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Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Ninth Commandment: Shalt Not Bear False Witness

‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' Exod 20: 16.

That you shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor (perjury) also pertains to gossip, maligning others and lying (falsehoods) in general.

“It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
Matthew 15
http://biblehub.com/matthew/15-11.htm

“God is Truth and, therefore, hates the lie above all else.”

“Wherefore not those that are slandered, but the slanderers, have need to be anxious and tremble.” 

“To speak lies through gossip and slander in a casual manner, murdering another’s reputation thoughtlessly, without concern for the injury done, is also an extremely serious evil, one which soon becomes a terrible and soul-destroying habit, broadcasting, as it does, destruction, hatred, and strife in every direction. Even worse, once spoken, the gossip and slander take on, so to speak, a life of their own, becoming uncontrollable and unstoppable, like a runaway nuclear chain reaction, annihilating truth as an atomic explosion annihilates life. For all of this, for all of this, for the engulfing disaster that gossip and slander inevitably become, the foul tongue of the initial speaker is wholly responsible, and will be so judged by God.
http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/thou-shalt-not-bear-false-witness-against-thy-neighbour.aspx

A personal corollary for each of seeking self-redemption is that as we self-monitor our speech, we need also to observe our thoughts. Not in a judgemental way, but in a calm, passive and dispassionate manner. To engage self rationalization or self condemnation derails the thought process you’re observing and thwarts the self transformation process.