out on their faults.
Encouragement and love is what it takes to serve God's children.
Judgment of others in this life will only yield a harsher judgment for us who have had the gospel as we journey through mortality. We have it. Let's live it. If we don't...good luck.
Because we are imperfect, we have imperfect tendencies, and one of those that we are more inclined to act on is enforcing our judgment in unrighteous ways. What's great about imperfection is that we have Jesus Christ. We have His Atonement which enables us to be clothed with power to overcome the bad. He can help us refocus our lives on the more important things. He can aid us in positioning our perspective on the gospel.
Focus on you.
Focus on your family.
Focus on doing good and focus on loving.
The only people that we should be holding to our standard as Latter-day Saints is ourselves.
If you find yourself judging, as President Dieter F. Uchtdorf put it ever-so simply,

"Stop it."