Ray Ciervo Ministries

No Place for Truth in Politics

America tuned in to the “Vice-Presidential” debates with differing interests. Some wanted to see Sarah Palin blunder. Others are enamored with her “down-home” communication style. She seems like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stuffy presidential race. Palin’s “Say-it-ain’t-so-Joe” repose connected with many people.

Joe Biden came across relaxed and factual. The camera caught him a few times looking admiringly at Palin. At least, that’s how I saw it. Both candidates seemed to respect each other which seemed to set a different tone.

What is concerning about debates is the lack of truth in the arguments presented. And this is represented by both sides. If a person doesn’t do his/her homework you wouldn’t know what or who to believe as there is no place for truth in these debates. What you do find is misrepresentation, misquotes, and characterizations that are less than honest and outright lies. Many may not like it, but both sides employ all of these.

There are several web sites you can visit to ascertain whether what is being said is accurate or not. www.factcheck.org is one such site. Another is http://www.politifact.com. Both sites check out campaign ads and comments by politicians. This is worth your time if you want to vote intelligently.

What is further concerning here is the loss of true debate skills and honest presentation of truth. Once again, this is all about image. Unfortunately, it is not just making yourself look good, but making the other guy look bad. This is not uncovering truth, but in many ways creating illusions. Well maybe worse - it is lying.

Ironically after this debate, both sides were happy their candidate didn’t commit any “gaffes.” Is it just me or is something really out of whack here? The candidates purposely misrepresent the facts, i.e., they lie, but we’re happy they didn’t say anything stupid. This is one of the reasons why I really don’t like politics - too much lying. Then again, any lying is too much.

There is no place for truth in politics and I struggle to come up with a vote for someone I think is right. It is really more that I don’t want to vote for the one who is worse, in my opinion. My prophetic edge gets restless with this process. I’m put off by people who speak about their candidates as if they are pure and going to get things done for the good of the people. One side is always claiming how right they are and how the others are “stealing” the election, as if one side is holy and the other is not.

The church is called the “pillar and support of truth.” That ought to mean something to us who are the church. We ought to oppose anyone who shows disdain for the truth and call them to cling to truth. I know, you think I’m naive. Politicians have been doing this forever. However, that doesn’t mean we ought to capitulate to their lack of commitment to the truth or their outright dismissal of facts. Be the church - stand for truth.