Anti-pornography (and slander, and more) in the Bible

A Psalm by David.

101:1 I will sing of loving kindness and justice.

To you, Yahweh, I will sing praises.

101:2 I will be careful to live a blameless life.

When will you come to me?

I will walk within my house with a blameless heart.

101:3 I will set no vile thing before my eyes.

I hate the deeds of faithless men.

They will not cling to me.

101:4 A perverse heart will be far from me.

I will have nothing to do with evil.

101:5 I will silence whoever secretly slanders his neighbor.

I won’t tolerate one who is haughty and conceited.

101:6 My eyes will be on the faithful of the land,

that they may dwell with me.

He who walks in a perfect way,

he will serve me.

101:7 He who practices deceit won’t dwell within my house.

He who speaks falsehood won’t be established before my eyes.

101:8 Morning by morning, I will destroy all the wicked of the land;

to cut off all the workers of iniquity from Yahweh’s city. (World English Bible, public domain)

Verse 3a has an admonition against willingly experiencing pornography. And there are some more admonitions. Verse 5a is against slander. Verse 4b covers it all, I guess: "I will have nothing to do with evil." If that doesn't cover it all, there's 2a, "I will be careful to lead a blameless life." But, in spite of the importance of the warnings, Perhaps the first verse of the Psalm, "I will sing of loving kindness and justice. To you, Yahweh, I will sing praises" is the most important command. If I spend time praising God, verbally or in other media, I won't have time to slander anyone, or to indulge in pornography, or commit other sins. 

Thanks for reading. Praise God!

**** 

Added July 12, 2024:

Pornography is a form of adultery, and slander is a form of false witness. Both of these are forbidden by the Ten Commandments.

Sins we can commit with our tongues

In spite of the title of this post, we aren't really capable of sinning with our tongues. Our heart, our brain, our character, commits sins, some of which are expressed by the tongue. (And also, in the 21st Century, by texting, e-mail, blogs, in print, and through social media.) As Jesus put it: Matt 15:18 But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man.19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. (All Bible quotations from the World English Bible, which is public domain.)
Note that the latter two are sins expressed by the tongue. The others, not so much. But all of them "come out of the heart."

There are some "tongue sins" mentioned in Scripture. Two of them are from the Ten Commandments:

Exodus 20:7 You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who misuses his name. (There is a text note in the WEB, as follows: or, You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain.)

and

16 You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 

The first of these two would seem to indicate that careless use (is there any other kind?) of "OMG," or what that abbreviation stands for, is sinful. Perhaps a more serious violation of that commandment would be to claim that God wants someone to do (or not do) something, when that action, or inaction, is not really of God. Perhaps most of the Crusades were examples of such misuse of God's name, for example.

As to false testimony, probably most lying is also sinful. (But see "Lying, deceit and dishonesty in the Bible," which points out a few examples where God seemed to have condoned verbal deceit. In no case did God condone such deceit where it was to the unfair advantage of the deceiver over others, or where it was to escape a deserved penalty.) When in doubt, I should tell the truth, especially under oath.
 
Mat 5:22 says that we aren't to call anyone a fool. That would seem to include co-workers, family members, politicians that we disagree with, as well as others.

Paul warns against foolish talk in Ephesians 4:29 and 5:4. James 3:10 says that we shouldn't curse. Jesus said that we should not swear, but just speak the truth - Mat 5:37. See also James 5:12.

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others … (Wikipedia) See Romans 1:29, 2 Corinthians 12:20, 1 Timothy 5:13.

Slander is a false or malicious claim that may harm someone's reputation. (Wikipedia) See Matthew 15:19, Ephesians 4:31, Colossians 3:8, Psalm 101:5

There are other ways that we can sin with the tongue. One is to express pride in ourselves, or those in our family or group, to the low-rating of others. Another is that our talk may be overly self-centered, because we are overly self-centered. I can't document this, but someone said that there was a study done on phone conversations, and the word "I" occurred more often that any other. If I'm self-centered, I don't listen much, or at all. Using our tongue too much, when we should be attentively using our ears, can be sinful.


