The Big Lie

The famous quote from Jospeh Goebbles is one probably known by everyone.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.

However, the rest of the quote tells the motivation for the Big Lie and is the most damaging part of the Big Lie—it provides power to the State and represses truth.

The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

For those that don’t know, Goebbles was the Minister for Propaganda for the Nazi’s in Germany from 1933 until 1945.

This is essentially true.  If you repeat the lie people think that what you are saying is the truth because time after time your lie is what they hear that they have no choice but to believe it.  The lie becomes the truth.  But who is telling the lie?  Goebbles isn’t talking about simple human to human contact (though I supposed it could work as well).  He is talking about the State telling a lie to the People of the State that the State represents.

However, Goebbles understands that the lie can only persist to truth if the Truth is not found out.  Thus, there is an incentive for the State to

use all of its powers to repress dissent

and maintain its power.  Goebbles understood that the lie could be of great importance to fortifying the power of the State if the State is seen as being benevolent with the lie and protecting its citizens.  This is how the Holocaust was carried out.  The great German state was saving its “proper” citizens from these “improper” citizens to keep the “proper” citizens from being corrupted or overrun or whatever.  In reality the State was using its power to repress the dissent that German soldiers were killing innocent men, women and children because they weren’t considered “acceptable” by the State.  Those that tried to bring truth to the lie shared the same fate.

Goebbles’ quote then sets up a causal logic chain that explains this.  The lie gives the State power as the State is using its power to repress dissent and the more and more dissent there is the more power the State will need to repress it.  This leads to Goebbles conclusion that

the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.

The truth must be repressed because it exposes the lie for what it is and once exposed the power the State wields will fail as well.

The Christian Response

We have a duty to share the truth.  We are commissioned by Jesus to “go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel.”  This involves making man aware of his fallen state and how we have all trespassed God’s commands.  We then need to let people know that there is an answer—Jesus—and all they need to do is trust in his finished work on the cross for forgiveness and nothing else.  Then they grow in holiness through prayer and study of the Word.  That is the truth of the world—all are sinners and all need Jesus.

However, this truth is being repressed by a Big Lie—the role of Christians and politics.  For decades now the Left has told Christians that we are not to impose our views on others through the state.  For example, we (Christians) cannot pray in public schools because it offends those who are not Christians.  Or, all religious symbols must be banned from public schools because it offends atheists.  However, as a Christian I am offended that my religion is being supplanted by non-religions.  My right to exists and my right to practice my faith is being trampled on when I have to accommodate those who do not believe.  Or, we have to be tolerant of others but not Christians by allowing Muslims to pray in school but not Christians.  Thus, these are just a few examples how Christians are being targeted and not just religion.  The truth is under attack by a Big Lie.

Refugees and God’s Judgement

In writing about other things that have been on my list, I have not been able to write about the refugee crisis and its implications for U.S. policy and Christian ethics.  However, there is a great piece from Desiring God regarding this issue.  The convicting question below:

What if, while America was asking questions about safety and risk management, Christians were asking, What is God doing? What if, through the senseless evil of civil war, God was bringing unreached people groups to our cities? What if, through great tragedy, God was bringing about the triumph of the gospel?

Now that is the question running through my head: What is God doing? 

California’s Water Crisis

I think that the California water crisis is sad, but I had this thought the other day: it is the Left’s own doing.  For now the mantra is that the water crisis is all the farmer’s fault because they are allowed to use as much water as they want.  (See here for a good analysis of this myth.)

The real problem is the left.  The environmentalists.  Using the same tactic of “protecting the environment” they don’t want to allow the building of new resevoirs to contain ground water runoff and use it for human and agricultural consumption.  This was widely reported with Gov. Brown made his historic declaration on water restrictions.  However, the blame has now shifted to the farmers.

the byline says it all…

Fascinating piece here from the Financial Times that presents a real challenge to Hillary Clinton’s aspiration to be the next President of the United States: her feeling of entitlement to the office.  She is going to have to work at it.

Now, before you jump down my throats as being another right-wing conspiracy theorist who hates women, let me explain what I mean.  The article’s byline says it all:

She cannot expect to shift the gender gap simply by declaring her election would make history