Information Related to "To Narc or Not to Narc?"
| Audio/Video |
The stories have become eerily routine. The names, dates
and locations change, but the same sad tale remains. Another school shooting
is reported. One or two young people (guys or girls) bring a gun or guns
to school and shoot everyone in sight. Classmates die, teachers die and
another community begins the arduous task of grieving, healing and restoring
confidence through improved safety precautions.
In the aftermath of youth violence, parents and teachers try to figure
out what led to the tragedy. A common discovery is that some person or
persons heard the perpetrators brag about the crime before the event, yet
somehow this important, potentially life-saving information was never reported
to the authorities who could have prevented it. "Why didn't someone stop
this terrible incident from happening?" is the common question.
The reasons people don't pass along sensitive information vary. In Western societies like the United States, individual rights and freedoms are especially prized and protected. No one likes to meddle in other people's affairs without cause and no one should seek to get others in trouble unnecessarily. The sayings are common. "Don't be a tattletale." "Don't rat on your friends." "Don't narc."
The Bible strongly supports such reasoning. God Himself says, "'You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord'" (Leviticus 19:16). Furthermore, Proverbs 11:13 explains, "A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter." Those who through fertile imaginations pass along suppositions about others or improper information are gossips—an action likewise condemned in Scripture (Proverbs 20:19, 26:20).
Related Information on UCG Sites:
Table of Contents that includes "To Narc or Not to Narc?"
Other Articles by David Treybig
Teens and peer influence: