I got some flak for the last article about "Honest Errors", and mostly it was flak not about businesses or governments lying, but about churches doing it.
Yeah, bad news. Churches do this. They are, in fact, as big a group of offenders as anyone, which should be no surprise. They are made up of men, and men are fallible. Or as it says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fell short of the glory of God."
Or as I've noticed, some have fallen quite a bit more than "short" of that glory. And how they love most to do it is to simply state a lie and pretend that they "honestly" believe it is the truth.
Take this video clip from the movie "A Guide for the Married Man":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pmBC_CrQS4&list=RD4pmBC_CrQS4#t=2
In it we see the strategy of the Little Psychopaths I spoke of in the last article. The husband is literally caught in bed with his mistress, and he denies it while getting dressed and while the mistress gets dressed. Then the mistress leaves, the wife is still protesting, and he is still denying it.
For the specific case of churches, this involves the variety of those who get into odd positions of power in various faiths and denominations and choose to abuse it.
It started right out of the gate with the Catholics. They saw the Ten Commandments, saw that one of them said "Thou shalt not make any graven images" and another said "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, six days shall ye labor and the seventh rest" and what did they do?
They carved crucifixes and changed the day to the first day of the week.
When asked, they're the married man in the video clip.
Parishioner, looking at giant carving of Jesus at the front of the sanctuary: "Hey, isn't that a 'graven image'?"
Priest: "Why no, that's a 'worship aid', nothing more."
Parishioner: "It's not an idol?"
Priest: "Idol? Huh? Why would it be an idol? Just a worship aid!"
Parishioner: "Looks like an idol."
Priest: "Worship aid."
Parishioner scratching his head: *sighs* "What kind of cookies should I bring to the youth meeting tonight?"
Later on, same Parishioner: "Hey, doesn't it say the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week?"
Priest: "Yeah, but we celebrate the Lord's Day to honor Christ."
Parishioner: "Didn't Christ celebrate the Sabbath?"
Priest: "Yeah, but we do this in honor of Christ."
Parishioner: "But didn't Christ's Father, God, say that we should remember the Sabbath?"
Priest: "Yeah, but those old commandments were nailed to the cross with Jesus."
Parishioner: "Where does it say that?"
Priest: "I just said it, didn't I?"
Parishioner: *sighs* "What should I bring to next week's food drive?"
Clever, huh? You watch that movie clip and think that no one could be so stupid as to accept such a "deny, deny, deny" tactic, but then you read the above and learn that apparently over one billion Catholics have learned to do just that.
Not that this is only the Catholics, most Protestant faiths worship on Sunday, and with no other reason than some Pope thought it would be funny. Or that it would show off his power. Or for any reason you - or that Pope - cares to name, but for no biblical reason.
Nowadays, we see much more of this "deny, deny, deny", particularly among the liberal churches, but the conservative ones are hardly immune.
Church member: "Why did you ordain that actively homosexual Bishop?"
United Methodist Church: "Oh, that was just one section of us that did that, not the whole UMC."
Church member: "So you're over turning it?"
UMC: "Well, we're looking into it."
Church member: "But she's actively homosexual!"
UMC: "Well, she says that's not necessarily the case."
Church member: "She's 'legally' married to her lesbian partner!"
UMC: "That's why we held a hearing."
Church member: "And?"
UMC: "We held a hearing!"
Church member: "And?!"
UMC: "And we held the hearing. The section is aware of our findings."
Church member: "What were the findings?"
UMC: "That they maybe shouldn't not have refrained of the prevention of it and such but that they did have such rights as they had, so they'll now know what the hearing of it was."
Church member: "So nothing?"
UMC: "No, we had that hearing."
Church member: "She's still a Bishop, though!"
UMC: "But we did have that hearing."
Church member: "But how can an active sinner who is proclaiming her sin as good be left in place as a leader?"
UMC: "Well, God is Love and who are any of us to cast the first stone?"
Church members: "Are any sins to be okay then?"
UMC: "Of course not! That is, no 'sins' are to be okay. There can be question as to what counts as 'sin', though. That's why we have such hearings!"
Church member: *sighs* "What should I bring to the potluck this Sunday?"
Conservative churches have fun with this, too. Just on other subjects. Subjects nearer and dearer to their hearts than homosexuality.
Mormon: "I thought you all said we have no paid clergy!"
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: "We don't!"
Mormon: "But the President of the Church and the top 14 apostles each get $120,000 annually!"
LDS: "Oh, but all the local Bishops don't get any pay."
Mormon: "But all those Apostles get $120,000 annually!"
LDS: "Oh, well, we can't confirm or deny any obviously true leaked information, but if it were true, that's just the modest stipend we had told you about, not actual pay, therefore no paid clergy."
