And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;
And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning. (D&C 93:24-25)
The New York Times has an article out about how Russia uses false stories as a political weapon. As Russian TV anchor, Dimitry Kiselyev, said, “If you can persuade a person, you don’t need to kill him.”
The article describes how, when Sweden, a non-member state, began considering whether to enter a military partnership with NATO, a flood of false and distorted claims started to appear on social media. The Swedish public became alarmed about false claims that if the deal were signed, NATO could store secret nuclear weapons on Swedish soil, and that NATO could attack Russia from Sweden without government approval. Of course, the traditional news media picked up the story and the lies or “serious questions” spread even further.
The old Soviet Union was known for planting false stories during the Cold War. Now, however, Russian efforts are much more sophisticated. They strategically use the modern tools of the internet and social media to paralyze policy in the target country by undermining the true version of events.
The Latter-day Saints are not immune to deception. In the current US Presidential election many Mormon voters are paralyzed in their choice by false stories that were deliberately created and spread by dark forces. This is true despite the fact that on the plain, easily visible, undistorted surface it is as clear as daylight which candidate is honest, principled, hard-working, religious, and compassionate, and which candidate is dishonest, corrupt, lazy, immoral, and self-centered.
We need to work on our skill of discernment.
This is a great post, although I don’t think it is as simple as that. 😉
Thanks for sharing this Brian. You’ve prompted me to look up the word discernment: the faculty of discerning; discrimination; acuteness of judgment and understanding; the act or an instance of discerning. I need to do better with it and with the verb, discern: to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend; to distinguish mentally; recognize as distinct or different; discriminate. Much appreciated!
Thanks for your comment, Rich. In addition to the dictionary definition, there is an additional meaning to that word. In the scriptures, “discernment” doesn’t only mean to recognize differences. It can also refer to the ability to distinguish good from evil.
King Solomon received this ability as a gift from God because he humbly asked for it (1 Kings 3:9-12).
I believe Mormons who are actually thinking of voting for Donald Trump have been deceived by lies and false stories. This, despite the fact that we have long been taught to seek and pray for the gift of discernment.
This blog is my effort to help people see more clearly. Thank you for joining the conversation.