Does the bible say anything about lying? Maybe, but the the 9th commandment does not read, "thou shalt not lie", nor is there any biblical grounds for lying to be regarded as some deadly sin. With due respect to our Catholic brethren, "thou shalt not lie" is a catholic interpretation, not a biblical one.
The point is that God carefully chose His words to avoid a law that would have been untenable, namely, "thou shalt not lie", but in so doing He shifted the emphasis to the courtroom and focused on the legal weight or implications of our witness. He was far more concerned with ensuring the integrity of the biblical legal system - thus, the injunction to not bear false witness had similar implications to the modern-day principle of lying under oath. Any violation of the commandments was serious, potentially punishable by death, so God was being very serious when He introduced such a vital ground rule to the biblical legal code.
Now I am regularly heard to speak of "perceptions" and that perceptions are reality - to most people, reality is secondary to perception. I have also advocated the idea that management of perceptions is the essence of marketing, The question is, is my position legitimate? Well Paul spoke of "avoiding the appearance of evil" and in another case he admonished believers to avoid drinking in front of weaker believers. Both of those arguments allude to managed perceptions. Paul even manipulated his audiences as when he truthfully confessed to being of the resurrection, to gain support from the pharisees and thus divide his opponents.
Even Solomon made a case for managed perceptions when he said in Proverbs 17:28 that a fool will be deemed to be wise if he keeps silence - or as I have since heard, "better to shut up and be thought of as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". I have known astute leaders who would deliberately keep quiet throughout a meeting and only talk when the timing was right, to preserve their images.
Empirically speaking, our culture has acquired the ability to lie tactfully - who would tell his wife she is fat, even if she is. What man would tell his employees they are lazy and what woman would want to expose her husband's nakedness before friends. We cannot afford to be so blunt or so honest that we do each other harm, yet the implied subteties do not imply that we have to lack integrity. Integrity also alludes to the 9th commandment, because it goes to the weight of our witness and it gives us credence in the courts of life. It should be a ground rule for every believer, because it undepins every daily transaction. Integrity is a life rule that guides what we do when no one is watching and it is fundamental to our character. So, we cannot conceal vital facts or alter essential truths - we must be ethical in all our daily activities.
When it comes to managed perceptions, I do things like dressing appropriately for my audience - out of deference to them. I also use a language and humor style that fits their profile, not mine. In my written communication I constantly weigh my words, because that is good communication. It means that I am often not being myself or true to myself - but I am being true to my cause, and that is far more relevant.
I also have found ways to ensure that I maintain connectedness without adding a huge maintenance burden to my life - efficient communications will often require some trade-offs and a degree of perception management. If you take yourself too seriously, you will become irrelevant and ineffective, so you must do what needs to be done in a sustainable way, else you will neglect both your job and your constituencies.
I would love to hear your comments - can Christians lie selectively and what are the implications?
(c) Peter Eleazar @ www.4u2live.net
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