Is it easier to believe a lie or the truth?
I asked that question of a group of young leaders at a dinner in Warsaw, Poland and of church leaders while travelling through Ukraine. The unanimous response was that it is easier to believe something false than to believe the truth.
Why is that?
Case in point, The Flat Earth Society in Alberta. There is a sign on the side of Hwy 2 just north of Ponoka promoting the idea that the earth is flat. 
Truth or Lie?
- Putin is the defender of Christianity in Europe.
- No rapes occurred during the October 7th Hamas attack in Israel.
- Iran successfully defended against the Israeli Air Force attack in April and no damage was incurred.
- President Zelensky is a Nazi, murders priests, and destroys churches.
- The Democrats stole the 2020 US election.
These statements are believed to be truth in many populations. The lies motivate action.
“People will believe a big lie sooner than a little one and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.”
Hitler and Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propagandist, used “the big lie” during WWII only they accused the Jews and the British of being the liars.
Nazi propaganda repeatedly claimed that Jews held out-sized and secret power in Britain, Russia, and the United States. It further spread claims that the Jews had begun a war of extermination against Germany, and used these to assert that Germany had a right to annihilate the Jews in self-defense.
Propaganda
Many of my friends in Ukraine have parents and family members living on occupied Eastern Ukraine and in Russia. There is no small heartache for them that their family members believe Russian propaganda over the words of their Ukrainian family members. 
During his political career, former U.S. president Donald Trump has employed what have been characterized as the firehose of falsehood and big lie propaganda techniques, most notably that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen from him.
Dominion Voting won a defamation case against Fox News for repeating what were found to be lies of vote tampering.
The Big Lie
Dr. Ramani Durvasula, author of “It’s Not You,” and an expert on narcissistic personality disorder and narcissistic abuse, says that:
“Repetition is important because the Big Lie works through indoctrination. The Big Lie then becomes its own evidence base – if it is repeated enough, people believe it, and the very repetition almost tautologically becomes the support for the Lie. … Hear something enough it becomes truth. People assume there is an evidence base when the lie is big (it’s like a blind spot).”
At a demonstration in Vancouver, protesters chanted “long live Oct. 7,” praising that day’s attacks by Hamas on Israel. Charlotte Kates, a director of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, told the rally that the attack was “heroic and brave,” before leading the crowd in the chant.
The “protesters” verbiage is hate speech based on lies. Peaceful protest does not legally include hate speech. “From the river to the sea” is a genocidal call against Israel. There is no “nuance” about Hamas, no “context” in which its atrocities can be justified. “Long live October 7th” is the promotion of terror and hate.
Blinded Minds
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT) sheds some light on the power of lies: “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
Jesus said Satan is the father of lies and cannot tell the truth. “the devil… was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 (NLT)
What do you think? Is it easier to believe a lie or the truth? Join the conversation and post a comment below.
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