On The Sin Of Evil Speech

Jesus tells us to not judge, because we'll be judged (by Heaven) with the severity with which we judge other people. The criteria by which we judge others will be the same criteria by which we are judged. [ Matthew 7:1-2] Now that's a horrifying thought!

Saint Paul writes, Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. [Romans 14:19] Psalm 39:1 puts it this way, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin....”. The problem is, of course, that religious people are renowned for evil speech. Perhaps it's like this; people who are fairly well educated about right and wrong and sin and virtue are able to say bad things about others with greater technical precision.

But on the other hand, almost everyone spews forth bad things about other people, even if by accident. Indeed, the Talmud teaches that no one is so holy, so spiritually advanced, so self-disciplined as to always avoid saying something negative (even if with extreme mildness) about someone else at least once a day, if even by implication. I know it's hard for me, and the many television programs focusing on politics certainly don't help people avoid evil speech! From where I stand, most political speech certainly violates the commandments against evil speech and lying, by commission, omission, exaggeration, or twisting the truth.

James, the brother of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the first leader of the Christian Church wrote in his epistle [James 3:5-10] teaches,Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. Yes, the tongue is also a fire, a world of injustices is incorporated into our very bodies along with the tongue, which besmirches the entire body and inflames the whole cycle of our existence with a flame from Gehenna. Just think: all kinds of animals, birds, snakes, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by human beings, while the tongue, that disorderly menace full of deadly venom, cannot be tamed by anyone. With one and the same tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and then turn around and curse the human beings made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth issue praise and curse. That can't go on, brothers and sisters.

But what about someone who actually does something wrong, or stupid, or annoying? Is it all right to talk about it? The answer is, no. Not really. He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates the best of friends. [Proverbs 17:9] Except in the case of actual crime or endangerment, one ought to adopt Jesus' principle of treating others as you yourself would want to be treated, or spoken about.

Of the 44 sins enumerated in the Yom Kippur liturgy of confession, 11 of them are about evil speech and talebearing. All forms of what we call gossip (whether positive or negative) are included in the three kinds of evil speech to be avoided:

1. The first is Rechilus, talebearing, mere gossip. Leviticus 19:16 You shall not go up and down as a talebearer among your people. A talebearer is someone who goes around telling other people things he has heard about or from others. This is really hard! Especially if it's something interesting. In the stricter interpretation one shouldn't even mention really nice news about someone else, because you don't know how the information will be used down the information pipeline. If the “nice” information you've imparted is used to harm someone on down the line, you participate in that harm.

2. The second is Lashon Ha Ra, evil speech, malicious gossip. This is when that which is said about another person is something negative or detrimental. As well as the previous passage, Leviticus 25:17 says, You shall not wrong one another. This is traditionally interpreted as having to do with avoiding harm to other people, but especially by speech.

3. The third violation is Motzi Shem Ra, lying malicious gossip. Lying gossip is when that which one relates about someone else is false and harmful. This is ruining someone's name, and equivalent to murder. The Ten Commandments forbid false witness, as just one example out of many.

Christians often think, wrongly, that they are no longer obligated to obey what God has commanded. This only applies to Jewish ritual law. The moral law of the Old Covenant is still in force. For a Christian to actually think that it's morally permissible to speak ill of someone only attests to either ignorance of the Christian Faith (Love your neighbor like yourself...etc), or that one holds the heretical idea that what God explicitly forbids in the Bible is actually permitted.

But adhering to God's instructions regarding our speech is really HARD! When I get impatient or passionate about something it's very, very difficult to keep my mouth shut, and inevitably I regret it later. How well will I do with evil speech, especially after writing all this in a newsletter which goes out to almost 400 people?

Everyone struggles with all the human weaknesses, but we have to try, and keep trying. We're saved by grace through faith, but we have to actually do something, respond to God's loving will for us. Imagine a world without backbiting, without gossip, without character assassination. Where does it start? It starts with us; with you and with me.