Truth or Consequences
A couple of weeks back I was reading an online article about morality, religion, sin, laws, honesty and lying. It got me thinking. My musings stuck with me so I started writing them down. The article was about a study in Europe and in the states about how attitudes are shaped by culture, faith, or lack of. My favorite part of the piece was on the subject of lying.
People lie all the time, me included. Most of us stretch the truth a little, embellish when telling a story, omit details of events to suit our needs. I see a clear difference between those 'white lies' and lies of deception told to mislead and manipulate. Some lies are more obviously more harmful than others.
What I find most interesting are the things people lie about, and why.
Lying to protect another person's feelings seems to be a common theme when people confess to lying. Lying to save money is also common. Lying to protect our reputation, how other people think of us, happens every day. I feel when people lie to maintain appearances they're not only lying to others, they lie to themselves. Somehow, they can justify misrepresenting who they are ....... and maybe they believe their own lies.
Lying to avoid the consequences of a misdeed is very common. 'Dodging lies' often lead to more trouble than admitting the original mistake. I've seen this on the job many times and scratch my head in curiosity. Why lie if the misdeed has no serious consequences?
People often lie when they're put on the spot. an unexpected inquiry, a question they're not prepared to answer, will often cause them to scramble for a reply, usually a dishonest one.
I was not surprised my what the study found. The results backed up what I previously believed.
The study found no connection between people of faith and honesty. In fact, religious people often lied to protect the image of themselves as Christians. The atheist does not carry this baggage.
I've always felt having no religious connection or standards makes it easy to be honest about my beliefs and behavior. The same is true with politics.
People of faith are equally as likely to break the laws of society and government. They cheat on taxes, drive too fast, steal from the workplace, or commit minor crimes as often as non-religious people do. They also have sex out of wedlock and commit acts their good book (whichever one they believe in) would consider immoral. So why do people of faith hold the opinion they're of higher moral fiber than the unfaithful when they clearly and knowingly break the commandments of their faith and laws of men? For some it might be the church and prayer thing, confession and forgiveness.
I've always noted how convenient the Roman Catholic Church is for criminals. It's no surprise to me that most Italian and Irish mobsters are Catholics. The belief that confession and penance wipe the moral slate clean is very useful for less-than-pure souls. How else could James Whitey Bulger sleep at night after all the killing he's done. After a dozen Hail Mary's and a few Lord's Prayers, Freddie Two Fingers no longer worries about the knee caps he broke, he can forgetaboutit after confession and communion.
Criminals lie for obvious reasons. There are serious consequences if they tell the truth about their activity. What about the rest of us good people?
I stand by my opinion that religion makes people lie more than the unencumbered soul.
The final question in my previous post was key to the quiz. I believe respondents without the baggage of maintaining the appearance of religious morality will be more honest when answering personal questions about their actions and beliefs.
I don't know if my blog is the right place for this experiment. I suspect there are few church-going-God-fearing people reading this. I thought about posting this Naked Truth idea in 40-something but that group can be so damn dramtic and I know someone would get their prudish panties in a bunch.
Sometimes I don't care to deal with the offended. The intent of an honest inquiry is lost once they start screaming.
People lie all the time, me included. Most of us stretch the truth a little, embellish when telling a story, omit details of events to suit our needs. I see a clear difference between those 'white lies' and lies of deception told to mislead and manipulate. Some lies are more obviously more harmful than others.
What I find most interesting are the things people lie about, and why.
Lying to protect another person's feelings seems to be a common theme when people confess to lying. Lying to save money is also common. Lying to protect our reputation, how other people think of us, happens every day. I feel when people lie to maintain appearances they're not only lying to others, they lie to themselves. Somehow, they can justify misrepresenting who they are ....... and maybe they believe their own lies.
Lying to avoid the consequences of a misdeed is very common. 'Dodging lies' often lead to more trouble than admitting the original mistake. I've seen this on the job many times and scratch my head in curiosity. Why lie if the misdeed has no serious consequences?
People often lie when they're put on the spot. an unexpected inquiry, a question they're not prepared to answer, will often cause them to scramble for a reply, usually a dishonest one.
I was not surprised my what the study found. The results backed up what I previously believed.
The study found no connection between people of faith and honesty. In fact, religious people often lied to protect the image of themselves as Christians. The atheist does not carry this baggage.
I've always felt having no religious connection or standards makes it easy to be honest about my beliefs and behavior. The same is true with politics.
People of faith are equally as likely to break the laws of society and government. They cheat on taxes, drive too fast, steal from the workplace, or commit minor crimes as often as non-religious people do. They also have sex out of wedlock and commit acts their good book (whichever one they believe in) would consider immoral. So why do people of faith hold the opinion they're of higher moral fiber than the unfaithful when they clearly and knowingly break the commandments of their faith and laws of men? For some it might be the church and prayer thing, confession and forgiveness.
I've always noted how convenient the Roman Catholic Church is for criminals. It's no surprise to me that most Italian and Irish mobsters are Catholics. The belief that confession and penance wipe the moral slate clean is very useful for less-than-pure souls. How else could James Whitey Bulger sleep at night after all the killing he's done. After a dozen Hail Mary's and a few Lord's Prayers, Freddie Two Fingers no longer worries about the knee caps he broke, he can forgetaboutit after confession and communion.
Criminals lie for obvious reasons. There are serious consequences if they tell the truth about their activity. What about the rest of us good people?
I stand by my opinion that religion makes people lie more than the unencumbered soul.
The final question in my previous post was key to the quiz. I believe respondents without the baggage of maintaining the appearance of religious morality will be more honest when answering personal questions about their actions and beliefs.
I don't know if my blog is the right place for this experiment. I suspect there are few church-going-God-fearing people reading this. I thought about posting this Naked Truth idea in 40-something but that group can be so damn dramtic and I know someone would get their prudish panties in a bunch.
Sometimes I don't care to deal with the offended. The intent of an honest inquiry is lost once they start screaming.