Lying Destroys Democracy

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

Peacemakers, take pride in what you do. It is the work of God.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One, Divine Goddess,

When we neglect you, the environment suffers and Earth becomes barren.
When we neglect you, we forget that we are all related and need each other.
When we neglect you, we demean the gift of sex.
When we neglect you, children become expendable in the name of something less than you.
I want to acknowledge you more completely in my life.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Let me have a crack at that crossword puzzle, John. I’m pretty good with words.”

[Too easy for Him. But He never said it.]

D. Blog: On Lying

As in every campaign season, I am reminded of a wonderfully thoughtful book by Sissela Bok. Here’s a brief description I found online:

Lying: Moral Choice in Private and Public Life (1978). "Lying" remains in print today, thirty years after its initial publication, and is widely used in classrooms. Its continuing broad readership pays tribute to the book’s lucidity and good sense. Bok's work has no peer as a serious treatment of a central, but neglected, dimension of moral life.

Think about the word choice in “straight talk.” It apparently does not exclude distortion of facts, dissembling, defamation of character, belittling opponents’ achievements, exaggerating one’s own accomplishments. So I wonder: when straight talk includes lying, is Bok correct in suggesting democracy is just another word…