Principles- “Giving Misleading Information” -21/5/2016

   I previously spoke of deceitful behaviors like: buying or selling scams, misleading acts at work or while holding any authority and how they are humanly and religiously unacceptable. Today, we will proceed discussing our topic about another sort of deceit, misleading ideas or information.
   Giving misleading ideas is affecting people’s way of thinking. A misleader aims at enticing people to think so he gets a specific interest, however this kind of deceit may be destructive when discovered. 
   Distorted or false information may be a kind of deceit used to achieve a desired goal. For example, in workplace, a person may offer false or distorted information to his colleague to entrap him, while he appears to have a better performance. He may also present false or unchecked information to his superiors so that they take disciplinary actions toward his colleague. This kind of deceit will be revealed and get its reward.
   Remember, my dear friend, that life repays you what you have done to others; thus it’s said,” Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
   Another kind of deceit is offering inaccurate information when asked about an advice. The topic of discussion may be unknown to the adviser, but he may think that saying the truth will make him appear ignorant or belittle him in other people’s eyes. So, he offers a big deal of information that are so far from the truth .He may also relate this information to others, while the listener may take a major decision accordingly and that may cause him lifelong problems. For instance: offering information about migration without any prior knowledge or about work in places the adviser has never worked in, so he doesn’t recognize circumstances and conditions of that workplace. One of the meanest things ever is giving a deceitful advice aiming to cause the listener a trouble or entice him to take actions against or for the account of someone. That deceit may destroy people’s life.
   Moreover, some people give false or misleading information for their own interest while trying to resolve a conflict or solve a problem. They may present allegations or false justifications that help them to appear innocent while make others seem unjust.
   It is very deceitful to give false witness against any person. It may lead to end his life. A false witness doesn’t recognize that God will punish him. The Bible says” If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him of wrongdoing, And the judges shall make careful inquiry, and indeed, if the witness is a false witness, who has testified falsely against his brother, then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother; so you shall put away the evil from among you.”It is written in the Qur’an” So stay away from the abomination of idols, and stay away from perjury.”

   It brings to mind the story of the evil queen, Isabel, Akhab’s wife, who wanted to steal the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, so she hired false witnesses and he was judged to be put for death. But God’s judgment was quick and she was bloodshed in the same place Naboth was killed due to her deceit.

Anba Ermiah,
General Bishop& President of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center