Enough of what we shouldn't do. What should we use our tongue for? 
David said:

Psalm 15:1 Yahweh, who shall dwell in your sanctuary?

Who shall live on your holy hill?

2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right,

and speaks truth in his heart;

3 he who doesn’t slander with his tongue,

nor does evil to his friend,

nor casts slurs against his fellow man;

4 in whose eyes a vile man is despised,

but who honors those who fear Yahweh;

he who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn’t change . . .

Isaiah 50:4 The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of those who are taught,

that I may know how to sustain with words him who is weary

  

It seems that the Bible teaches that the worst sin of the tongue is not any of those mentioned above. Rather, the worst sin of the tongue is failing to praise God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for who He is and what He has done. 

There are at least two hundred passages in the Bible about praising God. A few of them are below.

Revelation is a book that is difficult to interpret. But one thing seems clear. God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is to be praised:

Revelation 15:3 They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty!

Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations.

4 Who wouldn’t fear you, Lord,

and glorify your name?

For you only are holy.

For all the nations will come and worship before you.

For your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Luke 19:36 As he went, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was now getting near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works which they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!”

39 Some of the Pharisees from the multitude said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40 He answered them, “I tell you that if these were silent, the stones would cry out.”

Hebrews 13:15 Through him, then, let’s offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name.

Acts 2:46 Day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. The Lord added to the assembly day by day those who were being saved.

Luke 23:46 Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Having said this, he breathed his last. 47 When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous man.”

There's plenty of praise in the Psalms, such as:

Psalm 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,

and into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him, and bless his name.

5 For Yahweh is good.

His loving kindness endures forever,

his faithfulness to all generations.

Here's the last of the Psalms, in its entirety:

Psalm 150:1 Praise Yah!

Praise God in his sanctuary!

Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power!

2 Praise him for his mighty acts!

Praise him according to his excellent greatness!

3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet!

Praise him with harp and lyre!

4 Praise him with tambourine and dancing!

Praise him with stringed instruments and flute!

5 Praise him with loud cymbals!

Praise him with resounding cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise Yah!

Praise Yah!

 

May my tongue be an expression of my integrity, uplift others, and praise God. Thanks for reading!

Slander and libel

The Wikipedia has a good article on slander, defamation of character, and libel. All of these are attempts at harming a person's reputation by spreading false statements about them. Slander is basically done in ordinary speech. Libel is written. I'm not sure what a YouTube video, or a newscast on radio would be, assuming that it was spreading false statements, as such speech has a longer life than something you might say while in line at Walmart, and, therefore, is not "ordinary speech." Under U. S. law, defaming a public person requires that not only are false statements spread, but that they are spread with malice, intent to harm. That's often difficult to prove, even though it's often true.

Depending on the version used, there are about ten mentions of slander in the New Testament, all of them condemning it in some way. Here is the results of a search for that word, using the English Standard Version. One of the instances (1 Timothy 5:14) warns against giving enemies of Christians reason to slander them. The others warn against slander as sinful behavior. The word, libel, does not occur in the New Testament, at least not in the ESV.

Here are two of the passages mentioning slander, quoted from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain.:
Matthew 15:16 So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand? 17  Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body? 18  But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. 19  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. 20  These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.” (Mark 7:17-22 is similar. The World English Bible uses "false testimony," rather than "slander.")

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you. (Colossians 3:8 and 1 Peter 2:1 also warn Christians against practicing slander.)

Thanks for reading. Be careful what you say about other people.

Loose talk

Mark 7:20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (ESV, emphasis added. "He" is Jesus.)

The Bible has a lot to say about sins of communication, including slander and gossip. The Wikipedia (accessed July 4, 2009) says this about gossip: "Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing (unproven) facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information transmitted. The term also carries implications that the news so transmitted (usually) has a personal or trivial nature, as opposed to normal conversation."

The Wikipedia (accessed on the same date) says this about slander: "slander refers to a malicious, false and defamatory spoken statement or report . . ."

