Character assassination is a serious matter that impacts both individuals and the community of believers. What people say about others holds significant weight, as it can tarnish reputations and affect standing among fellow men and women. The Bible admonishes against gossip and idle talk, recognizing the harm it causes. While we cannot destroy another's standing before God, we can easily injure their reputation in the eyes of others. In this sense, we are truly our brother's keeper, responsible for the impact of our words and actions on their name. Jesus Himself faced such attacks when the Pharisees falsely accused Him of being gluttonous and a winebibber, and of consorting with publicans and sinners. Out of jealousy, hypocrisy, and hatred, they sought to damage His reputation by judging His outward appearance. This illustrates how reputation, being the estimation others have of our character, is often beyond our full control, yet it remains vulnerable to the malice of others. We must strive to uphold integrity in our speech and behavior, reflecting God's character, and avoid contributing to the harm of another's good name.

Grave-robbing motives, such as digging up an old offense that has long been forgotten and repented of, can lead to massive character assassination. Whenever resentments occur between brethren, or fights erupt in marriage or family, one often unearths a past transgression of another, dangling it before them like some badly decomposed corpse. Though Christ's sacrifice has covered or buried the other's transgressions, we are tempted to dig them up, acting like feeble-minded lackeys in a horror movie. Sometimes parents dig up their children's past mistakes, bringing up an entire litany of unrelated faults while correcting a current transgression. Collecting dirt on people, storing juicy tidbits in our mental filing cabinets, can become fertile ground for venomous revenge years later. We must bury and destroy the memory of our brother's transgression, the behavior, the thought impulses that caused it, and the stimulus that led to those impulses, resisting the urge to note where we disposed of them, lest they propagate further horror.

Rumors and gossip, often fueled by the desire to seem important or to put down another, carry destructive power. They can strike fear, cause discouragement, depression, and hopelessness, sapping the faith that God is in control and working to bring events to their proper conclusions. More often, rumors produce negative effects, excelling at instilling fear and despair. Christ Himself faced rumors designed to tear down His reputation and destroy His work, as seen in accusations of being a glutton, a winebibber, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Since the beginning, satan, the father of lies, has permeated the air with spoiling and destroying attitudes, influencing us to pass on harmful rumors about situations and personalities. Even within local congregations, rumors cast doubts upon the activities, abilities, and reputations of fellow members. Jesus warns that every idle word will be accounted for in the day of judgment, as our speech reflects the abundance of our hearts and reveals our characters. By carefully considering our words before speaking, whether in prayer, private conversation, or public speech, we can stifle harmful impulses and utter wisdom instead of vanity, pleasing God greatly.

When the human mind is idle, deprived of stimulating intellectual nourishment, it tends to purge toxins through the tongue, engaging in character assassinations such as slander and libel. These destructive words clamor to be released, contaminating the individual and others. The unengaged mind often dabbles in rumor-mongering, a behavior likened to a disease that spreads through gossip and busybody actions. The tongue, described as a world of wickedness, holds the power to deprave the whole body with its restless, undisciplined evil and deadly poison. Controlling this powerful instrument is crucial, as its influence can be profoundly damaging, affecting lives far beyond what is often realized. Only by mastering control over the tongue can the harmful germ of rumor be eradicated from the community.