"A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.
A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good."
(Prov 16:28-29 KJV)
Somewhere, somehow, we must take a stand and protect the innocent from slander. There is so much slander, so much aloneness in this world, and so much depression resulting from it. It often comes from one source: the ego or maybe it would be more accurate to say the devil who resides within us. Those in whom the Spirit of Christ does not reside often attack their neighbors; their friends; their enemies unjustly, causing much chaos, pain, and sorrow for their own gain.
Standing idly by because you do not want to become involved or become the next target is not all that helpful. Rather, as most of us confess on Sunday mornings, we end up sinning by what we have not done; by not supporting and helping our neighbor in need; by not supporting those who are being wrongly slandered or persecuted.
We need to confront those who would entice others to follow in a way that is not good for anyone even while we support and protect those who are falsely accused.
We teach our children in Sunday School and in Confirmation classes the eighth commandment; "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." We also teach them, as Luther taught, that this means: "We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way." (Luther's Small Catechism) How soon we forget what we have learned!
May God help us to love our neighbors and not cause them to suffer any form of anguish because of our actions or inactions.
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