8 th Commandment You shall not bear false witness

Do Now What is the most violated commandment today? Why?

Answer 1. Create a brief argument in support of the statement that to deny God is to deny the truth. 2. What did Jesus mean when he proclaimed that whoever lives the truth lives in the light? 3. How can teenagers share with others that the ultimate truth is found in God’s saving love, and that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life?

4. What are the results of living an honest life? What are the effects of lying? 5. How can sins against he Eighth Commandment harm another’s reputation?

Group work Read and summarize the assigned section of the text. 1.Honesty, the Key to Being Real (pg. 137) 2.Twentieth Century Martyrs (pg. 142) 3.Becoming a Person of Integrity (pg. 143) 4.Other Sins against Honesty (pg. 147) 5.Sins against Reputation (pg. 149) 6.Flattery and Boasting, When to Break a Confidence (pg. 150) 7.Calling Society to Integrity (pg. 152)

The Eighth Commandment You Shall Not Bear False Witness 1. Living in the Truth Jesus taught love of the truth to his followers and followed the path of truthfulness even in the face of death Truthfulness is a virtue we are all called to follow. We are called to live lives of truth in words and actions. Truthfulness involves keeping the balance between what ought to be expressed and what should be kept secret.

2. To Bear Witness to the Truth The Christian should not be ashamed to speak to truth and to bear witness to his/her faith. We are called to bear witness even at the risk of being ostracized or mocked. The ultimate witness to the truth is found in martyrdom. Those who are martyrs bore witness to the truth even unto death.

3. Offenses Against the Truth False witness and perjury – a statement contrary to the truth made in court. A grave offense because it can contribute to the unjust punishment of an innocent person or exoneration of a guilty one. Respect for the reputation of others forbids us from attitudes or words that can cause them unjust injury: - rash judgment – Assuming a person’s guilt to be true without sufficient evidence - detraction – deliberately disclosing another’s faults to someone who did not know them - calumny – saying something false that harms to reputation of another

Words or actions such as detraction or calumny (slander) destroy the reputation of others and seek to rob them of their dignity. As such they are serious offenses. Words or actions that encourage or confirm another’s malicious acts or immoral conduct are always wrong must be avoided. Boasting or bragging are offenses against the truth and examples of excessive pride. Lying is the most direct offense against the truth. The gravity of a lie depends upon the nature of the truth it deforms, the intentions of the person speaking it, and the harm it causes.

Lying and deception are destructive of society since they undermine trust among people and tear apart the social fabric of social relationships. Offense against truthfulness bring with them the duty of reparation. Even if the offender has been forgiven, he/she must do what he/she can to make up for the damage caused by his/her actions. 4. Respect for the Truth The right to communicate the truth is not unconditional. We must use prudence in determining whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it.

No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it. The secret of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is sacred and cannot be violated under any circumstances. Information given in confidence, whether stated or understood (e.g. doctor-patient relationship), should never be divulged to another unless there is a grave and sufficient reason to do so.

5. The Use of Social Communications Media Society has a right to expect that the information provided by the media is based on truth, freedom, justice and solidarity. This means that the news media has an obligation to be certain that what it reports is true and is what needs to be known. Users of the media need to look at the information which they are given critically rather than blindly accepting it. Journalists have an obligation to serve the truth while not stooping to defamation.

Governments have an obligation to defend and safeguard just freedom of information. Governments should be condemned when they: - deliberately falsify the truth - use the media to control public opinion and repress differing opinions - us the media to manipulate defendants and witnesses at trials - use the media as a means to falsify the truth

The virtues that should always be used when we speak: Justice and Charity Prudence Trust

Directions Define or describe the meaning of the sin on your card. Describe a situation or experience that exemplifies the sin. Identify potential consequences to self and other in such a situation. Identify a means of reparation in such a situation. Identify a means of avoiding this sin in your communication with others.