It was movie weekend in the Chiles household this weekend and we almost overdosed on movies I think but it was fun to see some of the new ones out there and some old ones we loved on tv! We went to see “The Invention of Lying” and it is one of those movies that is invoking a lot of discussion. Most of the reviews that I have read are touting it as an atheist film with nothing redeeming in it at all. I don’t know that I would go that far and would welcome any comments from any of you out there in the blogasphere that have seen it! Just leave me a comment at the end of the blog! I would love to hear your reactions.

If you haven’t seen the movie yet the basic story line is that in this town no one can tell a lie. Everything is told in brutal truth–no censorship at all so if someone is say a little plumper than those stick figure models in magazines they know it because others are relentless in telling them that they are fat or pudgy or whatever.There is no filter whatsoever. And it got me thinking about my filters…..and I admit it—I use them. I don’t always tell the complete truth.

An example happened right before we went to the movie!!! We went to a local restaurant for a bit of a bite to eat before the movie. Ended up just getting a couple of appetizers since we really were not all that hungry and both of the things we ordered were horrible—absolutely horrible. And yet….when the waitress asked several times if everything was okay I LIED and said it was fine. Now I did not gush and go on and on like i sometimes do when the food on my palate is sensational but I did not tell her that it was horrible either. And it made me wonder why I did that. I mean—we were paying for the food and it was really not good at all. So why did I feel that I should hide the truth and spare her feelings when she had not even prepared it??? I was avoiding confrontation I know and at that point it just did not seem like it was that big of a deal in the big scheme of things. So my response to the bad food is to just not go back to that particular place again and they have lost a customer without ever really knowing why they lost a customer. Is that fair??? Hmmm. I don’t know.

So the movie had some good lines in it and the reference to God was about “The Man in the Sky” and I guess at times it may have been seen to mock Christianity but at other times I think it challenged Christians to look at their own lives and examine them and how they value the truth. Do we tell lies to avoid confrontation, to avoid hurting someone’s feelings??? And is that right? Is there a way to tell the truth with heart and try to temper it and soften it??? Is there anyone among us who tells the truth all the time—no white lies, no little exaggerations??? I don’t know. I know that even though I place a huge value on honesty I am guilty.

The movie proceeds with the main character realizing that he can fib, he can lie and as a result he can manipulate things and people. They all believe him totally when he tells a lie and the movie proceeds with more though provoking moments. I will let you come to your own conclusions about the way the movie ends but if nothing else it led me to think a little deeper about things. I guess I got that from my dad—he always could find some redeeming quality in a movie even if it was “Clockwork Orange”.

So think about it today—-it is worth putting some thought into –this whole lying thing. And let me know what you are thinking. I would love to hear it!