#239 Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

A little while back Packers legend Aaron Rodgers landed in some hot water. Before the NFL season, Rodgers was asked if he had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Rodgers affirmed that he'd been immunized, which led everyone to assume that he had gotten a vaccine. But, as we came to find out, Rodgers had not gotten a vaccine; he'd tried some other preventative measure that did not meet the NFL's standards. Many were quick to rebuke Rodgers for lying. Rodgers later tried to defend himself by saying that he never said he was vaccinated.

While Rodgers' defense is factually correct, that really doesn't mean he wasn't lying. We often equate telling the truth with being factually accurate and lying with being factually inaccurate, and in the vast majority of cases, that's right. However, lying is a moral matter, not a factual matter. If I say something that is meant to mislead whomever I'm speaking to, then I'm lying, no matter how accurate my statement might be. For example, if someone asks me if I watched the Packers' last game against the Rams (I was not able to here in NW Iowa), and I say, "The Packers won 36-28" so that the other person believes I watched the game, then I am lying, even though my statement is correct. My intention was deceptive, which makes me a liar. Understanding lying this way helps us understand just how much of a problem lying is for all of us. It's so easy for us to twist or slant our words or keep back part of the story to mislead someone and then pat ourselves on the back for being accurate. I know I've done this, and I'm guessing you have, too.

And on the flip side, being wrong does not mean someone is lying. If I truly think it takes 2 hours to drive from my house to St. Paul, MN, and I tell someone else that, only for them to discover that it takes more like 4 hours, then it would not be right for them to call me I liar. I meant to tell the truth, but I had the wrong information. Now certainly there can be serious consequences to be wrong. And if I am willfully ignorant but still choose to spread (mis)information, I am morally responsible for my actions. However, that doesn't mean I'm lying.

So when it comes to lying, it's our intentions, not our factual accuracy, that ultimately make the moral difference. In order to avoid the mess of tangled words and half-truths and omitted information, it's best for us to follow Jesus' advice (given in the context of discussing oaths). Say "yes" when you mean yes and "no" when you mean no. Keep it simple, honest, and easy-to-follow. There's a lot less chance of getting in trouble down the road that way.

Grace and peace,

BMH