D&C 42:27 -- On Not Speaking Evil

"Thou shalt not speak evil of thy neighbor, nor do him any harm."
Doctrine and Covenants 42:27


I really like this. I am not saying I am good at it, but I love it as an ideal, and something I need to work towards. We usually align on the not being violent part of this, and condemn physical abuse, but criticizing is a whole different animal. And let's note that this scripture doesn't clarify that we can speak evil of our neighbor if it is true, but just not lie about it... the whole deception thing is definitely condemned, but that's a different commandment. This one is clear... don't speak evil. Which I think goes back to not judging, and learning to love our enemies.

I want to be this kind of person... one who recognizes faults in others, perhaps, but never judges or condemns them. Only jumps in to help, gently correcting when the Spirit whispers, but otherwise letting them realize in their own (and God's) time that they need to change--just as we are allowed to do in our lives, with our own faults. We need help and not judgement, and that is how we should treat others. One experience I think of as writing this... I've always loved to sing ever since I was very young, but I remember a time that a family member laughed at me because I was off pitch, which brought self-doubt into the equation, and I sang less, and less confidently from then on, wondering if I couldn't hear my own errors.

Later, after I had regained some confidence in singing, a person on my mission who claimed to have perfect pitch would cringe when I was singing, triggering the same doubts in me. Now, of course, I don't know if my singing is off, even now... but I occasionally get compliments that help me think that I am at least not breaking people's ears every time I try, so I keep trying. I think sometimes, unintentionally, we can crush people's hope and confidence in a similar way by mocking and criticizing what they are doing. Even when we can clearly hear that it is wrong, maybe they can't. Maybe they are doing their best. Wrong, perhaps, but slamming them because they are wrong isn't going to teach them why, or how to do better. God is working on that with them, and if we can't kindly help God with that, in a way that he approves, and with the Spirit, then let's back off. We probably already have plenty to do, working on our own faults anyway. :)