The Bible condemns both of these, but there is some difference. Slander may be a crime, and it involves deliberate spreading of falsehoods. Gossip is talking too freely about the personal affairs of others. Much of what passes for news, in this day and time, also constitutes gossip. Was, for instance, the pervasive media coverage of the crimes connected with the Watergate affair, or of former President Clinton's activity with Monica Lewinsky, or of the adulterous affair of current (so far) South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford news or gossip? Why was I interested in these matters? To be an informed citizen, or because I wanted to hear about all the dirty details, and, especially, to hear speculation about more possible revelations? It's hard to say, but I'm afraid that I haven't always paid attention to the news for good reasons.

It seems clear that exactly when talk becomes gossip is difficult to pin down. We surely may be legitimately concerned about people, and share these concerns when asking for prayer. But we have no business circulating statements about the private affairs of other people just to have something to say, at least not when those statements do not portray those people in a positive way. (It may not just be to have something to say -- we may be passing on gossip so as to receive some of the same in return, and have an unhealthy, and sinful interest in gossip.)

The New Testament condemns slander in at least these passages, besides the quotation above: (Matthew 15:19, Ephesians 4:31, Colossians 3:8, 2 Peter 2:1) Gossip is forbidden in 1 Timothy 5:13 and 2 Corinthians 12:20.

Romans 1 condemns both slander and gossip: 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (ESV, emphasis added.)

2 Corinthians 12:20 also condemns both, although not in quite as strong a language as Paul used in Romans 1: 20: For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. (ESV, emphasis added.)

I close with this statement from the Proverbs: 11:13 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. (ESV)

God help me. Thanks for reading.

Passing on political rumors can be a sin

I don't know which presidential candidate I'm going to vote for. I'm sure that neither Obama nor McCain are going to bring the promised land to the US, much less to the world.

Whatever their flaws, such as Obama's inexperience and McCain's ignorance of the economy, they deserve to be treated fairly in this election. Unfortunately, they haven't always been. There seems to be fairly general agreement among the press that they treated Hilary Clinton unfairly because she is a woman, and that may have contributed to her loss to Obama.

I can't do much about the press, but I can try to do something about another type of unfairness. I am all-too-often getting e-mails from (I hope) well-meaning people who pass on various lies about Mr. Obama. There are probably similar lies being circulated about McCain, but so far, I haven't received any. (Here's a Slate article about some of those lies, about Obama, and John Edwards.)

Here's a response, in advance, to some of these messages:

I checked some of the material you sent, and, according to snopes.com, a widely recognized rumor-checking source, the statements in the e-mail you forwarded to me are mostly or entirely a fabrication. This is not the first time that it will happen, but it shouldn't. I recall the Internet circulated claim, before the 2000 election, that Al Gore didn't know John 3:16. Gore had been a lifelong Southern Baptist , and had written a book that was enough related to Christianity that Christianity Today interviewed Gore a couple of years before the election. I don't believe that interview is available on the Internet, but I read the article myself, in Christianity Today. There was also a false claim, in the same election year cycle, that John McCain had an illegitimate black child. This rumor was widely circulated in South Carolina, and apparently contributed to McCain's loss in the primary here that year -- he might have been the Republican candidate for President, rather than Bush, if he had won in SC.

Both candidates have their weaknesses, and neither of them is going to bring us the millennium on earth. Both of them deserve to be fairly heard. Whoever starts these rumors is guilty of a sin that the New Testament condemns in at least four places, namely slander. Whoever passes them on may be equally guilty. (Matthew 15:19, Ephesians 4:31, Colossians 3:8, 2 Peter 2:1 ) I don't want to be guilty of slander by passing on such material.
I'm not sure I've got the courage to send this, rather than just deleting the e-mail. We'll see.
Thanks for reading!

August 3, 2012

I'll leave the above as is, but, if I were writing it today, I would have made some reference to Mr. Romney, and also mentioned Facebook as a common medium for passing on political slander and libel.

Thanks for reading! Pass it on.