Lying for Jesus
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'''Lying for Jesus''' happens as a byproduct of some [[Christian]]s' belief that falsifying information is acceptable if that brings people to [[Jesus]]. | '''Lying for Jesus''' happens as a byproduct of some [[Christian]]s' belief that falsifying information is acceptable if that brings people to [[Jesus]]. | ||
Revision as of 14:33, 22 January 2012
Lying for Jesus happens as a byproduct of some Christians' belief that falsifying information is acceptable if that brings people to Jesus.
The practice has a long and venerable history in the Christian religions.
Contents |
Gospels
Blurring the line between fiction and truth in spreading the Christian message dates back to the Gospels. Matthew 27 recounts a series of spectacular and improbable events around the crucifixion which do not appear in the other Gospels or in other contemporaneous accounts. These include: the veil of the temple being torn, an earthquake, several hours of darkness, and the dead rising from their graves.[1] Thomas Paine, a political writer and not a theologian, noted that:
- The writer of the book of Matthew should have told us who the saints were that came to life again and went into the city, and what became of them afterwards, and who it was that saw them - for he is not hardy enough to say that he saw them himself - whether they came fully dressed and where they got their dresses; whether they went to their former habitation and reclaimed their wives, their husband and their property, and how they were received, whether they entered ejectments for the recovery of their possessions or whether they died again, or went back to their graves alive and buried themselves. Strange indeed that an army of saints should return to life and nobody knew who they were, or who it was that saw them, and that not a word more should be said upon the subject, nor these saints have anything to tell us! [1]
Eusebius
Eusebius, Emperor Constantine's bishop, was one of the earliest active advocates of the process:
- How it may be lawful and fitting to use falsehood as a medicine, and for the benefit of those who want to be deceived.[2]
Eusebius is considered the most likely perpetrator of the claimed mention of Jesus in Josephus.
Martin Luther
As well as his documented ditrust of reason as the greatest enemy faith has, the founder of Protestantism also noted:
- What harm would it do, if a man told a good strong lie for the sake of the good and for the Christian church ... a lie out of necessity, a useful lie, a helpful lie, such lies would not be against God, he would accept them.[3]
Sectarianism
Different Christian sects are also quite often prepared to distort the position of other Christians whom they consider heretics.[citation needed]
More recent Christian deceit
It is common for American evangelical Christians to claim the United States was founded as a Christian nation. The book "Liars for Jesus" by Chris Rodda details and refutes these claims.
Dishonesty by Creationists, particularly Young Earth Creationists is well known and documented elsewhere, even at least one Christian acknowledges that it happens. YEC dishonesty simply demonstrates the lack of honest evidence for the YEC position. [4] There was any amount of deceit surrounding Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. [5]
Misleading statistics were and are used by some conservative Christians to argue that gay men have shorter life expectancies than they really have. [6]
See also
References
- ↑ The Crucifixion: Matthew's Supernatural Interlude
- ↑ Translation by Gibbon, who really didn't like Eusebius.
- ↑ Sissela Bok, Lying: Moral Choice In Public and Private Life, New York: Pantheon Books, 1978, p. 47
- ↑ Creationist Lying for Jesus?
- ↑ Lying for Jesus?
- ↑ Lying about Gays for Jesus