As Midterms 2022 election campaigns come to a close, the lies and slanders have been flying. It has been an exhausting experience. The list is long with examples. However, below are some recent outrageous examples.
Liberal historian Michael Beschloss fearmongered MSNBC viewers, warning them of a GOP red wave in next week’s midterms could spell the end of American Democracy as we know it. Speaking just after a recent Biden’s divisive speech where he claimed the MAGA crowd is a threat to Democracy, the mainstream “historian” said, “… this week [midterm elections] was whether we will be a Democracy in the future, whether our children will be arrested and conceivably killed.”
.@BeschlossDC has a serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome:pic.twitter.com/pWrPulbs8E
— Tea Party Patriots (@TPPatriots) November 3, 2022
In a recent segment revealing what she really thinks about Republican white women, Hostin opined, “I read a poll just yesterday that white, Republican, suburban women are now going to vote Republican. It’s almost like roaches voting for Raid, right?”
Rep. Jim Clyburn compares people that support his political foes are Nazis. He states that Republican standing ovations for Trump at the SOTU, over statements they knew to be lies, were reminiscent of Hitler and Nazi Germany: “I do believe that this country … could very well go the way of Germany in the 1930s.”
President Joe Biden keeps touting the size of next year’s increase in Social Security payments. Even CNN had to admit that the Tweet was a lie. Biden boasts, leaving out critical context. Biden doesn’t explain that the reason the 2023 increase will be unusually large is that the inflation rate has been unusually large. Nor was that context included in a misleading post from the White House’s Twitter account – a post the White House deleted on Wednesday after it was widely criticized and Twitter affixed a fact-check to it. See the screen-captured Tweet below.
Of course, the above were examples of Democrats in their lies and slander – it happens on the Republican’s side as well. See below President Biden calling out the lies and conspiracies of Republicans, though then again, there is always the case of lying about others lying.
Being a Sunday Thoughts, it’s not difficult to know that none of the above is “ok” relative to Biblical texts. However, here are some references to slander, and here are some references to lies. Below are some choice references.
- Psalm 101:5: “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy …”
- Colossians 3:8: “… put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.”
- Exodus 20:16: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
- John 8:44: “You are of your father the devil … he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
This does mean one must not confront lies and slander? There is a proper way to do this. See below and learn more here for an example of how you can handle lies and slander during an election effectively.
Thankfully the 2022 midterm election cycle is coming to a close – and none too soon. I think all our brains need a rest. Give us your thoughts on the lies and slanders we have seen in the 2022 midterm election cycle, perhaps giving us one of your examples in the comment section below.
By Tom Williams
