Since when did Catholics started believing that making rash oaths, swearing to God on trivial matters, taking the Lord’s name in vain, telling secrets without good reason, and gossiping were no longer sins? When did this teaching change?
Telling secrets or making comments about another person without good reason, in order to damage their good name or reputation, is the sin of
detraction. Knowingly listenting to secrets or comments which damage another person is participating in the sin of detraction.
Gossip is a sin. Listening to gossip is a sin. Paul puts gossip in the same list as envy and murder and calls those who gossip “Scandalmongers.”
Swearing on trivial matters is, among other things, taking the name of the Lord in vain. From the Catechism.
**2153 **
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained the second commandment: “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all. . . . Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” Jesus teaches that every oath involves a reference to God and that God’s presence and his truth must be honored in all speech. Discretion in calling upon God is allied with a respectful awareness of his presence, which all our assertions either witness to or mock.
**2154 **
Following St. Paul, the tradition of the Church has understood Jesus’ words as not excluding oaths made for grave and right reasons (for example, in court). “An oath, that is the invocation of the divine name as a witness to truth, cannot be taken unless in truth, in judgment, and in justice.”
**2155 **
The holiness of the divine name demands that we neither use it for trivial matters, nor take an oath which on the basis of the circumstances could be interpreted as approval of an authority unjustly requiring it. When an oath is required by illegitimate civil authorities, it may be refused. It must be refused when it is required for purposes contrary to the dignity of persons or to ecclesial communion.
Rather than having to involk God’s name, your own reputation as an honest person should suffice. If someone is telling you a secret where they are asking you to swear to God that you won’t tell anyone, you have to ask yourself if you really need to be hearing that secret.
We say things like (God permit me), “I swear to G-- I’m going to kill that guy!” What then? If we kill the guy, we sin. If we don’t keep the oath we swore to God, we sin. We have just boxed ourselves into certain sin. That is why Christ himself teach us not to swear, but to let our personal conduct give us a reptuation for honesty, so that we don’t have to do swear an oath to God. To let our yes be yes and no be no, and that anything more is from the devil.
Again, when did the Church change its teaching on these matters?
-Tim-
