For the past week, there has been a lot of news about Jimmy Kimmel and his comments about the murder of Charlie Kirk. After being accused of using hate speech in his monologue addressing the shooter’s upbringing and beliefs, our government pressured stations to cancel Jimmy Kimmel’s show.
Mr. Kimmel’s comments were based on Tyler Robinson’s conservative upbringing and his conservative education, as confirmed by Mr. Robinson’s own grandmother about their support and connection to President Trump and the MAGA movement.
I find it both ironic and hypocritical that the party of “Free speech didn’t like the truth and wanted to ignore Jimmy Kimmel’s First Amendment right, although he wasn’t lying or spreading disinformation like is common amongst MAGA conservatives.
Despite pulling the show, some ABC networks have reversed their decision and reinstated it as of this week. Unfortunately, not all stations will allow the show to return for various reasons:
- Greedy
- Deceptive
- Unforgiving
- Power-hungry
I didn’t realize until I began researching for this post that Jimmy Kimmel is a devout Catholic himself. Kimmel has even committed to doing good works by donating to or starting numerous philanthropy organizations.
Mr. Kimmel even reaffirmed his faith and spiritual beliefs in his opening monologue when his show returned to the air almost a week after being shelved by our government. What shocks me the most about the situation is how many conservatives continue to lie and slander a brother, which the Bible considers murder (Exodus 20:16; 23:1, Leviticus 19: 16, 1 Peter 2:1).
What Is Slander
To most people, slander is no big deal because they aren’t physically hurting someone. However, slander does harm both parties spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Slander is defined as “The utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation: intentional falsehoods.”
Many people mistakenly downplay the seriousness of slander and consider it better than murder. But the Bible considers them both just as evil (Proverbs 6:16-19).
Slander is evil spoken through our mouths, but originates in our evil hearts (Proverbs 10:18, Mark 7:20-23). That is why God’s people are encouraged to tame their tongues (Colossians 4:6, James 3:2-10).
Even God’s people’s tongues are made of sinful flesh. When we slander others, we damage their character and reputations. Instead of being more like God, we act more like the devil (James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8). We mustn’t forget that God knows all and sees all, even the evil deep within our own hearts.
That is why the Bible has a lot to say about slander (Exodus 20:16, Titus 3:2, James 4:11). Slander is a form of deception and murder of another person’s character.
Scripture is clear, slander is a work of the flesh, and not of God (Romans 1:27-29, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 4:31, Colossians 3:8, James 4:11, 1 Peter 2:1). The apostles remembered their Jewish education about slander and how serious it is to God.
Rāḵîl
The Torah tells us how Satan twisted God’s words and slandered Him to deceive the first Adam (Genesis 3:1-6). Slander always distorts the truth to deceive others, and all slander leads to death in a sense.
God’s people are called to be more like God and less like this fallen kingdom that distorts goodness and chooses evil (Genesis 1:26, Leviticus 19:2). Slander is a practice of the devil and the opposite of God’s nature and ways.
The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for slander is rāḵîl, and it can also mean “Talebearer, slanderer, or informer,” depending on the context it is used in.
God’s people are commanded to love and care for their neighbors and do them no harm (Exodus 20:16; 22:1-24, Job 31:13-15, Leviticus 19:13-18, Isaiah 1:1-30, Malachi 3:5).
Judaism warns against slander because Orthodox Jews consider it a form of murder, and it breaks the command to love thy neighbor (Exodus 20:16). They consider murder one of the three cardinal sins:
- Murder
- Forbidden sex
- Idolatry
Jesus often reminded His followers to love their neighbors also (Matthew 22:36-40; 7:12, Luke 10:25-37, Mark 12:31, John 4:19; 15:13). He didn’t look down on those who disagreed with Him. He warned His followers that they would give an account for every careless word they spoke (Matthew 12:36)
Although He was God, He humbled Himself and walked among us (John 1:14, Philippians 2:6-8). Our Lord reminded His followers that slander and murder both come from our evil hearts (Matthew 5:21-22).
Our Rabbi taught His followers to seek and speak truth, not lies (John 8:32; 16:13). If you have a heartbeat, regardless of your political beliefs, we all have evil hearts (Matthew 15:19).
Donald Trump
There has been a lot of news this week about President Trump and conservatives. Pres. Trump’s hateful words at the Memorial for Charlie Kirk revealed his heart and true beliefs.
After Erika Kirk spoke, Pres. Trump openly mocked the words of Jesus by refusing to love and forgive his opponents. And shockingly, a stadium of 90,000 professing Christians applauded and laughed with the president, just after they applauded Eric or Kirk’s statement about forgiving Tyler Robinson for murdering her husband.
Forgiving and loving our neighbor is a basic teaching of both Judaism and Christianity, yet many MAGA Christians praise and support an earthly king who contradicts everything our faith teaches. They choose the corrupt ways of this fallen kingdom, instead of speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Many have praised the large public event in the prayers of Erika Kirk, despite Jesus rebuking the Pharisees for doing these very things (Matthew 6:5-8; 23:2-37)! The religious leaders of Jesus’ day wanted to look good, but not practice the ways and teachings of God:
- Prideful
- Deceptive
- Unloving
- Unforgiving
Again, I find it ironic and hypocritical that after Charlie Kirk’s murder, President Trump and many conservatives immediately blamed the “radical left’ without any evidence or a shooter in custody. They openly slandered and blamed Democrats for the murder of Charlie Kirk.
More than two weeks later, the FBI is still trying to find any connection between the shooting and the Democrat party. Furthermore, they have labeled Democrats as evil and hateful without first looking at themselves in the mirror.
Their own hatred is just as unchristian and un-American as the people they are trying to slander. It is their own hatred that continues to divide America, even after their earthly king and party promised to unite it. They have forgotten that God hates all sin, not just murder, but lies and rāḵîl!
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In