The World of Grandpa Don

"If you don't have something good to say ..."

"... (about a person) don't say anything at all." This is the way to avoid the sin of slander. The same applies to slandering a company, institution or a religion. 

Too often we repeat something about someone because we hear it from a friend or what we perceive as a reliable source. It is so easy to do these days just by forwarding an email to everyone we know. In many cases, we are instructed to do just that. I recently received an email encouraging everyone to boycott a product on the basis of an assertion that was totally false. It was sent by a well-meaning friend  who did not stop to check the veracity of the story. Of course, the friend who sent it to him was just as much at fault. 

We should be suspicious of anything that is harmful to anyone or anything. In the case above, it only took a few minutes to find the corporation's web page and see their notice of the total falsehood of the accusation. And, when in doubt, don't repeat an accusation or rumor and become a party to a malicious attack. 

There is another aspect of the "sin" of slander. People think that if it is true, they can say anything that comes to them. That may be OK in a court of law but not so in the eyes of God. Our Catholic church maintains that if you reveal something about a person that harms his reputation, true or not, you are guilty of slander. Think about it! 

God expects us to confess our own sins. He does not want others to do it for us or us to confess the sins of others.

So, if we want to be safe, and we want to be charitable, and we learn something which can hurt another, we will keep it to ourselves. There may be a situation that would require us to confront the issue privately. There may be a case that requires us to notify an authority.  But we must give series thought to the outcome of our actions and to our own motives. 

Don't be a "Forwarding Slave" and mindlessly send on everything that comes to you. Think about it's veracity and the effect it will have, ... especially if it turns out to be false.

Don Plefka
02/12/03