by
Melinda Pillsbury-Foster
“Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
Lent
is a time to examine our values and how we express these with
action. The Ten Commandments have been a tool for examining values
for thousands of years. They make a great tool for seeing our own
values in new ways. In this first week of Lent I was drawn to
consider the Ninth Commandment and what light it can shed on human
behavior today.
Bearing
false witness means lying about someone. Usually, the lie defames
and misrepresents the target, making them vulnerable for further
attacks. Bullying often includes bearing false witness. The person
who is defamed is less able to defend themselves because many people
will draw back from contact, increasing the vulnerability of the
individual to more abuse. Others watching may also join in attacking
the targeted person. We see this taking place with children today
but adults react the same way.
The
individual defamed is often bewildered. They may never know what was
said about them. And because they do not know they cannot refute the
lies and defend themselves. More attacks can then come from
unexpected directions instigated either by the original liar or by
those drawn in to participate.
So,
why do people of all ages accept malicious lies as the truth? There
are lots of motives. Participants can experience a sense of false
righteousness. It is easy and satisfying to demean someone made
vulnerable. All too few pause to question the stories told them.
What
do you do when you hear a shocking or unflattering story about
someone you know?
Have
you ever gone to them and explained what you heard and listened to
their response?Most people will not do this, but they should. Have
you repeated unsubstantiated stories about others? As we have seen
with young teenagers lies can kill and traumatize. It is not true
that little harm can be done.
Perhaps
you were persuaded by the vehemence and anger exhibited by the
slanderer and decided the person slandered did was undeserving of
defense. This is equally a sin because we can know the truth if we
question the lie and ask the target.
Our
Savior told us to love one another. Part of loving is caring enough
to hear both sides of the story.
In
this Lenten season reflect on each Commandment and check how well
you really keep it.
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