In today’s paper I saw a picture of a Bears Stearns executive being arrested for misleading investors.  Our society relishes punishing those who intentionally tell lies which cause others to be swindled out of their money. 

Yet, our society does not feel the same way about those who are dishonest about religion.  And, when someone misleads another about God, the real losses can be eternal and of far more value than mere money, but nobody seems to care.  Is not a wasted life worth more than a nest neg?  Is not a wasted soul worth vastly more than that?

For well over a year my wife and I had been meeting with some Jehovah’s Witnesses, in part to learn what they actually teach, in part to tell them what we believe about Christ.  Recently we insisted on accuracy in two areas (that Thomas called Jesus ‘the God’ in John 20:28 -- ‘ho theos’ in the Greek -- and that we be permitted to call God “Lord” if we want while meeting in our own home instead of calling Him ‘Jehovah’ -- ‘Jehovah’ is actually an English word that was derived from a translator’s error and was not used until after the 1500’s A.D.) they decided that since we never made a profession of belief in their doctrines that they would stop meeting with us.  This made me very sad, for I had come to genuinely like the young man and his wife who first made contact with us, and I sincerely wanted to see them turn to Christ.  Yet, as we thought over the past year, my wife and I decided to recap a very few of the less than forthright assertions that we had heard made in the name of their god:

the assertion: “We have no ‘hidden doctrines’ or ‘secret knowledge,’ we will tell you anything you want to know and show you whatever literature you want to see”

the truth: “Oh no, we cannot let you see that computer DVD library of Watchtower publications, it is for believing Witnesses only”

the assertion: “We don’t want to convert you to be a Jehovah’s Witness, we just want to study the Bible with you”

the truth: “We cannot continue to meet with anyone who professes Jesus as equal with Jehovah”

the assertion: “Jehovah’s Witnesses are not polytheists, we just believe that there are many mighty gods and one almighty God who rules over the other gods”

the truth: a belief in many mighty gods and one chief God is polytheism

the assertion: “Jehovah’s Witnesses prefer to be called henotheists, not polytheists”

the truth: henotheism is polytheism

the assertion: “I never said that Jehovah’s Witnesses are henotheists”

Yet, if anyone thinks that these few Jehovah’s Witnesses are alone in not being utterly scrupulous in their speech with regard to religion and theology, I would suggest otherwise.  My own son-in-law demanded that my wife and I convert to Christian Hedonism (even before he married my daughter) under threat that he and my daughter would never talk with us again about the things of Christ.  When I asked him to show me where Scripture demands we convert a second time to hedonism (our first conversion was from unbeliever to believer when we became born again in Christ), he replied, “Psalm 37:4.”  I asked if he would analyze that passage for me and send me his written exegesis so that I might see how it is that this is a command to convert to Christian Hedonism, he replied, “I promise I will do that.”  Some eight years later I am still waiting for that promised analysis.  He lied about providing an exegesis of Psalm 37:4 (he is not the first), though I should add that he was truthful when he said they would never talk with us again about Christ.

Conmen have repeatedly said over the ages, “We could not get away with our deceptions if the public were not so greedy, they believe the lie out of selfish gain.”  So it is with religion as well.  People believe the strangest lies and most unusual doctrines because it appeals to their basest greed.  They forget that it is the truth that sets them free.  Just like greediness, lies and deception enslave us back toward sin. 

Regardless of your religion or doctrinal background, make every effort to love Christ enough to speak only truth, and in so doing to display your love for Christ and for your neighbors.  Lies kill and enslave.  Truth is life and freedom. 

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:1-3)

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:31-32)