Someone in the family confided in you. They passed away.
Are you obligated to keep that secret?

It depends if it will hurt anyone in the telling. You can tell us and we can figure it out perhaps?

if I told you, then you're saying it's ok...

I doubt it would affect me, but up to you?

My brother got really drunk and posted a family secret on fb. It hurt someone badly.... you need to be careful.

If you gave YOUR word to keep a secret,
you take that secret to the grave with YOU.

But what if it is about a hidden goldmine?

I guess, after the person who told me the secret
passes away... I'd own a secret goldmine.

Pfft...Bobtail would own it...it is his secret

Well then...
I'd wish Bob the best of luck with his
iron pyrite mine.

if you “promised” to keep the secret then there is a moral obligation

If revealing the secret (or not revealing) .. creates harm to yourself or another, then there is an ethical obligation to do what is right .. and that may include revealing the secret .

Which has more sway as far as you are concerned ., ethics or morals , do you honour the person who died or those living , who may be affected ???

I would think of it like a marriage, when a spouse passes away the marriage ends, their commitment to each other ends. So, in my opinion your commitment to secrecy has ended with their passing away, and you are free to either divulge or maintain the secret, but not forgetting the saying to 'never speak ill of the dead'.

@Bobtail: Hey by now you may safely confide in us


McKenna's Gold

I'm kinda on the side with Rock, obligation is to the grave. There is also the possibility that the remaining people that are involved (unwittingly or not) may think you're full of shlt, so your reputation is ruined either way.

Technically, if you kept your secret - nobody would be affected. The incident that had already been done, was in the past, so it's that secret that would have created the path that the secret created.

For example: A child has a baby, at a very young age. The mother of the child (grandmother to the baby) raises it as her own child, effectively raising both the child and the baby as siblings. The grandmother has more children that, that child believes are siblings - not aunt/neice. There are only 2 people that know. The grandmother, and the child that had the baby. The grandmother died years ago and told nobody, and the mother of the child only told one person (that wasn't her child)before she died. There can only be one truth, but the path was created and that secret protected that path

Unless there was a life or death situation where the secret had to be revealed, or it could be detrimental to someone if not revealed, then I would agree with Rock and the secret should stay a secret.

Having said that bobtail, it really is down to you and how you feel as it’s a huge responsibility somebody has left you with.

Interesting , have you been through such experience

I have experienced that, a family secret was holding me down, even though the person was dead. Life long depression and unable to make friends.
That very moment when I opened up the secret, it lost its negative power over me!
Glory be to God! Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. Amen
Also the family got inner freedom and peace!

I have only one life. God says, Ye shall have life to the fullest. Amen. I want to live it according to the promises of God.

So, think of it. You was born free. Don't allow anyone to put you in bondage. If the secret hurts somebody, yeah, life lessons hurt sometimes. Free yourself! The Word of God says 3 times that, you are free to choose, but choose life!

Don't worry about how people talk. People talk anyhow. And when they have nothing to gossip, some create a story.

Be blessed with peace and freedom!

After doing some thinking on this.. I guess it would all depend on what the secret was and how many it would affect..

But then after thinking about it.... it would depend on when they told me the secret.. For you see if they told me on their death bed or shortly prior to them passing away, that was a way for them to get it off their chest before they passed..thinking they will die with a clear mind. If they did not want it told they should have carried it to their grave~~

Now it is your secret that must burden you... Which it seems to be.. Sorry not a something I would carry on my shoulders wondering the rest of my life if I should carry it to my grave~~jmo

^^^This

Without knowing the nature of the secret, I hesitate to judge.
I mean is it 'Surprise, your real Daddy is Elvis' or..your granddaddy
once voted Democratic. The second one, no one now cares but the
first one could have intergenerational ramifications.