“Fabrication” is used a lot in manufacturing to refer to the process of producing a product. The word refers to the idea of creating something from raw materials. The word also refers to fabricating a story or telling an outright lie. When a person lies, they’re often making up a story that is fiction, but could contain fragments of truth.
This is more common than we would like to admit. The problem is knowing when someone is lying and which parts of their story may be genuine.
Renee Ellory is one of those rare individuals who have a talent for detecting deception. She was among 50 people identified in a University of San Francisco study where scientists aimed to find individuals who excel at accurately spotting lies told by strangers. And the researchers tested over 15,000 people working for the CIA, Secret Service, FBI, sheriffs, psychologists, lawyers, judges, and ordinary people.
In an article titled “The Liar’s Projections,” Renee writes that if you notice a person accusing everyone else of lying while claiming they’re honest, they are likely to be indirectly pointing the finger back at themselves.
In psychology, this phenomenon is known as “projection.” In other words, a person who is not telling the truth is projecting their behavior onto others. Additionally, it’s not uncommon for such a person to project onto others the negative behaviors they feel guilty about. Often unaware that this is what is happening.
In this week’s chapters from our companion book, The Stranger in the Lifeboat, Dobby has shown up on the Island of Montserrat, where Chief Inspector Marty LeFleur is listening to his version of what may have happened to the Galaxy. If you recall, Benji blamed the explosion on his childhood friend. And LeFleur seems convinced of his guilt.
Dobby asks LeFleur if he has ever heard of “confabulation.” According to the National Institute of Health, confabulation is a form of neuropsychiatric disorder where a person tells a false story, but without the intention of deceit. The person may be trying to explain what has happened to themselves.
Dobby’s explanation seemed too convenient to LeFleur. But Dobby pointed out that Annabelle, Benji’s wife to whom his journal was addressed, was no longer living. Perhaps at least some parts of the mystery of what happened to the Galaxy were coming to light. LeFleur’s job was to get to the truth.
Truth is a common theme throughout scripture. We’re told that God hates lies, even though God loves the person lying. But there are good reasons for the truth. Proverbs tells us, “When you tell the truth, justice is done, but lies lead to injustice (Proverbs 12:17).
We’re certainly experiencing the bending of the truth and outright lies coming out of the administration and many lawmakers in Washington. And in many cases, injustice is being covered up rather than telling the truth and undoing the harm.
The current president’s propensity for lying is well documented. The Washington Post counted a total of 30,573 lies told during his first term. Interestingly, they noticed that the rate of lies told increased dramatically from year to year.
People lie for a lot of reasons. And often a lie seems justifiable. Dr. Bella DePaulo has done extensive research on lies told by ordinary people. She says we all lie, mainly for two reasons. Either we want something or we want to avoid what we don’t want, or we lie for someone else’s benefit. DePaulo categorizes these two types of lies as self-serving and kind lies.
When confronted while Jesus was being interrogated after His arrest, Peter said to the men who were convinced that he was a friend of Jesus, “I swear that I am telling the truth! I do not know that man!” Right after Peter said this, a rooster crowed nearby, reminding him what Jesus had said earlier.
Did Peter do the right thing? After all, he feared being arrested had he admitted to being a follower of Jesus. This way, he was able to continue the mission left to Him by Jesus. However, the guilt of his self-serving lie, in which he denied knowing Jesus, was intense for Peter.
Jesus knew Peter would deny knowing Him when confronted. Likewise, Jesus knows that most of us will make similar decisions. And we do when it comes to using self-serving lies for our own benefit.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that to follow Him is to do as He teaches. In other words, we follow His example of treating all persons with dignity and love. This is what it means to be a Christian. And by extension, this means that our policies should reflect Jesus’ teachings if we want to be a nation that exemplifies the teachings of Jesus.
What would be the benefit of a nation whose policies reflect the teachings of Jesus?
You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 8:31-32
Jesus said that when we follow His teachings, we know the truth. And the truth, my friends, will set us free.
You can join us each Sunday in person or online by clicking the button on our website’s homepage. Click here to watch. This button takes you to our YouTube channel. You can find more information about us on our website at FlintAsburyChurch.org.
This is a reminder that we publish a weekly newsletter called the Circuit Rider. You can request this publication by email. Send a request to FlintAsburyUMC@gmail.com or let us know when you send a message through our website. We post an archive of past editions on our website under Connect – choose Newsletters.
Pastor Tommy
Our series was inspired by Mitch Albom. The Stranger in the Lifeboat. New York: HarperCollins, 2021.
Bella DePaulo. “How President Trump’s Lies Are Different From Other People’s.” © Psychology Today, December 9, 2017. Retrieved from: link
Glenn Kessler, Salvador Rizzo, and Meg Kelly. “Trump’s false or misleading claims total 30,573 over 4 years.” © Washington Post, January 24, 2021. Retrieved from: link