Character Assassination

Tuesday 14 Oct 2008

Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama’s spiritual advisor, Jeremiah Wright made headlines in America earlier this year with his now famous quote on the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks, saying that America’s “chickens have come home to roost”.  The quote is now being widely used by pundits trying to explain the current global financial crisis.

As analysts dig deeper and deeper into the mess to find the root cause of the current market meltdown, a litany of lies and deceit is being unraveled and revealed. 

·        Thousands have lost their homes and many more are still threatened;

·        Billions of dollars have been lost from the retirement plans (401k) of ordinary citizens;

·        Thousands of businesses are threatened;

·        Thousands of jobs have been lost and many more are still threatened; and

·        The hopes of many in the developing world have been shattered.

A Loud Clear Message

A loud and clear message is also emerging that every Christian needs to hear and heed.  It is to do with the cost of character assassination (bearing false witness).

The ninth commandment says: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “ 

However, in the past 25 years, in particular, as the 24 hour-a-day communications media has emerged and become increasingly competitive and desperate for news, character assassination has a correspondingly become an acceptable political past-time.  Encouraged by lazy, limited journalists and unscrupulous media organizations that put profit far ahead of the interests of the people, character assassination is now out of control and today the world is paying a very high price for this ignorance.

A Campaign of Deceit

Regardless of one’s political affiliations or leanings, anyone who is half honest and half aware of what is going on in the world knows that for the past eight years, US President George W. Bush has been the focus of a determined global effort to undermine his character and authority.  As those responsible for this systematically organized, deceitful campaign look at the polls today, they can pat themselves on the back and say that they have been very successful in their dirty work. 

Despite being elected to office twice by the American people, President George W. Bush’s approval ratings today are among the lowest ever recorded for an American president. As the American people and the freedom loving people of the world look at this achievement however, surely we must now ask, what is the price we have to pay for tolerating such stupidity?  Now when the world needs the President of the United States to be strong, and provide leadership, we find that his power and influence have been undermined for pure political advantage.

An Evil Art Form

During President George W. Bush’s two terms in office, character assassination has become an evil art form.  On the eve of the US Presidential election; even multi-million dollar movies are being released to ridicule and destroy the character and power of the President of the United States.  It is shameful and despicable and as Christians, we have a duty to do all that we can to stamp it out.

Of course this does not mean that there is no place for honest criticism and debate in politics; and every one that seeks and holds public office must know and accept this. However, we cross the line when we knowingly engage in character assassination and bear false witness against our neighbors in this world.

Power and Corruption

We have a right to keep our political representatives accountable.  It is also a fact of life in this world, as British Lord Acton said in 1870 at the height of the great crisis in Roman Catholicism over Pope Pius IX's promulgation of the dogma of papal infallibility that “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

 "I cannot accept your canon,” Lord Action told Rome, “that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men with a favorable presumption that they did no wrong.  If there is any presumption, it is the other way, against the holders of power, increasing as the power increases.  Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility.  Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you super-add the tendency or certainty of corruption by authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it.”

Since Lord Acton made that statement, democracy has spread throughout the world, so that now, governments have replaced kings and the Pope.  However, the truth of Lord Acton’s statement remains as true today as ever: the office does not sanctify the holder of it or excuse them from scrutiny.

Because this is true, it also does not relieve anyone of us of our moral responsibility to observe the commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”  Two wrongs do not make a right.

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