They Are Lying To Us!

 

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are His delight. (Proverbs 12:22)

When biblical ethics go out the window, distrust reigns.

Marco Rubio published an article about Dr. Fauci for Fox News this past week. In it, he cited two instances in which the lead doctor in the national coronavirus response purposefully lied to the American public about the virus. This is not an accusation. Dr. Fauci has admitted it. Initially, Dr. Fauci said that 60-70% of Americans needed to get the vaccine in order to achieve herd immunity. Now He is saying it’s 75-90%. He knew the correct numbers all along but “he declined to be forthright because he felt the country wasn’t ready to hear it.”

Earlier in the year, Fauci and others lied about the effectiveness of facemasks because they were in short supply and needed for health workers.

As altruistic as Fauci and others claim to be with their public lies, they have done much more damage than good. The unintended but far from the unexpected result of these lies is that the public has no idea what to believe and has lost confidence in healthcare leaders. Conspiracy theories run amuck. I don’t know how effective masks really are now, do you? I wear one because it is often required and I hope it works.

I am not making a political statement here. This virus is serious and people are suffering greatly. I have watched that suffering first hand this last week as my own father is very seriously ill right now with it. This article is not about the virus, it’s about the destructive nature of lying—even with good intentions.

The ethics of truth-telling is a longer study and I am not going to tackle it all here. Clearly, there are times when the person to whom we are speaking is not entitled the truth. The armies of Israel in the Old Testament often won battles by deceiving the enemy—and those under the direction and blessing of the Lord. Faking one way and going the other in football is deception but not a sin.

Not everyone is entitled to all the truth I possess. You do not have a right to know how much money is in my bank account or the content of private conversations I have with my wife. However, I do not have a right to tell lie to you about those things either. Sometimes it is better to just say nothing or say as kindly as I can that it’s not your business.

The Apostle Paul admonishes the Ephesians to “speak the truth with his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25). It is not surprising that “altruistic lying” is part of the ethic of an unsaved (and arrogant) world, but it must not be found among believers. This kind of lying is damaging or sinful in a number of ways.

Altruistic lying is arrogant.

When I am convinced that you cannot handle the truth that I possess and it is better for me to lie to you instead, I place myself in superiority over you. I get it. Sometimes the behavior of others seems to justify such speech. I am sure health care professionals looked at the run on toilet paper last March and determined that the general public cannot be trusted with the truth. There is a real danger when people in positions of authority start to see themselves as the sole trustees of the truth. This is what the Catholic Church of the Middle Ages had become. Only the clergy could be trusted with the Word. The common man was too ignorant, too unspiritual, too base to handle such lofty knowledge. Be assured that the danger of corruption and arrogance among elites far outweighs the danger of truth being unleashed on common people.

Altruistic lying destroys trust.

Once a person realizes that they have been the recipient of lies—and often repeatedly—trust is destroyed. We have seen this nationally this year. No one trusts anyone. The institutions that are supposed to be national sources of trust—national medical leaders, governmental leaders, the press—have all immolated their credibility on the altar of their own arrogance. I have found that Christian parents do this too. In order to manipulate our children away from sin and its ravages, we paint inaccurate pictures of the world. When children find out that the case made to them by their parents was overstated, they throw everything away, including their parents’ faith.

Even the fun little lies people tell their children can be damaging. My wife and I did not do the “Santa Claus thing” for this reason (among others). If we lie to them about the guy in the red suit, could we also be lying to them about the dangers of sin, or the Christ on the cross? I know this seems silly to some, but to us, trust is too precious (and fragile) to risk.

Altruistic lying denies opportunity.

Lying also denies people the opportunity to make decisions for themselves. Making personal health decisions is an important matter, making spiritual choices is even more important. As Baptists, we believe in the Priesthood of the Believer and Individual Soul Liberty and responsibility. That means that people have a responsibility before God for the decisions they make. Lies not only deny people the opportunity to make informed decisions, but they also manipulate through disinformation stealing personal choice altogether.

I am sure Dr. Fauci is an accomplished and competent medical professional, but please do not take your cue from him regarding truth-telling. You might be wise to follow his medical advice—if you can finally figure out what it actually is.