Title: The Eighth Commandment
1The Eighth Commandment
- You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor.
2Why should we not bear false witness?
- God is the source of all truth.
- His Word is truth.
- His Law is truth.
- His faithfulness endures to all generations.
- As Gods people, we are called to live in the
truth.
3Offenses Against Truth
- False witness and perjury
- Rash judgment assuming as true the moral fault
of a neighbor - Detraction disclosing anothers faults and
failings
4Offenses Against Truth
- Calumny harming the reputation of others by
remarks contrary to the truth - Lying violates the nature of truthfulness and
does real violence to another.
5Slander
- The evil tongue ... (or slander) is considered
among the Jewish people as one of the worst sins
imaginable ... one almost tantamount to murder in
that the good name, livelihood, reputation, etc.
can all be destroyed by a single word, look,
expression.
6How to Avoid Sins Against Truth
- To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be
careful to interpret insofar as possible his
neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a
favorable way
7Dont Be Afraid to Speak Up!
- The Christian is not to "be ashamed of testifying
to our Lord" (2 Tim 18) in deed and word.
Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the
truth of the faith.
8One man spread a rumor about another. He later
felt regret, and went to the rabbi to ask how to
make amends. "Go to the store and buy a bag of
seeds," said the rabbi, "then go to a big open
field and scatter the seeds into the wind. Do so
and report back to me in a week." The man did as
he was told, and came back the next week to find
out what to do next. "Now," said the rabbi, "go
back to the field and pick up all the
seeds." "But," protested the man, "those seeds
have scattered far and wide! I'll never find
them all. Many have even already taken
root!" "Exactly," explained the rabbi. "Now you
understand. When we speak badly about another
person, the effect is far and wide. And it is
damage that can never be fully undone."