Friday, December 16, 2005

The Truth About Lies

I am studying one of the most commonly practiced and sometimes obvious, and not so obvious, sins of ALL TIME: False witness. The very first recorded act of DECEIPT involved Satan in the garden. We commonly refer to this practice of craft and dazzling magic act as LYING. The common name for those who practice the craft are LIARS. As I begin studying a phrase, or word, I always like to get a good sense of definition, how others perceive the word or phrase, and then go to the WORD for instruction on how to live. Although, this particular word, is very common amongst men. All have practiced it in some way, and all have been victimized by it. According to studies, we are told a lie on the average of every 5 minutes during our lifetime.

One of the funniest movies I have ever seen was "Liar, Liar". It was about a father whose son made a wish that he could not tell a lie for a specified amount of time, and the father was a lawyer. Although very funny to see someone in a profession who can, and apparently often do, lie and get paid for it, it was almost saddening to think about how each of us contribute to this problem. The movie depicts how everyone who associates themselves with the lie are affected.

With all of this lying going on, there seems to be one place that we can find the truth consistently and count on it; The Holy Bible. Pray for insight of those around you, be aware of yourself and your power and how it can be misused and lead to demise with ourselves and our Lord and the life that he has intended for us to live. May God bless you. --Ike

Some quotes on the Subject of Lying, Deception and Manipulation/Control.

"Lying is universal-we all do it; we all must do it. Therefore, the wise thing is for us diligently to train ourselves to lie thoughtfully, judiciously; to lie with good object, and not an evil one; to lie healingly,charitably, humanely, not cruelly, hurtfully, or maliciously." -- a quote by some unknown pathological liar

"If you wish to strengthen a lie, mix a little truth in with it." --Zohar

"A lie always needs a truth for a handle to it." --Henry Ward Beecher

"How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg." - Abraham Lincoln.

"Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth." --Franklin Roosevelt

"Please don’t lie to me, unless you’re absolutely sure I’ll never find out the truth." -- Ashleigh Brilliant

"The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth." --H.L. Mencken

"I do myself a greater injury in lying than I do him of whom I tell a lie." --Montaigne

"I stopped at restaurant A in town X for breakfast", that very morning. When, in fact, they actually stopped at restaurant A in town Y according to witnesses. --No Rhyme, No Reason, Just Lies.

"They lied to me about everything, even when I presented pictures and audio of their lies. All they provided were poor excuses for their behavior/actions and concocted more lies to back themselves up." --Anonymous

What to Expect When A LIAR is Caught.

When confronted with their lies, people construct hedges of emotional-commotion to keep you at a distance, such as:

Strong denial. "I did not"

Blame. "He/she made me do it!" "It's my job"

Discrediting your support group so you'll keep your suspicions secret. "Your friends are such gossips." "Why do you have to tell your family our private business?" "Can I trust you to keep this between the two of us?"

Anger. Their anger intimidates you, so you'll back down. Your anger sidetracks you, so you'll forget the original issue. You can't think straight when you are angry or dealing with an angry person, but you may be close to the truth.

Arrogantly justifying their behavior. "Yeah, what of it? I can do what I want!" "I'm not accountable to you." "You're not the boss of me!" These defiant responses shake you up and strip away your defenses so you acquiesce to their viewpoint.

Minimizing the lie by distracting you with another lie about your perception. "How could you even think that about someone you love?" Now you are diverted from the lie and occupied with the liar's feelings of rejection, hurt and dismay that you dare to question their motives.

Distorting your ability to see truth by packaging the lie in a half-truth. "The woman in the restaurant was my secretary. We were talking business."

Accusing you of being irrational. "You're crazy...too sensitive... a nag."

Arguing the lie is a one-time incident or the exception. "Everybody makes mistakes." "Give me a break. I made an error in judgment."

Hiding behind an honorable intention. "Yes, I was briefly involved with that guy; but when I thought about you and the kids and what we have together, I promised myself I will break it off."

Making it your problem if you don't instantly forgive despite a lack of remorse or change of behavior on their part. "What a goody two shoes you are!" "Why can't you just forgive me?" "And you say you're a Christian?"

Untruth and Deception Defined.

Lie

1. A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood.
2. Something meant to deceive or give a wrong impression.

v. lied, ly ing, (lng) lies
v. intr.

1. To present false information with the intention of deceiving.
2. To convey a false image or impression: Appearances often lie.

lie

an intentional violation of the truth. Lies are emphatically condemned in
Scripture (John 8:44; 1 Tim. 1:9, 10; Rev. 21:27; 22:15). Mention is made of
the lies told by good men, as by Abraham (Gen. 12:12, 13; 20:2), Isaac (26:7),
and Jacob (27:24); also by the Hebrew midwives (Ex. 1:15-19), by Michal (1 Sam.
19:14), and by David (1 Sam. 20:6).

malice

n 1: feeling a need to see others suffer.



Put "un" in front of truth to reveal more lie definitions.

truth

1. Conformity to fact or actuality.
2. A statement proven to be or accepted as true.
3. Sincerity; integrity.
4. Fidelity to an original or standard.
1. Reality; actuality.
2. often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.

I hope this inspires you to study the Word more.

God Bless You. --ike