It can be easy to repeat what we hear. But that doesn't mean we should.

What one hears may not necessarily be true; and no one wants unwittingly to be taken in by, or made to participate in, the spread of falsehood. So, even though it's not the way society in general seems to go about things these days, it is worth all the self-restraint we can muster to keep ourselves from indiscriminately repeating what we hear. We need to be alert and discerning about what we listen to, what we take in, and what we repeat in our thought or to others—whether we are alone, at the supermarket, or conversing with a respected friend.

Not to be taken in by falsehood is a condition for not being harmed (or causing harm) by falsehood, as well as for obeying the Ninth Commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" (Ex. 20:16). To repeat what is false is to become a false witness and thus to bear false witness against the fact of man's true identity as God's, Truth's, spiritual image and likeness, or Truth's witness.

Whatever represents man as anything other than God's perfect reflection is a lie about man—a lie about you and me and our neighbors. The only way this lie can be corrected is for us to listen to, take in, and repeat the truth of man's being with our whole heart, soul, and mind. This Christly activity may not be as easy as repeating what we hear without first exposing it to the light of Truth for correction, but it is far more beneficial for everyone. As we read in Proverbs, "A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies" (14:25).

Christ Jesus, the most proficient witness-bearer of the truth of being, showed us how to deliver ourselves and one another from deceptive beliefs manifest as sin and disease. He performed his reforming and healing work by keeping himself undeceived by falsehood.

First and foremost, Jesus worshiped one God, good, as the origin and governor of all. And because of his spiritual knowledge of this truth, he knew that all evil originates within itself—the material lie, or pack of lies, about God and His creation—and he knew that this lie never reaches beyond itself. Evil can only seem to us to reach beyond itself when we allow ourselves to be taken in by it. Jesus dubbed this lie "the devil" and said of it: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44).

It is clear that Jesus' devotion to bearing witness to the truth of being did not render him naive regarding evil in any form. Rather, it made him so keenly aware of evil's nothingness and powerlessness that he could readily and compassionately deliver the sick and sinning who had been duped by it.

To one degree or another, every human being has been duped by the lie that portrays man as material, that would hide his true nature as the wholly spiritual image of the infinite God, Spirit, in which there is no matter or limitation of good. Christ, the true idea Jesus presented, is still here to save us from deception. And divine Science, the Comforter which Jesus promised the Father would send to explain his teachings, is here to prepare us to receive, and be tenderly corrected by, Christ. In line with this, Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science, gives this very helpful interpretation of the Ninth Commandment: "'Thou shalt not bear false witness;' that is, thou shalt not utter a lie, either mentally or audibly, nor cause it to be thought" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 67). How can we exercise the self-restraint, the mental and spiritual discipline, required to carry out this directive in our daily lives, so that we can save ourselves and others from evil's deceptions?

We can humbly and prayerfully cherish the unselfish desire to follow Jesus' example—to cleave to God, to divine Truth and Love, with the depth of genuine longing to know Him and His creation rightly so that we cannot be deceived into believing that evil can ever be real, powerful, or a part of any person. This doesn't mean that we overlook or condone sin, but we can cherish the sincere desire never to be false to God, to ourselves, or to any other person. We can devote ourselves to the faithful examination of our own thoughts to keep them true, sin-destroying, and health-giving. We can determine never to condemn person, but to work earnestly and compassionately to know and bring out the truth of being so clearly that no righteous individual shall ever be misrepresented, and that there will be reformation and healing wherever they are needed.

Since these spiritual desires are contrary to the general drift of human thought and practice, we will find plenty of necessity each day to pause and nurture them through prayer. People express thoughts—sometimes very openly. In fact, the public pursuit and expression of all sorts of unhealthy, even salacious, material is highly fashionable today. Add to this the widespread suspicion that everyone, including persons in responsible positions, must have something evil in his or her character, and it becomes hard to know what is true and what is not true. But, turning meekly to the all-knowing divine Mind in prayer, we will know what we need to know. Then, we can sift and correctly assess each thought that reaches us, and only repeat to ourselves and others those thoughts that are honest and healing—that will bring out man's spirituality, man's wholeness and purity. This is best done not out of fear, but out of unselfed love. Unselfed love strengthens us to forgive ourselves and others when we fail, and inspires everyone to strive again and again to do better and better. Unselfed love operates to silence falsehood and sin.

No activity is more thrilling than cherishing the high goal of bearing true witness and striving diligently to attain it. It requires our constant attention. As Mrs. Eddy says, "People with mental work before them have no time for gossip about false law or testimony" (Science and Health, p. 238). People who love bearing witness to the truth of being don't consider this activity to be a sacrifice. They love exercising the humility and self-restraint it requires, the work and prayer it entails, and the flood of upbuilding and love-impelling thoughts it engenders, because it glorifies God while it saves us and others from deception and its effects.

Yes, the Ninth Commandment is a call for self-restraint. But who minds holding back from idle thought and talk when true witness-bearing is such a joyous and fruitful activity?

Barbara M. Vining

I PETER

If any man speak, let him speak
as the oracles of God; if any man
minister, let him do it as of the ability
which God giveth: that God in all
things may be glorified.

I Peter 4:11