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Under Fire Men Don't Gossip . . . Men Backbite      In one "Dennis the Menace" comic strip, Dennis is whispering in the ear of Mr. Wilson. "Now listen good. I can tell this only once 'cause my Dad told me not to repeat it."   Maybe we have the same problem as Dennis the Menace?  Are we any better than Dennis?  We know it is wrong and harmful, but we just can’t stop ourselves?  Or, maybe like Dennis, we  can  justify it  and do not acknowledge that we are doing anything wrong.  One minister said that,  “after a lifetime as a pastor, every imaginable sin has been confessed to me but one. People have confessed theft, adultery, even murder, but no one has ever confessed the sin of gossip! It's a sin others commit.”       The word “backbite” is a KJV word used in place of “gossip” in several instances.  I like the word “backbite” because it is more descriptive than “gossip.”.  I also think that the word “gossip” has become a feminine word. Men think “gossip” only applies to women and shut down their brains when someone mentions the word.  So, MEN DON’T GOSSIP . . . MEN BACKBITE.  The word “gossip” is actually used only five times the NIV (once in the New Testament), but we still use it when talking about this subject.      The word “Slander” is also used in all translations, and is used a lot in the NIV.  One of the Greek words for “slanderer” in the New Testament is the word for “devil.”  The Old Testament word for “accuser” (NIV), or “adversary” (KJV) in several instances is translated from the  word for “satan.”       We especially need to be careful with the internet and email.  How many times do you receive emails passed along by good reliable friends, who received it from good reliable friends, who received it from good reliable friends, but no one has bothered to check the source?    One problem passing uncheck emails is that we get to where we forward them automatically without thinking.  We can also get to where we do not recognize gossip in normal conversation, and do it automatically.     Here are some ideas to consider:   Ignore information you have no business knowing about.  Do not pass on any information  other people have no business knowing about it.  Do not pass on any information that is not from an authoritative, or original source, or  that can not be corroborated.  Do not pass on any information that slanders another person.      Here are a few sayings to consider:  What you don't see with your eyes, don't invent with your mouth.   He who is in the mud likes to pull another into it.  Lord, remind us often that a gossip's mouth is the devil's mailbag.   He who blackens others does not whiten himself.  German   He who carries a tale makes a monkey of himself. Unknown  As one dog can start all the dogs to barking, so one person can start a whole group to gossiping.   Gossip is sharing a problem with someone who is not part of the solution.       How many people do you think have left the church because of backbiting?  Was it yours?  Our time should be spent building up, not tearing down.; more time praying for, less time talking about. This is Mark Erickson and you are Under Fire