In the tale of Chicken Little, Disney version, there is a group of ladies known as the "Rocking Chair Brigade". This group of ladies led by Henny Penny spend their days pecking their beaks into other people's business, gossiping. We all know the type of people I am talking about, as this Chicken Little Farmyard story makes for a great analogy for an annoying personality trait. This week I overheard someone talking about me, and well, I was annoyed. I tried to down play it and pretend that the gossip did not bother me, but who was I fooling? The pecking was coming from someone who does not know me but is friends with someone who is very disgruntled with myself, unfortunately there has been no room for reconciliation. I have had to block this group of people out of my life, but the damage this is causing to some of my relationships is concerning, especially for those I hold dear to my heart. I spent 25 years inside the Christian faith, for the most part, I was happy with the family of extended brothers and sisters that I considered family. As I have written before, I became somewhat of a self-righteous prude who knew best because of my conversion to the only path to God, or so I was programmed. I did glean some principles for navigating life on Earth. The biggest of these principles is that loving others is loving God, and loving God is loving others. We cannot do a joyful life without serving the Creator in this way. Loving others is the true path to living a life of joy, peace, and love for a life everlasting. Gossip and slander go against everything that Jesus was teaching. Gossip: casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. Slander: the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation. From the written words of Paul, in the letter to the Romans, gossip and slander are very serious crimes. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1: 29-32 The words found in the Bible can sometimes be harsh, and there are no minced words in the above passage. In a world full of narcissistic behavior, personality disorder, and criticism it may not seem like a big deal to talk about someone, as it appears everyone does it. There is a big difference between talking about someone in reverent concern based on a loving heart or slandering someone in a malicious attempt to prove oneself better and more righteous. The last part of the passage says something that should be most concerning, if you know God's righteous decree you deserve death. Wow... Professing Christians, in which the slander against me originated, need to understand that this is very serious. The Bible states that there is only one unforgivable sin, "blasphemy of the Holy Spirit". What does this mean exactly? Blasphemy means slander, speaking ill, impious speech, and not showing respect, especially regarding a deity or God. The Holy Spirit is something that dwells in your bodily temple, your soul, and your mind. So, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is disrespecting or slander against our inner spirit. Strange concept? If we are all connected and we are all one, then to persecute someone with slander and/or gossip pollutes everyone the persecuted are connected to. Anyone who follows a loving God would not want to bring harm to any part of the body of believers in God. "Righteous judgment!" I hear the clamoring from the religious right. I witnessed so much judgment from the self-proclaiming righteous, and not just inside the walls of the Christian institutions. Anyone projecting judgment on someone through gossip or slander is following in the ways of evil intent, there is no other way to sugarcoat it. Before gossiping about someone, the question one should ask themselves is, "Does the dispute towards the accused affect my life in any way?". If we have a grievance against someone, it is for the grieved to go to the person they feel wronged by directly. We should never whisper behind someone's back even if what we possess about someone is true. Disclaimer: Please read the above paragraph again. Now, if the accused party is harming someone, this is cause for concern. There are many resources to deal with harmful people, including social workers, counselors, police, etc. For anyone who does not hold on to any religious understanding or believe in God, I do apologize for any feeling of condemnation from this blog. I am writing from a personal position of annoyance (not anger) and is not intended toward those who don't understand. This blog is directed to those individuals who hide behind the cloak of the God that I follow, which is based on love. The teachings of Jesus had much to say about many of the topics I write about. Just so that everyone is aware, the charge against Jesus that got him hung on a cross in the most heinous and torturous ways, was BLASPHEMY. Since 2018 and my slow conversion out of Christianity, I could never shake the teachings of Jesus. I learned from my superhero that love is the answer to living life. I have tried very hard to rid myself of ego and self-pride, as well as toxic relationships where I feel the need to defend myself against wrongful accusations. I want to surround myself with people who edify and build one another up. I want to be a light to those in dark places. I want to serve where I can serve. I want to be available for peaceful resolutions to complex issues. I want to walk with people who follow the teachings of Jesus, found in oneness, unity, truth, and of course LOVE. In leaving this blog, I refuse to be part of Henny Penny's pecking crew, the Rocking Chair Brigade. I do want everyone to know that I will always forgive when asked to forgive, and I never hold grudges. I will continue to try my best to find an understanding of people's actions. I will continue to examine my heart before engaging in discussions about people who are not in the room. Remember to love always. By a vessel, William John
2 Comments
Eileen
2/1/2024 10:26:42 am
Well said, my friend. The Old Testament also holds stern warnings against gossip.
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Mahalia
2/2/2024 06:48:27 am
Beautifully written William and thank you for your vulnerability and sincerity in awakening us to the ginormous issue of ego based slander and gossip and our need to heal it.
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