All this could be considered gossip by this definition. Gossip uses other people so that we may feel good or entertained. And when we use people, we turn them into objects. It depends on your heart. Would the person want it to be told? Does your heart want the good of all parties involved, those being told of and those being told? Will telling aid positive concern and help for those involved? Or is it for you, your gain, your benefit?
We are taught that the state of consciousness we are in during our last moments in the body have a profound effect on our after-death existence. So, when it may be presumed that life is ending, the pious Hindu will often begin to chant mantras as a way to help the transition. Those who are dying and unable to chant or even coherently think often appreciate loved ones chanting for them bedside. These are two very different behaviors. What is the go-to conflict resolution method for most Christians?
Matthew 18 , of course. By its very nature, correct conflict resolution involves bringing information to light so everyone involved can make an informed decision.
Additionally, people may be sharing negative information about someone else for the benefit and protection of others. Likewise, an individual church member who is bringing uncomfortable information about someone else to light may just be trying to protect others. Why do you want to share this information? Do you believe it to be true?
Pro Tip: Be careful about accusing someone else of spreading gossip. In a misguided attempt to demonstrate love and forgiveness, or perhaps from a desire to live peacefully with others, too many Christians refuse to allow any sort of negative talk about other people.
Or am I striving to see the spiritual qualities always expressed by man? If we are praying to see that we really are spiritual and that God governs us all because He is our Father, then we have a head start on resolving difficulties.
We are also better able to keep our tongues from wagging over gossip about other people. In my case, I had an unexpected opportunity to learn specifically that the statements made about these people could not be true. And this made me especially glad that I had spent more time in prayer than in gossip! Eddy is the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.
You can find more articles like this one in the Christian Science Sentinel, a weekly magazine. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
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And his team has found that gossip is actually one of the forces that promotes cooperation among groups, too. Experiments his team have done suggest that the threat of being gossiped about deters untrustworthy behavior; once people have been gossiped about for behaving in an untrustworthy way, they tend to reform their behavior; and gossip helps people know who to avoid and not trust.
Together the evidence suggests that gossip may play an important role in maintaining social order, Willer says. Are you stabbing someone in the back by telling that story? Is that news going to stop something bad from happening? Tell it like it is. Leave the exaggeration at the door, Willer says.
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