So reading another diary on Kos earlier and got into a discussion about how people who proclaim to be be good christians can so easily lie about any number of topics. This is an interesting question.
I do not know about you, but particularly over the last 8 years, watching Sunday morning talk shows, or the weekday chat fests on cable 'news' outlets my head nearly explodes. The conservative voice, frequently a moralistic, reiligious type either completely chooses to ignore the facts laid before them or unabashedly lies about something.
How can a self proclaimed christian lie so easily and so continuaosly? I asked that question repeatedly. I just don't get it. The rational men and women of faith that I have encountered and have shared various aspects of my life could never lie so unabashedly, they would feel shame. How is it these conservtalkers, proclaiming their faith loudly and proudly, can so easily lie to me?
Then it struck me....
It all has to do with how you conceive of faith in and of itself. One of the most common complaints I hear from lefties on this site and elsewhere about the religious right folks is how'literally' they take the bible. Here is the crux of the problem.
People who tend to believe faith provides guidance for leading a good productive life, while adding meaning to that life tend to fall into the rational religious camp. This is where a majority of people of faith fall in this country anyway. These are the people I grew up with by and large.
To this group, when Jesus speaks of truth, they tend to view it as being honest on a peronal and intellectual level. This group sees the world rationally and strives to reconcile their personal faith with the observable world.
To what we call the religious right the truth is something completely different. Their outlook is more driven by a dogmatic view, not a rational one. The gospels ARE the only TRUTH all else is either sin or unimportant.
The gospels were written to celebrate the WORD and the WORD is the TRUTH. Combine this general outlook, outlined rather clearly in the opening of the gospels, with religious institutions dogmatic adaptation/adoption of faith and it becomes clear why those of this type of thinking can so easily dismiss observable facts.
If the gospel proclaims that Jesus' words are the TRUTH and dogma furhter tells you that Jesus words as related in the gospels are the ONLY TRUTH, then what does anything else really mean. To them next to nothing. Sure science, based on rational, observable and verifiable facts has brought a lot of good to our world. At the same time, to them, that does not make them the TRUTH as the only TRUTH is the word of good.
For people of the right who think this, if you believe in God the way you do, you implicitly understand that the only TRUTH is the lords word, therefore distorting observable facts, in other lying, is no problem. Obsevable facts have nothing to do with the TRUTH in their mind so ignoring them bears no real consequence to them. This enables people of this mindset to lie and lie and lie and lie and lie and lie.
Not only can they lie, they do it with such conviction, zeal and lust with no shame whatsoever. They know the statistics on an issue point to another conclusion, but it does not matter, because unless it reflects the dogma as adopted by their church it can not be the TRUTH. It is couched in sin, so whatever means that are needed to tear it down can be deployed with no appeal to conscience whatsoever.
The ends always justify the means in their mind. Because, it is a servent to the TRUTH as contained in the gospels who will be saved, all others are damned. So twisting observable facts is fine, acceptable and even preferrable.
So remember, when you are appalled by yet another 'Social Conservative' unabashedly lying on the national airwaves (OK light beams in most cases, although I am off the cable myself), that what you view as the truth, observable facts, is not the same as the TRUTH these people value.
This is the root of our inability to reconcile the fact that the religious right proclaims itself to be good christians and yet can ignore facts or lie so readily. TRUTH to them is a matter of dogma and has nothing to do with the observable world.