To Tattle or Not to Tattle

To err is human, true, and only he is cursed who having sinned will not repent, will not repair. He is a fool, a proved and stubborn fool. Give death his due, and do not kick a corpse. Where is renown to kill a dead man twice?

This was taken from Antigone of the Oedipus Rex series. Several years ago I encountered incriminating evidence on a co-worker of mine. It was damaging. I didn't know what to do with it. To take it to the authorities would be, I thought, dangerous. Not only dangerous for my own well-being, but dangerous "spiritually" as well. My intentions were not the most honourable. Quite frankly I disliked (even hated) my co-worker. I didn't mind him losing his position, I just didn't want to be involved too heavily in it all. Plus, it seemed almost as if I were "tattling" or "ratting" him out if I told of what I knew. I took it to someone who pretended to be a friend of mine, a counselor. He gave me the verse Proverbs 28:13, "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion." This verse was, he said, a clear sign of approval for tattling on others. By knowing of the sins of another I am an accomplice to their sin, and, unless I tattle, I am concealing their sin, which is in part mine as well. On to a quick rabbit trail, this verse is excellent for it encourages not only a confession of sin, as for Catholics, but asks also that those sins be forsaken. It is not enough to "Hail Mary" your sins away and never really abandon them. But now back to the subject at hand. Apparently my counselor and pseudo-friend neglected to mention that there was a code of ethics mapped out for us on how to relate to those who've sinned. The Bible maps it all out rather clearly - first is a one on one conversation with the offender. Then it escalates until coming up to rather drastic but necessary conclusions. Unfortunately I ended up ratting out my co-worker and he ended up without his position with us. He was, in a sense, fired. Terminated. The funniest thing is that after several months of being without us he and I ended up becoming fast friends for the next two years.