16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)
The Eighth Commandment follows the Seventh not only in number but logically. To “bear false witness” is to lie, and when we lie about someone, we damage his or her honor and reputation. That is, in a sense, a form of theft, taking something from the person we’re lying about—his good name. Such a lie is known as a calumny.
But the implications of the Eighth Commandment go even further. When we think badly of someone without having a certain reason for doing so, we engage in rash judgment. We’re not giving that person what he or she is due—namely, the benefit of the doubt. When we engage in gossiping or backbiting, we don’t give the person we’re talking about a chance to defend herself. Even if what we say about her is true, we may be engaging in detraction—that is, telling the sins of another to someone who has no right to know those sins.
Learn to Tell the Truth: The 8th Commandment and Honesty in Relationships (6:37)
Here are the Catholic Ten Commandments:
- I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
- Honor your father and your mother.
- You shall not kill.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
