It has been said, that George Washington, never told a lie. I am somewhat of a student of early American history and after studying some of Washington's tactics particularly, the many spy missions he ordered or conducted I can assure you in order to mislead the British Washington was often misleading and less than truthful.
Recently in the news NBC head news anchor Brian Williams, was exposed for being less than honest about his war experience in Iraq in 2003. I'm not sure how Mr. Williams, can mis remember his helicopter being hit by a missile or some sort of enemy fire but it became clear after embellishing his story for twelve years that nothing he reported about that particular news story in Iraq where Mr. Williams was concerned actually happened a fact he was finally forced to admit putting his credibility as a news journalist and NBC"S reputation as a valid news organization in serious jeopardy. As a Christian I try to teach my daughter to always tell the truth indeed, the Bible says we are not to bare false witness. As Christian, however, I still have to consider the question Does anyone tell nothing but the whole truth in every situation? I am a Christian and as such I am also quite human and I will be honest and say that in my opinion it is impossible to tell the whole truth in every situation. If anyone should doubt my assertion on this issue I challenge any married man to answer this question if his wife ever ask it the question? Honey, does this dress make me look fat? How about this one, Honey do you ever think of your old girl friends at all? I will tell you right now if I was asked to answer questions like these honestly I might be in the dog house for a while as far as my wife is concerned! How about this remember that awful Christmas sweater a your mother in law got you as a present? When you received the present men did you find yourself saying thank you so much it's just what I wanted knowing it would be buried in the back of an obscure closet until it could be re gifted on some unsuspecting victim next year? Okay, Let's get serious no one wants to be or seem unkind so, we often find gracious ways to spare some one's feelings be not being as truthful as we could be such deceptions however, are usually harmless and yet I still contend even as a Christian there can be times when I would not choose to tell the whole truth. I promise anyone who would ever ask me if I thought that a lie would in some way save my wife or my daughter's life I would tell such a lie all day long till the cows came home! and so would anyone who loved their family in my opinion just as Rehab, the harlot did when she lied and hid the Israelites spies in the book of Joshua.
So as a Christian then, I have to ask myself where does one draw the line? I believe the answer may lie in the question of willful intent to mislead someone. There's a huge difference between sparing some one's feelings by choosing to be kind by not being totally truthful to the point of being blunt with someone and deliberately telling a lie to willingly intending to mislead someone and thus bare false witness to someone or even against someone making it very possible that such a deception could could have the potential to ruin some one's reputation for life. Yes, this is lying, This is harmful.Even when as a Christian, I'm trying to be kind to spare some one's feelings the best course of actions may be to follow my mother's advice she always says to me, " If you can't say something nice about someone don't say anything at all!" Therefore, I find that there may be times when instead of saying nothing but the truth one may be better off just saying nothing! In such cases for Christians, I think common sense and the seeking of the wisdom of God, will help a Christian, discern when it is wise and right to tell the whole truth. As Always, my friends, these thoughts remain just some words to think on.
Mr. Reeves.
ReplyDeleteToo often, I find Christians taking a moral relativist's approach to others' actions, being caught in the radical progressive movement they often protest against, & not even realizing they've been caught up in it. You see, Christians have been so diminished by this very progressive movement, they feel they'll be anti-climatic should they take a stand. So, they take a "love everyone AND their sins because I'm a sinner too" approach, they toss out the absolutes, & moral relativity enters the soul without even being aware of it. We're encouraged to be Christ Like. That means, we're to be Shepherds. Christ was not a Sheep. He is & will always be The Shepherd. Yes, we'll be HIS sheep, but here, we're to be like Him, & that is a Shepherd. A Shepherd leads. A Shepherd is honest, so as to never lead his own astray to be captured & destroyed by a predator. Your illustration of Rahab was interesting in comparison to Mr. Williams. Rahab did lie prior to her becoming a Believer. It is after she lies, she instills her faith in God (Josh. 2). Most importantly, her lie was to protect an entire nation, at her own potential loss of life, but never was her lie to promote herself... save herself and her family, yes, but never to promote herself. What Mr. Williams did was quite the opposite, promoted himself on National news that had the potential of harming this Nation, & each of us individually. That is not acceptable. It needs to be called out. Just as I want others to call me out should I speak a lie. I'm an extremely honest person. Too honest, as I have frequently been told. For example, when my girlfriends ask me if they look fat in a dress, they know my answer, they've all heard it. "A dress doesn't make a person look fat. A person is either fat or they're not, always according to the view through their eyes. So, do you think you're fat? OR, are you just manipulating for a compliment, 'cuz I'll give you 100 of those right now if that's what you need." That is honest. One time, a girlfriend held me to an entire 100 compliments. We were late for dinner. But it was worth seeing that moment of truth for her & how good it made her feel, she needed it. She didn't need a lie.
You see. There is no interstitial space between a half-truth and a lie. A lie is a lie. As Christians, we deal in absolutes. It is absolutely wrong to lie & to lead others astray, away from the truth. I suggest quite the opposite as you suggest. I suggest we start holding people accountable. Just as should I lie, I need to be called on it. I need that shame & humility, it is good for the soul. The sooner we toss moral relativity out the door & start calling a sin a sin, a lie a lie, the sooner this Nation can heal & grow together, instead of this 50/50 division we currently live in as a direct result of moral relativity & compromising absolutes.
Should the mocking of Mr. Williams cease? Absolutely. Should this man be put back in the forefront where he is influencing our children & those unable to be Shepherds & think for themselves? Absolutely Not. He is not credible or worthy to lead. Worthy of forgiveness? Absolutely. When he seeks it.
To put him back in front of the camera gives every reporter a very frightening message: Truth has no relevance here. We do not need that message out there any more than it has already been shoved down our throats for years now.
To reiterate: There is NO interstitial space between a half-truth & a lie. We need to take the cleanliness of our hearts & minds back. Taking up our Sword of Truth. We need to keep ourselves and others accountable & start dealing only in Absolutes. Everything else is Lukewarm. We know what happened to the Lukewarm Church.
Very Respectfully, ~LaTisha (@LaTishaR11)