It has always been so, but of late more. Faith and political leaders tell us one thing, while another is before our eyes. An intriguing concept is that if you are a Christian, you will become rich. Of course, the price of admission is giving the preacher a lot of money…give until it hurts. Now, a church always has members of its congregation who are doing well financially, and many poor of the land. The poor of the land are giving their little hearts out and doing without, and remain poor and poorer since they gave their grocery money. The preacher is doing much better, thank you, as God has blessed him/her with an influx of cash. The pervasive message of give more, with the more being over and above 10%, is pounding like a drum in the ears of the cheerful poor giver as they become destitute. There is a prosperity doctrine, but the riches flow upward rather than downward. Folks continue this illegible prescription because they want to be rich. They settled that God has blessed their pastor with the horn of plenty as a sign of his divine calling. Their plight is not to reason why. They must do or die.

Politicians are notorious for saying one thing and doing another. As a rule, they attempt to keep their lies consistent and not deny what they have said publicly and filmed saying it. The term ” fake news “has reached a crescendo of popularity. President Trump created the moniker and uses it daily. His followers and supplicants use it daily. Similar to the preacher who tells you that you will be rich if you send him money, and your eyes and ears reveal this is not true, so it is with what Trump tells us. All that is required is to go to the videotape for the exact account of reversal after reversal in real time. When we subcontract our eyes and ears to a political or religious leader, we lose.

If it seems too good to be true, it is. A good admonishment is to be a checker of fruit. A good tree brings forth good fruit, and a bad tree brings forth bad fruit. First impressions are often correct. The conundrum is that people who want to be at the front of the pack are often narcissistic. Folks who have wonderful abilities and think deeply are often introverted. We look for the spectacle. We want to see John Wayne ride in on his horse and whoop ass and take names. We want someone to tell us what we want to hear. If the leader does that, he or she is wise and gifted. If they tell us the truth, we wonder why we are believing our lying eyes.