Remember, God is truth, the devil father of lies – We pick a side each day

We are all aware of the current way things are handled in the media; everyone is either scared to tell the truth, or is directly or indirectly benefiting from telling actual lies.

I have heard someone who mingles with journalists say that reporting the truth about a particular incident wouldn’t make “interesting news”. So in the quest to get clicks on the internet, people would use deceptive headlines or blatantly lie in their articles, or both.

The problem is if you give your audience a preconception before they explore the truths of the incident, you are nudging them to conclude based on your personal view concerning a situation. This is understandable for purely opinion pieces about abstract concepts, but when it comes to something that happens between person A and B it can be appalling.

Recently I read an article that says the Pope asks people for charitable donations in the Peter’s Pence collection but only donates 10% of the proceeds to charity. When reading this, people assume the Pope is pocketing the other 90% for frivolous activities. But if a true journalist would do the diligence of asking, “What really does the Pope say the collection is for?” They would perhaps visit the official Vatican website, right?

Where it is clearly written:

“Peter’s Pence is the name given to the financial support offered by the faithful to the Holy Father as a sign of their sharing in the concern of the Successor of Peter for the many different needs of the Universal Church and for the relief of those most in need.” 

Vatican.va

But the media gets “Peter’s Pence is for charity.” The difference is very subtle, but the implication is massive. By the time two more news houses write on it, everyone would assume the Pope embezzles from Catholics. Peter’s Pence is a donation we offer the Pope to support him. He can decide how much will go to Church reforms, contributions to relief, donations to rebuilding structures, etc. Where would the Pope stash millions, and for what? He cannot buy a house or a car. What do people imagine the Pope is doing with “embezzled” money? A person with no home, no family, or worldly possessions would be the last person to suspect is embezzling but leave it to the media.

This is a despicable way of reporting events and seems to many to be systematically targeted attacks on any structures opposing the immoral politics of the overly liberal. I do not want to support this cynical idea, tempting though it might be.

I believe in a simpler explanation: people lie to make money and look good.

This also happens even in conservative media, where truth can also be twisted to fit a predefined narrative. As a Catholic, you must refrain from any such lies as they destroy your soul and significantly distance you from God. Imagine becoming a serial liar and having the devil for a father?

Whether it comes from your priest or your bishop, a lie, no matter the purpose it serves, is still a lie. It is always an affront to God, who is Truth. I believe it might be better to keep quiet if you feel conflicted than to support a lie. 

It is necessary to point this out now when people lie about understanding the many dogmas of the western youth. People lie about supporting gay rights and advocacy, about supporting women’s rights and child protection when they have horrible personal agendas. 

Be a pillar of truth and keep lies far away from your life.