Video from Vox
"For leaders like Trump and Putin, telling big lies isn't about persuasion -- it's about power."
There is a lot of discussion right now about the truth in all areas of life but especially in our obsession with politics. But of course with all of us being the sinners we are there is little consensus on what that truth is. In our post-modern, expressive individualist, moral relativist culture we have excused ourselves from God's moral laws to make our own. Many Christians are also doing this as a means to an end, i.e. political traction in the name of God!
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19
The Firehose of Falsehood is a propaganda technique in which a large number of messages are broadcast rapidly, repetitively, and continuously over multiple media channels (such as news/ social media) without regard for truth or consistency. This was used by Russia during its annexation of Crimea, this model has been adopted by other governments and political movements around the world including, you guessed it Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
“Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar, I will not participate in that. I will not sit back and watch in silence, while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president’s crusade to undermine our democracy.” - Liz Cheney
So we have a minority of people in our government who wish to tell the truth. What does this say about us?
The old crutch of saying that "any good Christian would know the election is stolen" is worn out. As of this writing there appears to be no real evidence of anything, just fantasy and lies.
"The Justice Department “had been presented with no evidence of widespread voter fraud at a scale sufficient to change the outcome of the 2020 election,” Jeffrey A. Rosen, who served as the acting attorney general for the final month of the Trump administration, said in a prepared statement to the House Oversight Committee." from the article: Trump’s acting attorney general to affirm there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in 2020.
God is clear about a lying tongue but we are not. If we as Christians will just for a moment forget about our politics and look at our thinking and behavior we will see how much we have bought into the lies of politics without proof or questions.
"The Father of Lies
Have you been lied to lately? Was it another Christian that lied to you? A minister perhaps? Each of us have had our trust in people undermined, or in some cases even destroyed because of lies. We would all agree that lying is an ugly evil. The Bible tells us that lying began with the devil and that he is the father of lies.
Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. John 8:43-47
The Bible is filled with admonitions against being dishonest and lying. One of the Ten Commandments states, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).
Before we point our finger at another for being a liar that we feel God needs to deal with, let us examine our own lives to see if we are infected with the same disease. What kind of witness are we to those around us? Are we deceived and have we become liars ourselves? Let us first give a definition as to what a lie is according to Webster’s dictionary:
To make a statement that one knows is false, especially with the intent to deceive.
To give a false impression or action or false statement, especially with the intent to deceive.
To make a false statement in order to evade the truth.
The invention of a false story or excuse in order to deceive."
From the article: Fibs, Bluffs, White Lies, Half Truths, Dishonesty: What the Bible Says about Lying
Are we as Christians perpetuating lies because we are so desperate to maintain a so called Christian Nation? Do we have no faith?
Jesus called Himself the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), therefore he expects those who follow Him to be people of truth. The truth is to be expressed in love (Ephesians 4:15), o hope to those seeking redemption from the lies of the world.
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