Speech, Ethical

Praying, observing holy days, and engaging in various rites and rituals are obvious components of religious practice, but ethical speech or speech ethics is also a prime arena for expressing a tradition's core beliefs. The ancient teachings of the world's spiritual communities reflect a universal understanding regarding verbal conduct: It can promote well-being, or it can inflict harm. It can lead to the loftiest attainments or make a person fall off the path.

The foundation of ethical speech in any spiritual tradition is the absence of an intention to harm others. The old ditty that sticks and stones may break the bones but words can never hurt is not true. If it were, religious leaders would not exhort their followers to refrain from harsh, malicious, false, or frivolous speech. Although the tongue is soft, it can be sharp as a sword plunged into someone's heart. Sacred texts recognize that words destroy more people than weapons do. While we need to be fairly close by to be shot or knifed, gossip and slander can devastate a person from far away. To paraphrase the Talmud in modern terms, a gossiper in New York can kill someone in New Delhi. The Bible concludes that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21).

When informed by wisdom and compassion, ethical speech is decent, kind, and respectful as well as beneficial, truthful, and timely. It is also balanced by attentive and open listening. Because the opposite occurs too easily and too often, there are precepts, guidelines, and advice about “guarding the tongue.” In general, the preference is for brevity over verbosity. For example, the Buddha counseled that it is better to say a single word that induces peace than to utter a thousand useless words. A Sufi expression recommends that we not say anything until we see that it is worth saying. The Daoist sage Lao-tzu wrote that those who know do not talk whereas those who talk do not know. The Baha’i consider excess speech a deadly poison. Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce said that we do not need many words to speak the truth. Others have recommended that our words not be empty: we should do what we say and say what we mean.

Clear prescriptions about proper and improper use of the mouth, tongue, lips, and ears include speaking the truth. One of the five Buddhist precepts is abstaining from falsehood. One of the 10 biblical commandments is not bearing false witness, for the Lord hates “a lying tongue” (Prov. 6: 16–17). Psalm 34 suggests that if we want to live a life of good fortune, we should keep our lips from deceitful speech. There is also the recognition that lying is a dangerous activity because once a person tells a deliberate untruth, any other misdeed is likely.

Additional guidelines indicate that even if something is true, it is important to consider whether saying it is useful. If it will hurt someone, then expressing it would not be in keeping with spiritual ideals. For instance, those who believe in a Creator God assume that each individual is created in God's image. Therefore, everyone deserves to be treated accordingly: Who would intentionally injure God's creation?

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