Below are some helpful links and articles about gossip and dealing with rumors.

Note: The contents of the links listed below, except those that are part of the ELCA or Women of the ELCA Web sites, are not under the control of the ELCA or Women of the ELCA; they are the responsibility of the individual Web hosts.

Articles
The Eighth Commandment includes gossip when it tells us, "Do not bear false witness against your neighbor." Read the article, "Gossip: A Matter of Self-Control" by Kathie Bender Schwich, Lutheran Woman Today magazine, May 2006.

Gossip and rumors affect people of all ages. This helpful article on a PBS kids' website had some interesting tips on how to deal with gossip — when to pass it along, or not.

Web sites of interest
The Da Vinci Code has created a lot of discussion throughout the church. Read the ELCA's Culture Comments review of books, films, and other media with religious implications.

A national campaign is underway focusing on eliminating gossip and spreading more positive verbal messages in the media. Wordscanheal.org is a non-profit organization promoting healing through words at home, in the media, throughout the community, and in the workplace.

Words can hurt whether they are spoken or written in an e-mail. This link addresses the topic of cyber-bullying for adults and kids.

For the sake of argument
Can gossip can be a good thing? According to an article on the Psychology Today Web site, "Gossip's dirty little secret" by Jennifer Draptin, there are upsides to gossip.

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