DEUT623 (Continued from [[LEV613]] Leviticus 19:17 reprove DORFFWITO 83). … Another kind of situation in which a person should say something negative about someone else is if that person is doing something wrong. That is precisely the case where the Torah demands that even the closest of relatives shun the person and contribute to the person's death ... (Deuteronomy 13:7-12). Although Jewish courts no longer have the authority to execute people, presumably if someone is leading Jews astray theologically (e.g., Jews for Jesus) or morally (e.g., to take drugs or to harm someone), then we clearly must argue against what they advocate, maybe even to the point of suggesting (or, in the case of family or close friends, urging or even demanding) that one stay away from such people. Along these lines, some recent research suggests that complaining publicly about slackers or those who threaten a group's identity or success in other ways can have the positive effects of defining group membership and reinforcing group norms. It also alerts people, especially newcomers, to guard against those in the group who are not reliable or trustworthy. These cases involve speaking negatively about others to avoid a clear harm, not just for the sake of feeling superior. The research indicates, though, that sometimes gossip and slurs function in a socially and psychologically healthy way even when all they do is relieve loneliness and self-doubt by confirming that other people are having the same problems you are. Defining the line where such speech becomes prohibited lashon hara is not always easy.