Mormon: "What's the difference between a stipend and pay?"
LDS: "Are you questioning the Prophet, the Church, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost and Heavenly Father Himself?"
Mormon: "No, but it just seems odd that 'modest' could be six figures..."
LDS: "Have you not considered all the great work they do and how such is 'modest' compared to that? Or have you gone apostate?"
Mormon: *sighs* "What night should I have the missionaries over for dinner?"
In each case, the Catholic, Methodist, Mormon, whoever, is doing EXACTLY like the poor woman in the video was doing. You didn't catch it, because you found it so fantastical that you tuned out a bit, but she said something very plaintive near the end, that explains the whole thing.
Wife: "But Charlie!"
Charlie: "What?"
Wife: "Aren't you even ashamed of yourself?"
Charlie: "What?"
And then the poor thing checks the now empty bedroom, shakes her head in bafflement, and comes out - utterly defeated - and asks him what he wants for dinner.
But why? Why would any woman do that, or those billion Catholics or nine million Methodists or six million Mormons?
Because they judge others based upon how they know themselves to be. And as they are NOT "Little Psychopaths" they falsely then conclude that the other cannot be.
And so since they know they'd feel shame at telling such a blatant lie, they figure that if the other was telling a blatant lie that they'd feel shame.
When the other - being the actual psychopath I said they were - then shows no shame, the regular Joe and Jane figures that, "Well, if they are so sure of it, maybe there is something to it, in any case, I sure don't want to stick my neck out and look foolish. They'd not be saying this if they couldn't back it so even if I can't figure it out, I'll just let it go."
Adolf Hitler called this phenomena "The Big Lie", and it was his dark advice that if you're going to lie, tell a large one. The masses - as he correctly pointed out - are used to telling little lies and so will be willing to believe you would tell such. But - and this is crucial - the masses are NOT used to telling large lies, for fear of being caught and feeling shame, so they will assume that the Leader (any leader) would not tell a large lie either.
Therefore? If you tell a large lie, that is MORE likely to be believed! Had the man in the video clip told his wife that his mistress "meant nothing to me" she would not have believed that "little lie". But pretending that she did not exist at all? You might be surprised just how close that might come to working in real life.
In the case of the well-dressed businessman denying that his company is polluting a river or a Congressman denying that his legislation violates the Constitution or an Apostle telling you that $120,000 per year - plus sinecures, paid chairs, expense accounts and such - is a "modest stipend", you believe them as they show no shame in saying so.
And it's the same case when the lesbian Bishop stands proudly behind the alter with her co-wife and tells some schmaltzy tale of God being Love and wanting her to not be ashamed to express her love and to love her as she is and love and did she mention love? And how God is love? And loves to love her loving in love? Yeah, same deal, she'll show no shame, and thus you'll figure that there must be something to it.
Because who would go to such lengths? Psychopaths will go to such lengths, but you're still, while reading this, not up for believing that.
Because they're so sure. And as they are so far up there, and so sure, who are you to doubt them, let alone deny what they say? And even if you kind of sort of do doubt them, and suspect that this guy (me) on the internet may be making some kind of point, all your friends and family and neighbors are acting like they believe those "leaders" so best to keep quiet, right? Right?
Some of you will come up with any excuse for those who lie to you, just so you can feel safe. "But, Dean, he didn't just deny it, he said that it was a stipend instead of pay!" or "But, Dean, she didn't just deny it, she said that God told her that she was to be open about who she loved!" or "But Dean, he didn't just deny it, he said that it was only that once because I had been so distant and he wants to make it work for the kids!" or "But Dean, they didn't just deny it, they said the important thing is that 'a' day is kept holy!"
But a reason that is no reason at all is a "deny, deny, deny". Sometimes they are called "sophisms" or "sophistries", arguments and sayings that sound wise and true, but are not. Or sometimes it's just an example of the old phrase, "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with...bovine excrement".
The poor Catholic or Methodist or Mormon is in the same position as that wife in another way. Where maybe they aren't quite fooled...but they have the same hard choice that the wife in the video had. The choice of, "Do I insist I know what I know...and lose the marriage, the comfort of the house, the companionship, the children having both parents, the social set and the million other benefits of it all? Or do I swallow my pride, pretend I'm falling for this, and still keep all the good that can be salvaged?"
So maybe the wife doubts. Or maybe she's being practical. Or maybe a bit of both.
I mean, the leader is so sure, the others aren't saying anything, and this guy you're reading right this moment is nobody, so if you do disagree with the leader, others will then think less of you, and you'll lose all the good stuff that you have come to enjoy...*sighs*
Better find out what to make for dinner.
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