“Speak Not Evil One of Another”
James 4:11–12
11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
Elder Cree-L Kofford said:
“What a blessing it would be if . . . each of our names truly could be safe in the home of others. Have you noticed how easy it is to . . . find fault with other people? All too often we seek to be excused from the very behavior we condemn in others. Mercy for me, justice for everyone else is a much too common addiction. When we deal with the name and reputation of another, we deal with something sacred in the sight of the Lord.
“There are those among us who would recoil in horror at the thought of stealing another person’s money or property but who don’t give a second thought to stealing another person’s good name or reputation. . . .
“James, a servant of the Lord in the meridian of time, repeated this eternal truth when he said: ‘Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law. . . .
“‘. . . Who art thou that judgest another?’ (James 4:11–12 ).”
(“Your Name Is Safe in Our Home,” Ensign, May 1999, 82.)
