The Wikipedia article entitled "False or misleading statements by Donald Trump" starts with this editing note:
This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably.
That is an understatement.
What follows is a series of scattered thoughts on truth, lies, and what that has to do with the Republican candidate for president.
Lies
Both my sons knew growing up that lying was an especially egregious misstep in our house. We emphasized over and over that doing something wrong but admitting it was vastly preferable to lying about it. Our discipline was different if you were caught in a lie.
When I was dealing with a senior pastor's affair (as a staff member), one of the most thoughtful pieces of advice came from another church staff member halfway across the country who'd dealt with a similar situation. He noted that while the adultery was obviously a sin and disqualifying, the process of hiding the affair from so many people had given the pastor a master class in learning how to lie.... and that level of comfort with falsehood called more than just his sexual fidelity to his marriage into question.
At this point, I'll note that Mr. Trump's well-publicized marriages, affairs, divorces, and accusations of sexual assault might be an initial indication of "a level of comfort with falsehood."
Politicians Lie
In anticipation of some folks instant response to broaching this subject, I'm happy to admit that politicians do lie. Sometimes it's intentional - a way to escape a difficult question and/or something stupid they said or did previously; other times, it's an accident born of exhaustion or mixing up two sets of information. But they do it.
That said, they don't do with the casual ease and/or prodigious volume of the former president. Who, it should be noted, returns to his previous lies as a dog returns to his own vomit. (Gross analogy, I know - but I borrowed straight from Scripture.)
As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.Proverbs 26:11 NIV
Helene
In the last week or so, Mr. Trump has - along with many right-wing conspiracy-minded people - amplified blatantly false information about the rescue and recovery efforts taking place in the aftermath of the hurricane that decimated western North Carolina and portions of eastern Tennessee. The fetid stew of outright lies about government inaction, "the great replacement theory", voting by illegal immigrants, and accusations of denying assistance to Republican areas is not only politically unwise - it's a sin.
2020
Three things for you to consider amidst the relentless barrage of falsehoods:
- Fox News paid a $787.5 million dollar settlement to avoid trial with a Dominion Voting Systems - the actual testimony taken during discovery in that trial is a clear indication of the lack of evidence of voter fraud.
- Two pieces of reading material for you:
Yes, I've read the final report and immunity determination motion in full. I'm not just pointing you there. When it comes to assessing the truth of documents like these, you need to consider a couple of ideas that I've written about before: Occam's Razor and the difficulty of actually stealing a national election.
Truth
You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.
Leviticus 19:11 NASB
God can’t stomach liars; he loves the company of those who keep their word.
Proverbs 12:22 MSG
For there is nothing hidden now which will not become perfectly plain and there are no secrets now which will not become as clear as daylight.
Luke 8:17 PHILLIPS
Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these], speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one another [and we are all parts of the body of Christ].
Ephesians 4:25 AMP
And, to close, an appropriate musical interlude...
The trouble with lies
When you tell them you still got to sell them
With the look in your eyes
Oh, that's the trouble with lies
As far as I'm concerned
With the lessons I've learned
I'm determined to try and survive
Without lies
The trouble with lies
Is that you start to forget where the real man hides
Adam Again ("Trouble With Lies" from their album Ten Songs)
Important reminder: I am not attempting to defend the Biden administration or the Harris candidacy. I am simply pointing out that the obvious issues of falsehood and deceit by Donald Trump do not deserve and will not receive my support.
The first post in this series focuses on tariff policy - at this point, Mr. Trump's belief that tariffs are a "magic wand" that can cure all sorts of problems - child care, grocery prices, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., etc. They're not.
The second post in this series focuses on immigration policy - the dehumanizing language, the abject lies, and the unbelievably foolish promises of mass deportation.
The third post in this series focuses on Mr. Trump's narcissism and potential cognitive decline.
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