It’s an old and cynical joke in the form of a question:
“How can you tell if a politician is lying?”
Answer: “His lips are moving.”
Of course, not all politicians lie, though there’s little question some lie more than others.
Spreading falsehoods is part and parcel of a fallen world. Ever since Adam and Eve lied in the Garden of Eden, first mispresenting God’s command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and then lying to themselves about the consequences of their disobedience, men and women have been awash in deception.
But turn on any news program, surf the internet, or flip open a newspaper or magazine, and you’re bombarded with lies and then more lies.
We’re told that truth is relative, and that absolute truth is non-existent. It’s not.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:16).
We’re told abortion is healthcare. It’s not. It’s the taking of innocent life. It’s deadly and destructive.
We’re told that abortion liberates. It doesn’t. It enslaves mothers and fathers to a lifetime of guilt and regret.
We’re told that sexual freedom emancipates us. It doesn’t. It ensnares us and locks us into misery, heartache, disease and personal complications that last a lifetime.
We’re told that marriage is cumbersome, antiquated, unnecessary and even stifling. It’s not. It’s freeing and fulfilling.
We’re told that children are burdensome, costly and a barrier to career success. They’re not. They’re gifts of inestimable worth who multiply and magnify our joys and experiences.
We’re told that large families are a drain on the environment and that having fewer children represents the responsible route forward. It’s a lie. Larger families and more children will actually lead to more resources and opportunities for everyone.
We’re told that gender is fluid and changeable, that men can be women and women can be me. That’s a dangerous lie. God created just two genders (Gen 1:27) – and He doesn’t make mistakes.
We’re told that organized religion is a crutch for weak-minded people. In fact, people of faith are happier, healthier, and emotionally and spiritually stronger. Good Christians make for good citizens and healthy citizens make for strong nations.
One has to wonder if those who peddle these lies all believe them.
I’m reminded of what Fydor Dostoevsky wrote in The Brothers Karamazov:
“Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”
This cold culture we find ourselves in would explain why the obvious to us seems hidden to so many. But being aware of culture’s insidious and pernicious lies will help Christians stand guard against wickedness and deceit.
“Take care lest your heart be deceived,” we read in Deuteronomy. “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deut. 11:16,18).
The culture is lying to you – but God’s truth sets us free and opens our eyes to the way things really are both here and in the world to come.
Photo from Shutterstock.
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