Honesty

Back in 1966, in my first year at college, we were taught about questionnaires and how to create them. In one session, we were given a short questionnaire to complete, and the results were compiled and analysed during the lecture. Accuracy and honesty had been emphasised before we started. My own answers were judged unreliable, and my completed questionnaire eliminated from the conclusions. Apparently many questionnaires, including that one, have a few questions specifically designed to test reliability. The question that branded me dishonest was “Would you ever try to take a bigger allowance than your entitlement through customs, without declaring it?” To which I answered “No” – a completely truthful answer in my case. I was embarrassed and furious. Everyone else in the class had answered “Yes”. My honesty had branded me dishonest. But there’s a "catch 22" here: the answer “Yes” implies a willingness to deceive, so those who would cheat at the customs counter may potentially respond dishonestly in a questionnaire  too! The creator of the questionnaire hadn’t thought that one through.

My protestations fell on deaf ears; no-one believed anyone would be so foolishly honest. A reflection on the moral standards of society? Sadly, it seems representative of the general public. There’s widespread belief that certain types of dishonesty are acceptable, tolerated, or even good to copy as “normal” behaviour. Everyone does it, so why not me? Not just duty dodging at customs, but insurance claims, sick notes, expense claims, political debate, income tax, advertising, business deals, news media, and especially social media – all soft targets for “little white lies”. Many deliberately false social media posts can be devastating with far reaching consequences.

Dishonesty saturates society. For many, moral behaviour is what you can get away with. The gap between principles of my faith and the world is widening alarmingly. I was once investigated by the Inland Revenue over my tax returns. I believe the reason was the high proportion of my income I was donating to charity — my tithes and offerings. I assume It was scarcely believable to the investigating officer that someone with a very modest income would give so much away. Fortunately I keep detailed records and quickly satisfied him.

Despite awareness that social media can be unreliable, many still believe what they read. Credulity breeds con men. They succeed because they sound plausible. In medieval times, they sold a splinter of wood “from the true cross” at extortionate prices, today they pose for the credulous or careless as legitimate officials, scooping up life savings and destroying hope and happiness. They often work on our desire for a bargain, or something for nothing. But if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. We live in a world of deception and dishonesty. If we listen carefully though, we have a built-in sense of what sounds true or false. Dodgy deals often feel dodgy. Trouble is, widespread dishonesty contaminates truth to a point where we don’t know what to believe.

Like the splinter “from the true cross”, none of this is new. Satan is the Father of Lies and dishonesty is one of his most successful tools. The New Testament reveals that a particular type of dishonesty – hypocrisy – was one of the sins most detested by Jesus. In a scathing denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees He said:

7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.(Matthew 15)

And from the Sermon on the Mount:

37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.(Matthew 5)

The flower Honesty is so called because the seed pod is transparent and allows us to see what's inside. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should be the same. What we say and how we behave should be who we are. Our conversations, posts, and emails should be the literal truth. Our business dealings should be honest and moral, in fact a defining characteristic of all Christians. Being uncompromisingly honest can be uncomfortable at times. In fact, it might even be downright unwelcome and could even provoke anger. But if we follow Christ there is no other course – he was unshakeably honest. We aren’t perfect and sometimes I slip, but less often nowadays, though even long ago in that 1967 lecture I was pretty honest.