“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”  — Exodus 20:16.

The Internet and e-mail provide us with easy and effective ways of communicating with friends and business partners. Twenty years ago we had no idea what e-mail was. Today we live in the ancient past without it. 

The dark side of this modern convenience is that we can spread false rumors quickly and efficiently. During the run-up to the national elections last fall I received several e-mails from friends insinuating that our current president was a Muslim and an alumnus of a Madras school. Yes, his grandfather was Muslim, but his father was an atheist; and, he never attended an Islamic school. Our president professes to be a Christian for whom the words of Micah 6:8 serve as his guiding light:

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

One may rightfully engage in disagreement with one’s political views and actively challenge his/her policies, but character assassination is another matter.

For years, beginning in the 1970s, I received mailings and warnings from well-intentioned parishioners that the “moon-and-stars logo,” adopted by Proctor & Gamble in the mid-1800s and abandoned in 1985, was a symbol signifying P & G was in league with Satan. It turned out the rumor was initiated by four Utah Amway distributors who sold products in competition with P & G. P & G was eventually awarded $19 million in damages by a federal court in Salt Lake City (Omaha World-Herald, “A Cheesy Urban Legend,” March 28, 2007).

Whether in politics, in business, or in our personal relationships, as the people of God we are not to spread untruths or misleading statements about others. For some of us, our reputations may be about all we possess. Our integrity is our most prized possession. For this reason, God protects relationships with a commandment regarding the use of one’s tongue (or e-mail).

Jesus instructed us to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, with our entire mind, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Luke 10:27).  Sometimes, I think we love God with everything but our minds.  Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that faith is being sure of that for which we hope and being certain of what we do not see.  However, Jesus reminds us that faith does not give us permission to be irrational.  There is a place for what is factual and reasonable in support of what we believe. There is a time to go with our heads as well as our hearts.

Next time you open one of those e-mails seeking to discredit someone’s credibility or point of view, think twice before passing it on. Be cautious lest you innocently participate in a scheme which may damage a person’s life or a company’s reputation.