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Back in 2012, NY Times best-selling author Andy Andrews released a thought-provoking book entitled How Do You Kill 11 Million People? "The answer," Andrews wrote, "is breathtakingly simple. And is a method still used by some elected leaders to achieve various goals today...You lie to them." In his book, Andrews notes that if an individual or small group of gun-toting hooligans attacked, most people would run or fight, recognizing the threat. But a vastly outnumbered team of Nazi soldiers was able to round up 11 million Jews and send them to concentration camps and, in many instances, the Jews even helped with the process. Andrews writes, "An intricate web of lies, to be delivered in stages, was designed to ensure the cooperation of the condemned (but unknowing) Jews."
Lies work. Jesus said "...the devil......was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." Satan brought about the fall of mankind with his lie to Eve, convincing her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and of Evil: "You will not certainly die, for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:3-4, NIV). With that lie, the serpent convinced Eve to do what God had commanded mankind not to do. Humanity still suffers because of that sin.
A glance at recent headlines demonstrates the effectiveness of lying. Russian collusion. Stolen elections. Social distancing and masking. About 40 years ago, author Hannah Arendt examined lies U.S. politicians used to explain American involvement in Vietnam and wrote: "Lies are often much more plausible, more appealing to reason, than reality, since the liar has the great advantage of knowing beforehand what the audience wishes or expects to hear. He has prepared his story for public consumption with a careful eye to making it credible."
"What the audience wishes or expects to hear," Arendt wrote. Tell the populace that wearing a mask will protect them from a disease that no one seems to understand and alleviate their fear, even if scientific data doesn't back up that claim. Tell me that my doctor has a great reputation, even if you know he almost lost his medical license. I want to trust my doctor. Tell people that there is no God, or convince them that a loving God would never send anyone to Hell. Tell them that all religions worship the same God; we're all going to the same place, there are just different paths to get there. Tell folks what they want to hear and, in most cases, you will control their actions.
The Apostle Paul called attention to this threat when he wrote 2 Timothy 4:3 - "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." Tell people what they want to hear and you gain willing followers.
But where are those followers headed?
An attractive lie is still a lie. Basing one's actions on that lie doesn't promote security, it points toward disaster when the scaffolding of the lie eventually collapses and the truth wins out. The German people still suffer from the effects of Hitler's lies. America's political process is weak and sick because of the lies of both Democrats and Republicans. America's trust in the news media sits at an all-time low. Lost people may suffer in eternity because they believed the lie that "a loving God would never send anyone to Hell."
Lies are countered by truth, but sometimes hard work is needed to discover truth. Hard questions should be asked about information sources: "What qualifications do they have?" "How much study has been devoted to this issue and how credible is the research?" and "Does the source have an agenda?" Critical thought should be given to alternative or competing viewpoints. And, for believers, information must always be tested against the truth of Scripture. If "information" conflicts with Scripture, then it is misinformation, no matter how attractive it sounds. Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32).
God never lies.