L is for Liar (or Lie)

I'm blogging my way through the alphabet with many others participating in the 2014 A to Z Challenge. The A to Z Challenge is the brainchild of Arlee Bird at Tossing it Out. We post every day in April except Sundays.

Today is L day, and I've chosen the word Liar. I don't like liars. Maybe I should say ... lying is a pet peeve, and I don't trust liars. Unfortunately, we all come in contact with them. We might even have family members who lie. I always feel when I catch someone in a lie, I can never trust him or her again. I'm always suspicious of everything they tell me.

Of course, sometimes we're a little confused about what a lie really is. There are no half-lies. A lie is a lie.  We get into the situational ethics thing, an idea that suggests the end justifies the means when dealing with a crisis; that the law can be set aside if a greater good or lesser evil is served. I really don't think we're going to be able to rationalize or explain ourselves when we stand before God. Isn't that a little scary?

One of my books deals with situational ethics. My main character is forced into a situation where she lies to get a job to save her self and her nephew, and to achieve a dream she had in high school. In her mind, she's justified. Sadly, her actions destroy someone else's dream. It's not your typical happy ending. The book has been rejected by Christian publishers because they don't want a book where the heroine lies. At least that's what they said. Okay, I guess they don't like liars either--even if the main character grows and changes and repents.

Lies and Liars are all around us. We deal with them every day.

When I researched liars in public office, I learned that a congressional investigation several years ago uncovered almost 500 federal employees who had credentials from unaccredited schools giving bogus degrees. This included three individuals with high-level security clearance. That was several years ago ... just think how that number has increased today!

I won't name names but a university football coach admitted he lied about his academic and athletic background. He claimed to have a masters in education and he claimed the have played football for three years. Neither was true.

An athletic director from another university neglected to correct his resume. He never completed his master's degree yet it was listed there. After exposed, he had to resign.

The president of a very important U.S. committee resigned after it was discovered she didn't receive her bachelor's degree or her doctorate, as claimed.

One politician in Texas was defeated for re-election because she claimed to have a bachelor's degree when she did not.
 
A CEO of a well-known electronics store resigned because he claimed degrees in theology and psychology from a university.

Needless to say, these people would still hold their positions if they had not been found out. I'm not saying these people weren't qualified or capable of holding down these jobs. The problem is their lies. Actually, lying is akin to theft. They stole these positions from people who actually worked hard in college to get such jobs.

I guess a good question is, why weren't their resumes checked out? Why weren't references called?  But I suppose that's another story.

When we talk about lies and liars, we always revert back to something silly like, "You mean if my wife asks if she looks good in a particular dress, I'm supposed to tell the truth?" Look buddy, just say what my husband says, "I love you, to me, you look good in anything and everything."  If he believes so do I! Lying is a serious thing and we shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

And if you're a Believer, you probably agree that we won't.

How do you feel about Lies and Liars? Is it a worthy topic or one you don't want to deal with or know about?