truncated truth— the abridged version

Do you ever wonder if our government tells us the truth? Or, just how much “truth in advertising” there is, actually? It’s no wonder our court system swears in witnesses with the charge— “Do you swear to tell the truth, the WHOLE truth, and nothing but the truth.” We’ve become a people who are content with convenient truth, mostly true, “half-truths,” and “truthiness.” Yet these descriptors are only applicable when the truth, or parts of it, suits our purposes. We demand the whole truth from other people. [How dare they hide the truth from us!?!]

You’ve heard the saying— If something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t. That’s what religion and car salesmen sound like to me— too good to be true. They’re quite earnest in telling us what is so good, even fantastic, about their car or their faith, but they shy away from telling us the whole truth, the whole story. CarFax, remember? Maybe the Bible or the Qur’an or the myriad of Vedas have some fine print that is only visible to the faithful, to the select few. But my guess is that they don’t want us to know there are commitments and sacrifices their faith calls on us to make.

There are probably some beliefs they want us to accept that are a little weird: like the deity of their founder or prophet. In the Christian religion I know that “Christians” are expected to love God, who they cannot even see, and to “love thy neighbor.” Does God even know my neighbor!?! He can be a real pain in the butt. Loving him is going to take some work. There are so many unlovable types in my life I can hardly keep count. And then God expects me to love Him too; AND to express it. Pushing it.

There is safety in adhering to an abridged version of the truth. Reading further just complicates things, forces us to think. Life should be simple: it’s easier to stick to a simple faith, to that “old-time religion.” Leave the deep stuff for those who want to read the complete version of faith, unabridged.

Of course, in the real world, life isn’t quite so simple, is it? Most likely, you’ll probably do more than just kick the tires the next time you’re buying a new car.

Have a nice week,

Gary