The Tangled Web

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive.” - Walter Scott

Have you noticed that deception is rampant?

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep. - 2 Peter 2:1-3

One thing Walter and Peter would agree on is that some choose to actively deceive others, and in doing so, bring trouble upon themselves.

It would be good, if that was true, wouldn't it?  Nobody likes being tricked, lied to, deceived, swindled.  We all want people to be honest with each other, though perhaps not too honest.

"Do these pants make me look fat?" she asked.  "Well..." he said.

This is not the kind of situation that leads to the deception Peter is talking about.  He is focusing on the big stuff, the false teacher or prophet that uses God's words to lead people astray.

One can assume they are not doing that to help us feel good about ourselves.  We tend to think that people who seek to correct our paths do so with their own interests at heart, not ours.  It's an ego trip, with our destruction as the goal.

But it could also be a trap we fall into without thinking we are doing anything wrong.  We could be leading people astray, deceiving them into doing what we believe is best for them, not realizing why we are doing it.

This is a challenge of our faith, to be honest, true and selfless in our actions and words.

Here is a test I will take today.

Everywhere I see evidence of someone trying to tell me what is right or just, I will ask myself.  Is there a possible deception here?  And if so, to what end?

Now, the person may truly believe he or she is spreading the truth, and that is where we run into trouble, because so many opposing views cannot all be true, can they?

With social media so easy to access, the temptation to put my truth out there for you to see is great.  And it could be that the temptation is exactly what Peter is talking about.

We may not be practicing to deceive, as Walter Scott claims, but in the end, it may be what we wind up accomplishing.

Of course, as is with all things, you may disagree.

So be it.

More to come...