It is my habit, when teaching my ethics students at the local community college to ask them this straightforward question- is it every ethical to tell a lie? The great majority of students affirm that there are circumstances where such is warranted. Rather, however, than giving examples like misleading the enemy in time of war, they tend to excuse “little white lies.” Rather than reserving lies for saving lives they use them for saving feelings. “If my friend asks me if I like her new dress, and I didn’t, it would be wrong to tell her.”
The exercise, however, isn’t so much about truth telling as it is about unintended consequences. “What if,” I ask the students, “your casual lies make your friends doubt you when you truly want to encourage them? You may be evading hurt feelings today but you may be helping to create worse feelings tomorrow.” This is the lesson we’re to learn from the boy who cried wolf.
What, though, if the issue isn’t two friends discussing sartorial choices, but a government speaking on matters of life and death? The cesspool of misinformation that was the federal government’s response to COVID 19 includes catastrophic financial and human costs from the shutdown, lives lost through destructive protocols and the yet to be toll wrought by the potentially fatal vaccines. It also includes, however, the utter inability of the government to find trust among the governed.
We are likely never going to know the truth about the sundry objects we recently shot out of the sky. We are likely never going to know the truth about the chemicals released into the Ohio sky. We are likely never going to know the truth about Epstein’s clients and the deadly destruction their perpetrations brought to pass. Because even if the truth does come out, we won’t be able to recognize it as the truth.
Conspiracies are born when evil men plot in secret to obtain extraordinary power. Conspiracy theories are born when ordinary men lie to maintain ordinary power. Because they both are born of lies it is difficult to tell them apart.
The Bible, however, isn’t built lie upon lie but line upon line (Isaiah 28). It is not shifting sands but the solid rock. It is true, for its author can tell no lie, and cannot increase His power. It is all already His, and always has been. His Word, His truth command us:
“Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.
The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread (Isaiah 8:12, 13).
Neither lies nor conspiracies have the capacity to undermine the One who is the truth. And He calls us to rest in Him, to fear Him, to be at peace, to hallow Him. That is something we not only can believe in, but must believe in.
Very helpful and God honoring. Thanks
Thank you brother. You know I value your perspective.
There is also a cesspool of misinformation from the anti-vax people too. We are told mRNA vaccines can alter your DNA. They will turn you into a hybrid human lizard. Millions of people have died suddenly from the vaccines. They contain little pieces of aborted babies. Kooky. Many people I know really believe these lies.
Everything today is politicized toward either the Liberal left or the Liberal right and it is killing our culture.
People have lost the ability to use abductive reasoning. The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him. Always look at both sides. Making medical decisions get your medical advice from doctors first. Be skeptical about everything you see on social media.
That being said, there is a reasonable ground in which people ought to be able to make their own decisions based on sound medical science, not because of government mandates and not wild Internet conspiracy theories either.
Of course.