In colloquial use such as this? Why, its colloquial meaning, of course: to condemn.

In day-to-day usage, the verb "to judge", when not applied to pies and preserves, science fair projects, and Miss America contestants, is used in the same sentence with "bad", "evil", and so forth. "Good" and its synonyms will appear in conjunction with "bad" for the purpose of contrast, but not alone. It is then applied to people, not to their behavior.

You moderate your usage as your essay continues. Yet the terms "ratbags" and "crooks" appear, bestowing meaning that extends beyond actions to whole people.

To judge someone means to take account of their actions, attitudes, behaviors, and other things and decide whether they are doing something right or wrong.

This assumes knowledge of attitudes and behaviors, and other things. You measure against a standard of right and wrong as it would be for you. There's a reason why the 10 Commandments have undergone as much exigesis as they have: it takes a lot of investigation and testimony to "judge" someone else, because of all the things we do not know. Some of them we will never know.

We can place value, positive and negative, on actions. When we judge other people, that's not the same thing.

All my life, Tom, even though I no longer believe in the deity, I have tried to live out of the New Testament. It's a revolutionary way of looking at people, and at the world: "the kingdom of God is at hand" -- it's right here, right now. I couldn't do the work I do without that. As fierce as my temper is -- and it is -- I find anger very unappealing as a force for change, because of what it does to me and the world around me. Judgment passed on other people, not on what is or is not acceptable behavior, is anger-based. I can't really do love-based. But I can do generosity-based. And if that makes me a sucker, so be it.

Hell is part of that big metaphor we call "the kingdom of God", too. It's a place of judgment, and a place I would prefer not to contribute to. I want to contribute to redemption, because that's what I hope for for myself.

Best regards--
Mary Anne