Ducks on Cedar Pond
"It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief , if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime." Thomas Paine, THE AGE OF REASON
Duck taking flight in Cedar Pond.
"A half truth is a whole lie." Yiddish Proverb
"Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind." Austin O'Malley
"The most dangerous untruths are truths moderately distorted." G.C. Lichtenberg
Bird Bath Fountain With Goldfinch
"Honesty is never seen sitting astride the fence." Lemuel Washburn
"Beware of the half-truth, you may have gotten hold of the wrong half."AU
"The cruelest lies are often told in silence." Adlai Stevenson
"Slander cannot destroy an honest man ; when the flood recedes the rock is still there." Chinese Proverb
"The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful." Proverbs 12:22
We have been busy lately dealing with issues that require truth, and have been saddened and even disturbed to discover sometimes men who hold positions of respect among Christians in their community and churches are quite willing to lie. I am not talking about differences in interpretation, or different views or opinions. I am talking about just plain, old fashioned,( as old as the snake in the Garden of Eden ) lies. One man is someone we see often in our community, another holds a position of respect and authority in a mega church in another state.
Now I know it is all too common to hear this , and unfortunately this is exactly the kind of example many people use to mock church-goers.The even more disturbing thing is that one of the men is a well-known joke in the secular job he holds because we are finding out many people in the community know what he is...a snake in the grass!What we do not understand is why his own church is so unaware of this that the issue is not dealt with...for this man has made a mockery of what most in that church hold dear...the TRUTH!
The non-church going world has every reason to believe the truth is relative, and I think Christians have been very good at allowing this opinion to reign. Why, if we, as Christians, can justify lying, half-truths, and tolerance of these in the men we have allowed to instruct and exhort us in the Word,and in fact, each other, why should truth be important? The motto seems to be"just don't get caught", and "if you do be sure to justify it as the better means to an end." And if there are some sticklers who really, really want truth in their spiritual leaders...then accuse them of intolerance! For goodness sake, do not practice Biblical confrontation, or hold anyone accountable, or even uphold the standards we are trying to help others learn about.
Dishonesty is as old as mankind, but not right. We have all lied, but forgiveness is there for the asking. However, just because we have all been guilty of dishonesty, there is no justification for giving it a pass in ourselves...and we have every right to expect it from each other. If we could expect honesty from our policemen, our courts, news and media, our neighbors.....wow, unfortunately I don't see this happening. But surely we should be able to expect it from people calling themselves Christian....which means "Christ follower,manifesting the spirit of Christ,or of His teachings". Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary
