Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Consequences for Giving False Testimony

Blaming a person for something that he/she did not do is definitely not a good thing by all accounts.  The eighth commandment plainly says to not give false testimony against your neighbor.  If a person beaks any one of the commandments then God will punish him/her.  For any wrong deed there are consequences, whether they are immediately realized or not.  Blaming a person for something that he/she did not do is a good example of how a deed can turn against oneself.

Giving false testimony is like a boomerang.  It is fun to throw but if not caught it will come back and hit the person that threw it.  One way that this may come back to hurt the person is if the truth is somehow revealed and people finally realize that the person was lying.  This would lead to no one trusting the person that lied anymore and he/she would be looked down upon.  Also, others may not want to associate with her for fear that he/she would tell lies about them.  People would also not want to be associated with that person because then they would also be looked down upon for being acquainted with such a person.  Finally, when one may think that no one else knows what he/she did, God does and He holds each person accountable for his/her actions and thoughts.   Giving false testimony is a serious offense that is not taken lightly.  In today’s court of law, a person who lies during a proceeding or gives false testimony, similar to how the girls in Salem acted during the witch trials, is guilty of perjury.  That person could be made to pay a large sum of money and serve years in jail.  The punishments were even worse in England long ago when the perjurer could be sentenced to death, banishment, or to have his tongue severed (Doyle). 

As this essay response showed, blaming someone for something that he/she did not do is a serious offense.  Not only does have devastating effects for a person’s social life, but also economic and spiritual.  It is best to always tell the truth even when it may not appear as the most appealing choice. 
Works Cited
Doyle, Charles (2010). "Perjury Under Federal Law: A Brief Overview". Congressional Research Service.

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