DON'T BE FOOLED: The art of moral deception

No one wants to be told they’re on the wrong side of an issue, or that they’re being tricked. But if you ask most people: “Do you want to know the truth?” odds are they’ll say yes. So this is for the people that want to know the harsh truth. Even if you don’t believe in the struggle of ‘Good vs Evil’ or ‘Jesus vs Satan’, one thing remains true…indecision IS a decision. Think of the bystander effect, when we see someone in distress and we choose not to get involved, we do so believing that the end result is not on us. But scientists agree that humans are social animals, we survive as communities and are therefore bound to each other. So whether you are an atheist or a believer, the fact that we are meant to be in, and effect each other’s lives means that deciding not to help each other when we are in need isn’t ‘staying out of their business’ but in fact an action that can lead to negative results.

The same concept holds true for your belief system and your moral compass. Many have absolved themselves of moral responsibility by believing that life is an accident. The rest of us either have a belief system that we fall back on or we simply acknowledge that the theories of modern science are theories and that there must be some organizational framework to our existence but we don’t know what it is (Agnostic). The majority of people who fall into the ‘believers’ bucket think that if they do right by others and live a decent life then they’ll be ok…but I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met like this who lack patience and understanding for those from different walks of life, are not considerate, giving or loving, do not better the communities around them, lack wisdom on subjects of morality, lack the ability to mentor/help others going through difficult situations…and worst of all, they don’t consider themselves ‘criminals’ but they will take advantage of many opportunities (cheating on spouses for example) as long as they believe they won’t get caught or go to jail.

The last person I just described is not a ‘bad person’ in the eyes of society or their friends (especially if they don’t get caught) and because they may not know the ‘truth’ or the details within organized religion they can look into the mirror and feel complacent with their growth as a person. But this story contradicts that ideology:

“There was once a boy trapped on a fence and he couldn’t decide which side to climb down from…on one side was evil, offering all of his indulgences for him to enjoy. On the other side of the fence was good, he offered the truth behind the harm that some of the things he enjoyed would lead to but in return promised joy that the boy could not yet see. Good was pleading with the boy to come down on his side so he could save his life, but evil sat quietly and smiled…finally the boy couldn’t take it anymore and asked evil ‘Why are you so smug, don’t you want me to come down on your side? You’re doing nothing to convince me, what makes you think I’m going to come down on your side of the fence?’. Evil responded ‘I don’t need you to come down on my side of the fence…I own the fence…”

Not making a decision is a decision.

So with this in mind, you should now have a better base to grasp the concept of Satan’s style of deception in the modern world. Think about Satans goals for humanity (reference Job chapter 1):

1. He wants to reveal to everyone that God’s judgement isn’t just.

2. To show humanity is not worth saving, that we’ll all turn on God once things don’t go our way (as he mentioned to God about Job).

3. To turn humanity away from God by misconstruing the truth, leading people to believe he isn’t just and most importantly: making people follow him without even knowing it.

Satan in his own right is a genius, he was one of God’s highest ranking angels (Ezekiel 28:14), he invented the lie (John 8:44) and convinced 1/3rd of the angels in heaven to follow him (Revelation 12:3-9). So his abilities are not to be taken lightly. With that in mind, consider this: If you’re smart, will your plan to divert people from salvation will be based on convincing people to be murderers, terrorists, rapists and demon worshipers? Or is it easier to simply fake being God (Satan will masquerade as an angel of light, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15) and tell your followers lies instead of truths (Satan will misquote the Bible, Matthew 4:5-6)?. Then once you’ve created this population of people empowered with this fake ‘truth’, you have them drive away others and force them to be on the ‘fence’ instead of learning the truth about God. They will still perform acts and make great speeches in God’s name, but simply proclaiming his name will not be enough to be saved (Matthew 7:21-23). What better way to keep people from truly knowing and developing a relationship with God. Satan will cater to our needs and our ego and through society’s influence will have us worshiping something other than God, just like he attempted to do to Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11).

"If you’re smart, will your plan to divert people from salvation will be based on convincing people to be murderers, terrorists, rapists and demon worshippers? Or is it easier to simply fake being God and tell your followers lies instead of truths?"

So if you’re on a street corner and you hear someone on a speaker phone judging you (Matthew 7:1), or if you’re at a military funeral and people are protesting in the name of God, or you hear preachers condemning and judging groups of people without showing Gods love. Take heart in knowing that there is someone who is more offended then you are and it is the God they claim to serve. The truth is that so many people will never open the Bible themselves to decipher between what they’re told and what is the actual truth, so whether you are evil or good in society’s eyes, most of the world will not end up following the truth (Revelation 13:3). When you consider the fact that allowing society to determine our values and the things we enjoy will lead us to not finding much to enjoy in heaven, it’s not a far fetched idea that many will simply reject the concept (Matthew 7:14).

"Take heart in knowing that there is someone who is more offended then you are and it is the God they claim to serve."

In my article ‘How can organized religion…guide us through today’s society’ , I will walk you through what to look for to find a good church and the place organized religion has in a society that is beginning to shun it. A closer relationship with Christ will come with patience and understanding for your fellow man, which is important when you consider the direction this world is headed in and the fact that things won’t be getting any better (Revelations 12:12).