Studies on lying in America are interesting to read, and if you believe them to be accurate, they suggest that over 90% of Americans lie regularly and a good 20% can’t get through one day without lying. I suspect that a few of those folks are referring to little white lies or flattery told to avoid hurting someone (does this dress make me look fat?) but most probably are substantive lies meant to seriously deceive.
I think gossip often falls into the same category as lies, since you actually are re-telling unsubstantiated information. Even the internet becomes a problem in that regard, because there are few ways to fact check anything printed…and we have this mental assumption or defect ingrained in our psyche that says “if it’s in print it must be true.” Newspapers count on you assuming they print the truth, and they are rife with examples of “shading” their coverage of facts in such a way as to draw an entirely untrue conclusion in order to make their case or even to outright deceive.
So what generates a lie? I lied when I stole that cookie and didn't want to get spanked by my mom (no this was not recent!) So I think self-preservation is one big source, greed and ambition are another, and jealousy probably rounds out the big three. (Political success probably has all three ingredients in it -- don’t we often proclaim they all lie or mislead with regularity!) The reasons for lying all are rooted in “self.” If you are truly “other centric” your tendency to lie is probably greatly diminished. Satan wishes us to be completely “self-centered” and is the father of all lies. God hates lying and the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ teachings, proverbs, and psalms all reinforce this. Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life,” and I think it was no accident that truth was inserted in that statement. The antithesis of this was Pontius Pilate who asked Jesus “What is truth?” In a world of relativism that says truth is “my truth” we succumb to the expedience of “easy outs.” Pilate knew Jesus was not guilty of any crime, but his “truth” was political expedience to calm the masses, and so Jesus became the sacrifice…and as God had intended as it turns out in this case.
I had a friend tell me the other day that during his periods of addiction he would lie regularly in order to cover up what he was doing. He said he lied so much he couldn’t keep straight who he had told what to! He is happily in recovery now and says it is so much easier to be truthful, and a relief not to have to remember what lies you told to whom.
You see, as Jesus said, the truth really does set you free!
No comments:
Post a Comment