Slander is a sin. If we turn to the composition of this word, we can distinguish two components: "evil" and "word". It turns out the "evil word".
Slander in Orthodoxy is a condemnation. By the way, the first ordeal that we have to go through posthumously, verbal. It is called "the word ordeal". I would very much like for us to be able to refrain from slander, and thereby increase our chances of undergoing a posthumous ordeal.
What it is?
Slander is a curse that we send to a person at the moment of his conviction. The opposite of this sin is prayer for one's neighbor. Instead of condemning, it is better to pray for a person. Even if he did something evil to us. No wonder they say "forgive and let go."
We challenge God
Slander is a sin. Moreover, one in which we challenge the Lord and anticipate His judgment. We know the person whom we are judging from someone’s words. Or, personally, but at the moment he is not nearby. Sometimes we know something from his past. But it is absolutely not known what it will become in the future. Today it seems to us that a person is bad. He is so and so. However, tomorrow he can go to church and repent of his sins. And we will remain with the sin of slander.
Only God knows what awaits this or that person. And only he can judge people, but not others. When we begin to slander, we take on the role of a judge, thereby trying to take the place of God. Boldly, right?
Are we against God's gift?
Slander is an insult to the gift of the word. We all idle, this happens regularly. But slander and profanity distorts the very essence of the word. That priceless and pure gift given by the Lord, we pollute.
When we begin to condemn, then of good will we enter demonic power. And they are so happy about this, the goal of the “onions” and “the okay” is the same: to take as many Christian souls to hell as possible. You see, the talker talking about ordeals will not pass after his death, he will fall straight to hell.
Why do we have polluted speech? Because few people follow the purity of mind in the modern world. Keep the purity of your mind, then speech will be clean.
We replace everything clean and high with base fakes. Reading books is losing itself. This occupation is replaced by computer games, watching TV. And there often such programs show that all the words in them are disgusting. But the people are watching, he likes. Then he inserts the words into his own speech.
Television shows, shown today, teach all sorts of nasty things. But for the most part, of course, good programs have also been preserved. But they are negligible in comparison with the bad ones. The latter are intensely planting various sins: condemnation, contempt for others, love of profit, ridicule of truth. Hence the pollution of the human mind. For us, what was bad was good for us. Cleanliness turns into an occasion for ridicule, no matter how sad and strange it sounds.
The essence of slander
Slander is a sin. When we slander, we hate the person we are talking about at this moment. Let this hatred be temporary, on emotions, but nonetheless. If we treated a person well, would we be slandering about him? Hardly.
The essence of slander is a vile condemnation and a negative message to the person whom we scold. It is highly advisable to keep your tongue from this sin.
Parable in the subject
As Oscar Wilde said, "Slander is gossip with a dull moral tinge." This phrase can be argued, of course. And you can read it properly, draw certain conclusions.
Let's get back to the topic of parables. They are very relevant, because they relate to slander and condemnation.
The parable tells us about two village gums. One neighbor came to another. They sat down to drink tea, and how they began to "wash the bones" with common acquaintances. Yes with enthusiasm, with all my heart.
At this time, the grandson of the mistress of the house was sitting on the stove. Suddenly the boy laughed, then fell silent. And during the conversation of the gossips, the child laughed several times.
Seeing the neighbor, the grandmother asked her grandson what was the reason for his laughter. And he answered:
"While you were talking, a funny little animal was standing next to you. Black, with horns and a tail. He held paper in his paws and wrote something down."
The grandmother was frightened, for she understood what kind of "animal" was in question. And not the animal saw her granddaughters, but the real “okayashka”.
But the end of this parable is happy. Before the neighbors parted, they came to their senses. And one said to the other:
"I brought you into a sin of judgment . Forgive me, for Christ's sake."
To which the other replied:
"And you forgive me for the sake of Christ."
The grandson told his grandmother that as soon as the name of the Lord was uttered, the list of the "animal" in his hands lit up. Then the boy laughed. Horned rushed to extinguish his notes, accidentally jerked his tail, and he caught fire. This caused a loud laugh in the child. And then tailed just disappeared.
That's what slander is. The careless and dirty words that we shoot at others are replenished with demonic lists.
Conclusion
We figured out what condemnation is. Slander is a sin based on hatred of one's neighbor and his verbal curse.