The latest buzz word that has taken hold in American society is something called “fake news“. Fake news, as defined by 60 Minutes Overtime and the Guardian, is:
“a neologism used to refer to non-satirical news stories, which have originated online (on social media or fake news websites) or in the traditional news media, have no basis in fact, but are presented as and believed to be factually accurate. Michael Radutzky, a producer of CBS 60 Minutes, said his show considers fake news to be “stories that are provably false, have enormous traction in the culture, and are consumed by millions of people.” He did not include fake news that is “invoked by politicians against the media for stories that they don’t like or for comments that they don’t like.” Guy Campanile, also a 60 Minutes producer said, “What we are talking about are stories that are fabricated out of thin air. By most measures, deliberately, and by any definition, that’s a lie.”
Fake news has been around for a long time. As long as there have been societies, there’s been fake news. The military likes to call it “Psyops” or Psychological operations as defined below:
Psychological operations (PSYOP) are planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.
After all is said and done, fake news is simply about misleading people. Some of the ways it’s pulled off is by only providing half truths; words taken out of context; no perspective presented; sometimes, no coverage at all; and last but not least, some news is completely fabricated.
To be able to inform, or influence a population is a very powerful place of trust. America’s forefathers truly understood the impact of news and how crucial it was to our forming Democracy. The following amendment, including freedom of the press, was vital for a healthy nation:
The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, ensuring that there is no prohibition on the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble, or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights. Wikipedia
As long as the press was free and many were able to participate, the truth had a great chance to get to the masses. Unfortunately, it has been reported that 90% of all the news outlets in America have been bought out by six corporations. If that is true, with that kind of control so concentrated, it’s not surprising that the news has been accused of being fake and one sided.
SUBJECTIVITY
Is it really a surprise that news has become manipulated? Philosophers of the past have laid down the ground work for people to justify deception. Moral Relativism is one of those philosophies. Sean McDowell, in a presentation said that:
—Moral Relativism is the view that moral truths depend on the individual or group who hold them. There are no moral absolutes, no objective ethical right and wrong. Morals are subjective, like ice cream preferences.—
SPIN
If one were to make a fake news cake, the number one ingredient would be “spin”. What is spin?
In public relations and politics, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to persuade public opinion in favor or against some organization or public figure. While traditional public relations and advertising may also rely on altering the presentation of the facts, “spin” often implies the use of disingenuous, deceptive, and highly manipulative tactics.[1] William Safire, “The Spinner Spun”, New York Times, December 22, 1996.
Again, because of moral relativism, people believe it’s alright to spin if you can get away with it; from the news, even to Christian books, spinning has flooded the media.
HISTORIC FAKE NEWS
Some people have taken lying or fake news to another level to get what they want. Adolf Hiltler was such a person. He called his lying technique: the Big Lie–
“A big lie (German: große Lüge) is a propaganda technique. The expression was coined by Adolf Hitler, when he dictated his 1925 book Mein Kampf, about the use of a lie so “colossal” that no one would believe that someone “could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.” Hitler claimed the technique was used by “the Jews” to blame Germany’s loss in World War I on German general Erich Ludendorff, who was a prominent nationalist and anti-Semitic political leader in the Weimar Republic.” Wikipedia
Hitler had the audacity of blaming the Jews for using this big lie technique when history shows that this was the very technique he used to brainwash the German people into hating the German Jews.
REPITITION
An important part of the lying equation that works particularly well with the masses is the technique of repeating the same lie over and over. Repetition helps people to finally believe something like the “Big Lie“. Disastrously, hearing lies over and over is Satan‘s counterfeit faith used to wreck havoc in the world. In contrast, repeatedly hearing God’s word over and over can ignite Faith in a believer, empowering him/her through the Spirit of Truth, to bring light into the world:
Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17
THE FATHERS VIEW
It’s a beautiful thing when someone hears the word of God, mix it with faith, embrace it, and act upon it under the power of the Holy Ghost! This is the faith that God treasures and requires from all His children. It’s a tragic thing when someone hears a lie, acts upon it, and brings great harm, not only to himself, but makes the world a little worse.
ONE EXCEPTION TO LYING
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There is one exception to lying that is approved of by the Most High. That’s when one lies to resist evil to save lives. In Exodus 1:17-19 Pharaoh wanted the midwives to kill all the Hebrew boys. The midwives disobeyed and lied to Pharaoh about why they didn’t kill them:
17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” ESV
In Joshua 2 we also find the prostitute Rahab, who’s mentioned in the roll call of faith, saving the lives of two spies from the nation of Israel. When Rahab’s king asked her to bring them out, she lied and said they left early, but in reality she was hiding them.
2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” 3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” 6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) ESV
IT MATTERS
Besides the exception to save life by resisting evil, our loving God’s anger and hate for lies is totally understandable, evil lying always does damage.
So, does lying matter much? It may not to you, but it matters quite a bit to the “Most High“. So much so, that He makes it clear that liars shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Hypothetically, if a person wasn’t written in the Lambs book of life, perfectly obeyed all of God’s commands, but let loose just one lie; that one lie would be enough to evoke the wrath and judgment of God, for He is Holy, without blemish, there‘s no darkness in Him. Praise God we have the perfect advocate in Jesus, who took all of our sins upon himself, and paid the terrible price on Calvary!
Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
It’s vital that as Christians, we look at lying far more seriously than the world does!
First off, we need to know who the father of all lies is.
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Just as God is love personified, the devil is lying personified. He is a living lie; it is his character, his nature, his very substance. While Americans speak English, the devil speaks Lie-glish. It is his mother tongue. It’s his power.
Satan’s biggest lie of mass destruction involving man took place at the Garden of Eden.
4The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5″For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5
As we all know; man, believing Satan’s lie, ate the fruit and he did die; he died a horrifying death. Not just a physical death after some years, but a spiritual death; separation from God. To go from walking with God in peace and tranquility, to being cut off from God by sin while dealing with curses and instability, what a devastating price to pay! Thank the Lord that God wasn’t caught off guard, for we learn that He already had a plan!
God makes it so clear how He feels about lying when He gave the 10 commandments. The ninth commandment says; “Do not give false witness against your neighbor“.
We live in a society that says words are cheap, but there’s a big problem with that—-God doesn’t. For example:
James 5:12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
James 3:4-12 4Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10From the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Society embraces the philosophy of “ends justify the means“; go ahead and lie when you need to, just do it! Only thing, with God, the end doesn’t justify the means. That prostitute may feel justified in selling her body to feed her child, but God is still grieved. If she would just repent and call on the name of the Lord, He will open a door and show her a way to make an honest living.
The world may feel its ok to spout off any falsehood thinking there will be no consequences, but that flippant attitude will be called into account on judgment day.
Matthew 12:36-37 But I tell you that men will give an account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned.”…