The Supreme Lie

Over at Church of the Churchless, Brian has written about a topic that's been swirling around in my mind for the last few days. So, instead of penning a post myself, I invite you to read what he has to say on the topic of religion and lying. Here's a snippet...

Sometimes it's fine to tell a lie. Everyone does so at one time or another.

But when lying is a permanent condition, a way of life, it eats away at the foundation that supports each of us.

Reality.

This is the big problem with religiosity -- lying. Believers lie continually.

Whenever they say some bit of dogma is true, knowing that they don't know such to be the case, the best word to call this isn't faith, but lying.

For many years I did this myself.

I gave talks, wrote books, had conversations with people, all the while proclaiming that this-and-that was the truth, yet having no good reason to back up my dogmatic assertions.

In these days of economic meltdown, we get outraged when a financial con artist promises lofty profits but doesn't have an honest way of producing them.

However, when religions do the same, claiming that salvation can be had without any proof that believers are reliably delivered the goods, we shrug our shoulders and meekly embrace the duplicity.

The only true statement about God or ultimate reality is...I don't know. Say more, and there's just one appropriate response: "You're a liar."