But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. - Matt. 12:36-37
"Heavenly Father has given us a priceless gift in our capacity to communicate with each other," said Elder L. Lionel Kendrick of the Seventy in the October 1988 general conference. "Our communications are at the core of our relationships with others. . . . Therefore, we must be careful not only what we communicate, but also how we do so. Souls can be strengthened or shattered by the message and the manner in which we communicate.
"There are certain kinds of un-Christlike communications which destroy relationships and are not for our development but are for our destruction.
"They result in a diminished opportunity of returning home safely to Heavenly Father. One of the major ways that Satan uses to retard the development of righteous relationships is in the use of gossip, rumor, and slander on his communication network. Perhaps the more common un-Christlike communications are those of lying, blaming, criticizing, and anger."
