Flying Monkeys and their Choices

Flying monkeys can choose to ignore the gossip, or they can ask the one gossiped about; they have a choice.

I do blame people who treat others badly because of what they have heard and not seen for themselves.

They are pawns, of course, but it is a choice to believe something merely because they want to maintain the friendship of the one who is a rumor monger.

It is one thing to listen to at trusted friend and perhaps even believe them, and quite another to pass the information to someon else.

When truth is the most important thing to a believer, they dismiss gossip, leaving room for another side to the story. Many people present to others what they want to believe about a situation rather than sharing facts.

The prejudice against a person will determine how a story is shared.
It is unwise to believe the first version of an account without witnesses to corroborate the story.

There are those who are dedicated to misunderstanding someone because they dislike that person. Because of this, it is my practice not to pass on information shared with me by a friend, not because I think they were wrong in their observations, but because there is the element of "needing to know." Does the person I share information with have a need to know it, or are we just attempting to gain converts to ourselves?

I like to share life stories I have encountered with people without their names. I do this not to gain converts but to teach life lessons about the encounters I have personally had with people. I don't like to share things I have heard or observed without all the information about an event.

And, this may be a shocker to some, I do consider even good stories no one can prove as a form of gossip. It doesn't matter if the act is good or bad; if we cannot prove it is true, then we should just ignore it.

Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

It is corrupting to pass on good or bad information that may not be true and cannot be proven. Even if the information sounds good, we might be believing a lie if it is only one person's perspective without truth.

Proverbs 6:16-19 "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."

Lying of any sort, whether gossip to demean and tear down, or gossip to cause others to idolize someone because of good deeds.

It is not gossip to call out, even publicly, the false gospel of a preacher who has influence over many people. In cases like this we are to rebuke in the presence of all so that others may fear committing the sin that occurred.

1 Timothy 5:20 "Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning."

It is reasonable and even commanded that we call out the gossip when they are causing division while destroying relationships because of their idle chatter.

We have to remember that not everything we see or everything we hear is our business. People are treated with contempt based on gossip they have heard without justification and without knowledge or wisdom.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 "11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we instructed you,"