Casting Doubt – Producing Fear - Crippling

Have you ever sat and listened to someone give just a little bit of the story that they know? Have you ever wondered that there must be something more to what was said… but couldn’t figure out what is was? Have you ever walked away from that “listening”, questioning either the story teller or the one that was talked about?

If you have been there and heard something like this – you have been to the world of “Half Truth”… which is likely a world full of “Baloney”. It is just enough of a truth to make the listener feel that the story teller knows everything – but in fact they know nothing. The only truth about the story is the name of the people they are talking about!

The fact that “Half Truth” sounds almost good… in that it includes the word “Truth” makes it harder to deal with. It is in reality a “Half Lie” (or a “Whole Lie”) – but we never speak of it that way.

It also can fall under “insinuation” – another terrible place to be especially if you are the one that has been the target. And when it happens to some one without their knowing it will destroy them.

We have all seen it happen. We have all watched someone be destroyed by what has taken place.
So why write about it? Why be concerned with the possible results? Why bother?

Peterborough like other places has it fair share of “Half Truth-i-tis”. It may happen here more than other places just because we have so many Tim Horton and Coffee Time Coffee Shops. Someone said it is because there are so many seniors in our community and so many of them support the quickly growing coffee shop business. I am sure that the seniors are the reason for so many Half Truths being spread around…

Well there it goes again. With a short blast of a few chosen words – Seniors are guilty of heinous crimes of gossip and it all revolves around their having coffee together all the time. I have started another Half Truth. With just a mixture of a wee bit of truth, stirred in with a touch of fact then brewed by personal conjecture – Seniors are Criminally responsible for 99% of the lies spread in our community! Ooops – I really meant Half Truths… but extending that further – Seniors are Liars.

Now I know I should stand ready to defend the onslaught of Senior Rage and a Flaming from their shaky old computer hands… but I am pretty safe in that most Seniors suffer from a Slow Senility that prevents them from ever learning any more about technology. In fact it is said that anyone over 55 years of age are technologically slowed and near the frightening stages of Old Timers.

Double Ooops… there I go again – Seniors are not only Liars – but also Technologically Stupid. Oh my, did I say Liars and Stupid???!
You see – it is very easy to start a rumor that can hurt and harm the least expecting.

In the local church world there has been a spreading rumor that certain young adults are morally loose. Added to that, certain young couples have been on the verge of divorce – after having had affairs and participated in all kinds of horrible loose living. Imagine.

The fact is this. One young couple, Couple One, got into a fight and have suffered greatly within their relationship. They then stopped coming to church because of embarrassment. Another couple, Couple Two, couldn’t get out to church because of personal experiences. Some dear folk put it all together and now are telling people that Couple Two, are getting a divorce because of “his” infidelity… and she is silly enough to put up with it.

Needless to say that Couple Two are no longer coming to church either because of their embarrassment. People have seen them together in a store recently and spoke to the gal – telling her of their admiration of her sticking it out with her husband. He stood there listening to what was said and was dumb founded. Go figure. Half Truth-i-tis is the hottest virus in town.

How do I know? Well you see… I have this garage that I carve in. People keep stopping in to visit my garage and all my carvings. And when we visit they talk. And some times they are hurting real bad.

Déjà vu…
Christmastime gives me the shivers in Peterborough. 10 years ago when we arrived here, a really stupid little man started a rumor that Pastor Murray teaches from the Satanic Bible. Pastor Murray had helped some young people that were thoroughly messed up and one thing that they did was to involve themselves in Satanic Worship. But that wasn’t their biggest problem. The stupid little man – decided that Pastor Murray needed to go – so he started the rumor to get rid of me.

The rumor raged for 10 years and is likely still floating around the community – imagine a Church Minister that teaches from the Satanic Bible.

I am still here and the silly little man (note a kinder tone/word rather than stupid) has been moved from here to another area. The latest I heard was he was kicked out of a few churches in the area that he moved to… imagine.

But then that is a half truth too. I think that they moved from one community to another and perhaps with the move – changed churches.

When I heard the story of my teaching from a Satanic Bible – I was dumbfounded! I couldn’t believe where it came from… or why it came. For more than two years our church board was hounded by questions from concerned congregants about that rumor/story.

So what is the point of the post? Casting doubt is easy. Producing fear is simple. Then the finally crippling can take place – disarming your opponents. It is so easy.

In Ottawa we have watched this happen time and time again. If our leaders will show us such a good example – why wouldn’t we try it too?

So if you drop a hint that certain things have happened… be forewarned I will ask how you know this and if you tell me something about someone… I WILL CALL THE PERSON TO LET THEM KNOW – that YOU have shared this with me. I can’t wait for the results that will follow.

So did you hear the one about George? How about Tilly? You will never believe what I heard about Terry!

~ Murray Lincoln ~