Where I Am…Where We Are

I am not surprised when people act out of political ambition.
That has happened all my life.

I am not surprised when people lie.
That has happened all my life.

I am not surprised when people make poor judgements in words and actions and cause hurt to others.
That has happened all my life.

I am not surprised when people insult, degrade and belittle others.
Sadly, that has happened all my life.

What I am surprised about – completely surprised about—is Christians applauding when these things happen.   And I am surprised and thoroughly dismayed at the open and regular way such behavior is exhibited.  This is not normal.  It is not constructive.  It is certainly not Christian.

All my life, Christians have affirmed that telling a lie is wrong.
All my life Christians have affirmed there is a direct link between honesty and integrity.
Until now.

These fundamental convictions were not the beliefs of any one denomination.  They were (and are) essential, baseline convictions across all Christian churches.   I know of no denomination that believes it is all right to bear false witness.  I know of no religion where is it acceptable (much less admirable) to sin, deny and never repent of sin.  I know of no expression of Christian faith which affirms that it is all right to insult, degrade and belittle other people.   Across the board, Christian people have been the guardians of decency for life in America based on commonly held Christian values.

Life in our nation had a basic moral structure built by the values of Christian faith.  This moral structure  was the firewall calling everyone to character.  The basic moral structure was a non-negotiable prerequisite for the approval/applause of Christians.

I thought the fundamental moral values were clearly understood and commonly held.  I thought there were strong.  Apparently, this strong moral base was an assumption more than a reality.  In the heat of political fervor,  I have learned that I was wrong about the rock solid moral framework of Christian faith.

I forgive myself for the mistake.  Until the last 9 years of my life (I am 74), when someone told a lie, the moral framework of Christian faith did not allow people to approve. 
Christian values that protected people from the ravages of falsehoods.

When someone slandered or belittled or mocked others, the moral framework of Christian faith disapproved.

When someone attacked public helpers – teachers, medical researchers and practitioners, judges and officials of the judicial system—the moral framework rose up and stood firmly on behalf of the helpers. 

This was not a partisan reality at all.  No matter who did the lying, it was wrong.  No matter who slandered or belittled others, it was wrong.  No matter who attacked the helpers who made positive contributions to our society, it was wrong.  Whoever thought they were not accountable to anyone else, our basic moral framework fiercely protected the importance of accountability.  All these core, fundamental parts of life were applied across the board:    Republican OR Democrat, male or female, person in elected office or general citizen, person of any denomination or no Christian denomination, male or female, black or white, young or old.  Lying was wrong.  We taught that lying was wrong to our children and grandchildren, to our senior members of congregations and young people.  Scouts and youth groups and athletes all learned what I thought was basic moral code:  lying is wrong.  Slandering others was wrong.  Insulting others was wrong.  Belittling others was wrong.  Attacking the helpers – faithful teachers, military personnel, conscientious judges, those devoted to our health in the medical field—was wrong.  And, if I haven’t mentioned it, lying was wrong.

The popularity of President-elect Trump overwhelmed the moral code that was the foundation of honorable life.  No other figure (much less elected official) in American life has told so many falsehoods. Thousands of them since 2016.    Lies – often big, flagrant lies-- are regular stapes in his comments speech speeches. Anyone who challenges his falsehoods is subjected to blistering personal attacks. 

When I say Donald Trump is a liar, I am not picking up accusations made by political adversaries.  I am referring to lies spoken by Mr. Trump himself.  Lies I have heard with my own ears.  I am talking about things he has said (and often repeated) in his own voice at his own events.  I am talking about lies he initiated – not false things he said in the heat of pressure or “gotcha” questions.  I am speaking of lies where there are facts and video that validate the liar label.  His own public words are a dumpster of outright lies.

Despite his constant, public and unrepentant lies, people who identify as Christian have still applauded and supported him.  What he repeatedly says and does is the opposite of the moral foundation of Christian values.  The contradiction of what we (they) believe and his actions is, all of a sudden, inconsequential to their approval and support.  That is the head-scratcher and heart-breaker.

Here’s the thing:  it is not a surprise that people lie.  The damage to our relationships and our country is done when people BELIEVE the lie.  All my life, there have been wise people who knew how to recognize falsehood.  Grandparents, Sunday School teachers, youth counselors, Scout leaders, coaches, parents, family members we could trust stood in the gap between the lie we had heard and what we should believe.   They were godsends to us.  They had no hesitation in dismissing a lie and telling us how to recognize a lie.  They pointed us to facts about people and situations so we could recognize smears.  They were humble, down-to-earth people who did not want us swallowed up by nonsense.  They helped us recognize the characteristics of integrity.  They taught us the difference between right and wrong and, even when we were wrong (especially when we were wrong), they reproved us because they cared about us.  They knew that suffering comes from sin.  And if we were on a sinful path – if we were lying or cheating or slandering others—they did not hesitate to correct us.  They knew that the more we indulged in those behaviors, we were doing things that would hurt us.  And others.

I do not know how to explain what has happened to them.   I know that we need them.  And I know that we need to give attention to what has made people so head-spinningly gullible to the wildest lies – and callous to the ways those lies hurt others.

A lie has a limited amount of damage when people don’t believe it.
The liar has character defects but the damage to others is restricted.
Somewhere along the line, people have become more gullible than I ever dreamed.

Epiphany is the Christian season of light in the darkness.
The star is the central image.
The central characters were observant to the signs God gave them.

This Epiphany, I am praying that we figure out how the people of this country became so gullible.
I am praying that we reclaim and renew and commit to repairing the basic moral framework of our nation that has been so badly damaged. 
I am praying for a rebuild that is practical, not partisan-- a new level of commitment to what is honorable and good and noble.