It goes without saying, privacy these days is a vanishing commodity. It wasn't until fairly recently in our history that technological changes have forced society to take into serious consideration the necessity of privacy and what constitutes an expectation of privacy. Unfortunately it seems as if christianity is behind the times on this important subject. With social trends fueled by the internet, in many christian circles there is some confusion on the subject, as if many can't decide if new found surveillance capabilities are actually good for christian living. Being that this is an area of concern within my field and is generally relevant to modern life, I decided to look this up recently and I stumbled on a quora post where one christian author reported that christians have absolutely no right to privacy, that expectations of privacy are only good for sinning, and that the absence of privacy is actually a good thing for a christian community. I found his position to be fairly peculiar, so I took it upon myself to contemplate and expose his error, and besides his apparent lack of appreciation for anything like a seal of confession, I decidedly concluded that a right to privacy is in fact necessary for a christian.
My reasoning is that it is necessarily assumed to exist in christian morality. All one really needs to do is imagine how many common things which are not sins that could very easily cause controversy or be rendered to be a sin if forced to be done in public. Most of us would abhor being forced to undress for the public's view, or use the toilet in public, or have marital relations with a spouse, etc., and for good reason. These things are not explicitly spelled out in law, but they are assumed to be the case, maybe because it was assumed that most readers of scripture would be fairly sensical with a good head on their shoulders and a basic understanding of common decency and respect due to a neighbor. That said, there is no provision in scripture of which I am aware that either mandates or endorses the violation of our neighbors' privacy at large. It is taught that God knows all secrets, that He both conceals and reveals, but this is simply left to God to know and to handle. On the contrary, for us there are provisions for the respect of persons' privacy.
[Lev 19:16 NKJV] 16 'You shall not go about [as] a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I [am] the LORD.
[Pro 11:13 NKJV] 13 A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
[Pro 20:19 NKJV] 19 He who goes about [as] a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.
Ham was cursed for an apparent lack of respect of the privacy of his father, Noah (Genesis 9:22-25).
Joseph, being described as a just man by scripture, was disposed to put Mary away quietly under the errant suspicion of infidelity (Matthew 1:20).
In contrast, the Pharisees sent spies to catch Jesus in a fault (Luke 20:20), who of course was finally betrayed by Judas who revealed His location to His enemies.
In the case of a wrong that is done between members of a community, according to Christ, one was to approach the perpetrator first in private (Matthew 18:16), before taking only two or three witnesses, presumably also in private (since there is no command to take more than two or three).
In conclusion, a right to privacy is deeply embedded in christian morality, a respect for which is characteristic of a just or righteous person, and while God may expose a thing, scripture does not give permission to betray a neighbor's trust or privacy, even in retribution for a sin committed.
