Casting Critical Stones: Some Thoughts On Sin & Projection

I would say most if not all of my criticisms of other people have some bear some resemblance to me, that is, what I criticize other people about is usually, if I examine it in enough depth, a fault of my own. This is called "projection": When you have a quality or trait or behavior you do not want, are not able to "own" and claim as your own, then it's much easier, if not automatic, to see that negative quality projected onto someone else, like a movie projector projects moving images.

Though the term is used in psychology, I believe Christ himself hit this nail on the head when he made this famous statement (attributed to him, of course, by one of his followers, John), when presented with a woman was about to be stoned to death for the crime of adultery: “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.” As the story goes, the crowd that had assembled to start stoning the woman thought about it, then put down their stones and walked away, presumably humbled by the Nazarene's pronouncement. They were naturally with sin, as are all humans. Only God is without sin.

Making a criticism of someone else, I run the risk of casting a stone at someone, for to engage in criticism is to make judgments, value judgments, assessments of something that conclude whether of not the object of criticism is good (of value) or bad (not valuable). I believe the point made in the parable is that criticism (which can lead to and rationalize actual violent behavior, condemnation, social castigation) made by someone who himself is guilty is the highest form of hypocrisy possible, and in a spiritual (or moral) sense, much like casting the stone against yourself. If you stone her, you may as well stone yourself because you too are guilty. True, Christ may have also been saying, all humans are fallible, and only God can make such judgments as to a person's moral worth.

So, casting stones - making criticisms - of other people is to not only stone another but to stone yourself, to indirectly hurt one's self, but in what sense? What is the penalty or cost of casting critical stones at yourself, either indirectly through projection at/upon others, or directly through self criticisms?