Rash Judgement

[TerrorDæmonum]

The Eighth Commandment

1 Q. What does the Eighth Commandment, Thou shalt not bear false witness, forbid?
A. The Eighth Commandment, Thou shalt not bear false witness, forbids false testimony in a court of justice, and it also forbids backbiting, detraction, calumny, adulation, rash judgement and rash suspicion and every sort of lying.

5 Q. What is rash judgement or rash suspicion?
A. Rash judgement or rash suspicion is a sin which consists in judging or suspecting evil of others without sufficient foundation.

14 Q. Is it enough for him who has sinned against the Eighth Commandment to confess the sin?
A. It is not enough for him who has sinned against the Eighth Commandment to confess the sin; he is also obliged to retract whatever he said when calumniating another, and to repair as far as he can the harm he has done.

15 Q. What does the Eighth Commandment command us to do?
A. The Eighth Commandment commands us to speak the truth at the proper time and place, and, as far as we can, to put a good interpretation upon the actions of our neighbour.

Article 3. Whether it is unlawful to form a judgment from suspicions?

I answer that, As Tully says (De Invent. Rhet. ii), suspicion denotes evil thinking based on slight indications, and this is due to three causes. First, from a man being evil in himself, and from this very fact, as though conscious of his own wickedness, he is prone to think evil of others, according to Ecclesiastes 10:3, "The fool when he walketh in the way, whereas he himself is a fool, esteemeth all men fools." Secondly, this is due to a man being ill-disposed towards another: for when a man hates or despises another, or is angry with or envious of him, he is led by slight indications to think evil of him, because everyone easily believes what he desires. Thirdly, this is due to long experience: wherefore the Philosopher says (Rhet. ii, 13) that "old people are very suspicious, for they have often experienced the faults of others." The first two causes of suspicion evidently connote perversity of the affections, while the third diminishes the nature of suspicion, in as much as experience leads to certainty which is contrary to the nature of suspicion. Consequently suspicion denotes a certain amount of vice, and the further it goes, the more vicious it is.

Now there are three degrees of suspicion. The first degree is when a man begins to doubt of another's goodness from slight indications. This is a venial and a light sin; for "it belongs to human temptation without which no man can go through this life," according to a gloss on 1 Corinthians 4:5, "Judge not before the time." The second degree is when a man, from slight indications, esteems another man's wickedness as certain. This is a mortal sin, if it be about a grave matter, since it cannot be without contempt of one's neighbor. Hence the same gloss goes on to say: "If then we cannot avoid suspicions, because we are human, we must nevertheless restrain our judgment, and refrain from forming a definite and fixed opinion." The third degree is when a judge goes so far as to condemn a man on suspicion: this pertains directly to injustice, and consequently is a mortal sin.

Article 4. Whether doubts should be interpreted for the best?

On the contrary, A gloss on Romans 14:3, "He that eateth not, let him not judge him that eateth," says: "Doubts should be interpreted in the best sense."

I answer that, As stated above (Article 3, Reply to Objection 2), things from the very fact that a man thinks ill of another without sufficient cause, he injures and despises him. Now no man ought to despise or in any way injure another man without urgent cause: and, consequently, unless we have evident indications of a person's wickedness, we ought to deem him good, by interpreting for the best whatever is doubtful about him.

Of Avoiding Rash Judgement

Turn thine eyes back upon thyself, and see hou judge not the doings of others. In judging others, a man labours in vain, often errs, and easily sins; but in judging and looking into himself, he always labours with fruit.

We frequently judge of a thing according as we have it at heart: for we easily lose true judgement through private affection. If God were always the only object of our desire, we would not so easily be disturbed at the resistance of our opinions.

2. But often somethines lies hid within, or occurs without, which draws us along with it. Many secretly seek themselves in what they do, and are not sensible of it. They seem also to continue in good peace, when things are done according to their will and judgement; but if all out contrary to their desires, they are soon moved, and become sad.

Differences of thoughts and opinions is too frequently the source of dissensions amongst friends and neighbours, amongst religious and devout persons.

3. An old custom is with difficulty relinguished; and no man is led willingly farther than he himself sees or likes. If thou reliest more upon thine own reason or industry than upon the virtue that subjects to Jesus Christ, thou will seldom and hardly be an enlightened man, for God will have us to be perfectly subject to Himself, and to transcend all reason by inflamed love.

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to that doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but sick about questions and strifes of words; from which arise envies, contentions, blasphemies, evil suspicions, conflicts of men corrupted in mind, and who are destitute of the truth, supposing gain to be godliness.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world: and certainly we can carry nothing out.