The Drumhead Court Martial by John Pettie (March 17, 1839 - February 21, 1893)

Do Not Follow the Beat of That Drum!

by Rolaant McKenzie

Originating from a practice going back several centuries, a drumhead trial describes a summary military trial addressing serious offenses where a battlefield judge uses a drum's head as a makeshift table. Such trials were often unfair, lacked due process, and involved targeting individuals based on suspicion rather than evidence. Those brought before such a tribunal were typically doomed.

In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, The Drumhead (Season 4, Episode 21, 4/29/1991), the explosion of a dilithium chamber hatch in the USS Enterprise's engineering section is suspected to be sabotage. It coincided with reports that the Romulans had acquired sensitive information about the ship's dilithium articulation frame, pointing to a spy on board. J'Dan, a Klingon exchange officer, was found out to be the spy, but he denied any involvement in the explosion. He was held in custody until he could be expedited to the Klingon High Council on Kronos.

Starfleet Command sent retired admiral Norah Satie to lead the investigation into J'Dan and any other possible conspirators. Though the evidence pointed to J'Dan working alone and the explosion being caused by a previously undetected flaw in the dilithium chamber hatch, Satie refused to accept this and expanded her investigation into other Enterprise crew members she speculated could have collaborated with him.

Satie's inquiries turned into unwarranted and intrusive investigations into crew members and their associates, friends, and family. Innocent associations and any faults from the past were twisted and amplified to cast suspicion on them, in some cases, threatening career ruin. Under the guise of seeking to protect the United Federation of Planets from covert threats, Satie was willing to use deception, insinuation, and innuendo to destroy those on whom she focused her attention.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard sought to put an end to Satie's witch-hunt trials. In response she sought to use a publicized hearing in the presence of Admiral Thomas Henry, head of Starfleet Security, to cast doubt on actions and choices he made in his career and his loyalty to the Federation. Picard made an impassioned plea to Admiral Henry to consider the serious harm being caused to people, uphold the fundamental freedoms of the Federation, and end Satie's investigations and hearings. In self-righteous arrogance, Satie pointed her finger at Picard, saying that she would expose him for what he is and that she had brought down bigger men than him.

Upon witnessing this, Admiral Henry walked out of the hearing and subsequently ordered an end to Satie's investigations. Picard noted later that perpetual vigilance was needed to guard against those who camouflage themselves in righteousness while spreading fear and slander against others.

Unfortunately, people like Norah Satie are not confined to fictional shows like Star Trek. They exist in real life, and their words can have a devastating impact on those they target. This is especially the case in social media platforms such as YouTube and X (formerly Twitter), where a person with a podcast with millions of followers can destroy the reputations and lives of others to a wide extent and in a very short period of time.

Some online influencers, under the guise of engaging in investigation to uncover the truth about something or someone, will manufacture and promulgate malicious gossip and slander directed at people. Sometimes with a cross in the background during their programs, they will feign benign motives in an attempt to mask their greed, envy, and hatred. They will claim that they are only asking questions. But in reality, their inquiries are more like those posed by the serpent to Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). They are not meant to acquire information or resolve anything, but to cast doubt on or malign the credibility of someone else.

To keep the clicks to their content coming and the financial gain that results, more sensational stories are created by these podcasters that expand accusations and draw more of their audiences into their web of deceit. Individuals are targeted, and even their family members are not off-limits. Innocent associations and any faults from the past are deliberately misconstrued and magnified to cast suspicion, potentially causing immeasurable damage.

According to the eminent medieval Jewish philosopher Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (1135-1204), also known as Maimonides, slander or the defamation of another fell under the category of lashon hara (evil speech), which was considered akin to murder:

"Lashon hara kills three people: the one who speaks it, the one who listens to it, and the one about whom it is spoken." (Mishneh Torah, Human Dispositions 7)

The one who maliciously spreads false narratives about others is considered guilty of a great sin before God because the listener's perception of and relationship with the slandered person is negatively altered, perhaps permanently, and the reputation of the person being defamed is destroyed, adversely affecting his relationships with others and his standing in society. A key passage of Scripture from where this understanding of the destructive nature of gossip and slander is derived is Leviticus 19:16:

"You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD."

We should take care of who we listen to and follow whether online or offline. Do not be drawn into the web of those who put up channels on YouTube or other social media platforms and confidently promote themselves as authorities as they make money from spreading falsehoods about others. Do not listen to them or feed off their poisonous content. Do not cover for it or promote it, or you may find yourself becoming like them. Remember that unless they repent and turn to the Lord Jesus in truth, they will join those outside the New Jerusalem who love and practice lying. (Revelation 22:12-15)

Beware also of those online influencers who fail to speak the truth about such people due to fear of reprisals, personal relationships, or business connections to them.

"There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers." (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Far better it is to feed off the word of God, the Bible, studying it for yourself carefully and praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and bearing His fruit (Galatians 5:22-26). It is a safeguard against the widespread deception that Jesus said would characterize the last days (Matthew 24:3-4; Mark 13:4-6; Luke 21:7-8).

Trust in the Lord Jesus, who was slandered and punished for sinners and who suffered the wrath of God in our place on the cross so that anyone who embraces Him by faith will have a place inside the New Jerusalem, forgiven and reconciled with God and living in perpetual joy in His presence. He is the way, the truth, and the life! (John 14:6)