6.3 The Eighth Commandment

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

6.3.1 Introduction

This commandment applies most directly to giving false testimony in court. In the simpler legal system of ancient Israel this was even more vital than it is today. Then, it was enough for two adult males to present congruent statements to sentence somebody, even to death! 

6.3.2 Source

Exodus

Luther’s Small Catechism

6.3.3 Application/Discussion

National Sport: Dishonesty in taxes

“But everyone does it.” Among friends at this point, it is no longer the person who is dishonest in their taxes but rather the person who does them correctly. “Honesty is stupidity.” While this may add up in the immediate time period, long term it simply does not hold true. 

Statistics as a method of Institutional misinformation

Statistics can be dressed up in such a way that they suddenly suggest something very different. As a humorous example: the statistical curve of births in the state of Schleswig Holstein in Germany in the 20th century directly matches the curve of the nesting pairs of storks there. What is less humorful is that any statistic can be dressed up to be misleading. Even if the numbers within it are not falsified, the attributions can be misleading. 

This commandment is also further expanded and radicalized by Jesus in Matt 5:37 and is thus addressed later in this text as well.