Video Transcript

Edmund: Hey, what if everything you’ve ever said was typed out? What if it was all being typed out and then it would be printed and read by a committee? I remember this actually happening to somebody. 

[Scene from Loki series: “Please sign to verify this is everything you’ve ever said.” “What?” “Sign this too.” “Oh this is absurd.”]

Well, one of the Ten Commandments forbids lying. The Eighth Commandment in particular says “You shall not bear false witness.” But all this gets tricky when we throw social media into the mix. How do we follow the Eighth Commandment, be a disciple of Jesus, and still have a healthy relationship with social media? 

Well, let’s talk about some implications of this Commandment on our daily lives and our life on social media. And talk about ways that you can begin following this better so that you experience the joy and freedom of a life in Christ and a life built on truth. 

So, my first year out of college, I posted something online on social media about this guy I know; just making a joke. And it caused him to start aggressively posting back about me. And the reason he was upset was because he thought what I said was untrue. I reached out to him privately and said “Hey, this is all a big misunderstanding. I really look up to you. This is what I meant. Did not mean any harm by this.” 

So I deleted my post and we ended up reconciling, but it was a hard lesson to learn. This was the first time I had felt a big, negative consequence from social media, especially related to being truthful. Because I had every intention of being truthful.

I love this series of videos on YouTube where they take a celebrity and they hook them up to a lie detector and ask them a bunch of really tough questions. And I think the premise of these videos works because we all understand the implication. We’ve all been tempted to bend the truth a little when we’re cornered by a line of questioning that makes us uncomfortable. 

YouTube video of Kevin Hart hooked up to a lie detector and being asked questions: “Are you 5’2?” “Absolutely not.” “5.4’. 5’3.” “Kevin?” “5’2 and a half.” 

And especially if it involves saying something potentially negative or critical of someone else. 

The Catechism actually says this in paragraph 2464 “The eighth commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others.” So God, who is Truth, made us for truth and to be in relationships built upon trust. And this is because we’re made for relationships, and loving relationships require trust. And this is why God revealed that misrepresenting the truth is a sin.

Now, this is where I think a lot of us—including myself—could get this all twisted up. In my opinion, this Commandment is one of the easiest Commandments to talk yourself into. It’s easy to think to yourself “Yeah, I’m not BLATANTLY lying. I’m just bending the truth a little.” Or to think to yourself “Well, I’ll only share part of the truth.” But there are consequences for this type of bending the truth or misrepresenting the truth in our relationships with others.

Now, look. I get it. It can be so tempting on social media to overstate or brag or exaggerate things, but the 8th Commandment is not just about blatant and explicit lying. Following the 8th Commandment and following Jesus means trying to respect and live in the truth as much as possible.

The Catechism explains that everyone has a right to their reputation not being unnecessarily damaged by others. The Catechism says this in paragraph 2477 “Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.”

This is where you might hear someone say, “Well, it’s true what I shared about my coworker online. I’m just sharing a fact.” But not so fast. Let’s jump back into the Catechism. 

In paragraph 2488, the Catechism explains this: “The right to the communication of the truth is not unconditional. Everyone must conform his life to the Gospel precept of fraternal love. This requires us in concrete situations to judge whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it.” 

So being a disciple of Christ means doing more than just avoiding lying, it means avoiding situations where we might be participating in damaging the reputation of others. Here’s a little way of thinking about this that I’ve found helps me. I call it “The Other Booth”. The next time you’re in a conversation with someone about a third person who’s not present, imagine he’s sitting in the booth behind you at a restaurant and he can hear your conversation. Would you still be talking about him this way?

And let’s think about social media too. When we’re tempted to brag or exaggerate things on social, or we’re obsessing with making everything perfect…what is it we’re actually looking for? We’re seeking approval and affirmation from others. We want to know that we’re worthy of love; that we’re good. And this is rooted in the belief that we’re not already worthy of love and accepted, just for being ourselves. Your lovableness is not based on how you look or anything you accomplish. You’re loved just by existing and being yourself. 

So you need to ask yourself: if a stranger saw your social media, and then met you in real life; if they got to really know you. Would the “you” they met be vastly different from the “you” they saw on social media?

I’ve seen these studies where they found that lab coats or your height or wearing glasses can affect how people perceive your intelligence or perceive you in general. So it’s true that these superficial things help people make quick judgements about us. But what do we do with this information if we’re trying to follow Jesus? 

What we’re all called to do is to be confident in the truth of who we are. So sure, being short might lead people to quickly assume that you’re less competent. But are you a competent person? If so, then who cares? Sitting rooted in the truth of who you are means trusting that people will come to the truth if they have a bad perception of you. 

Learning to live in the truth—and not just that—but to love it and to follow God, who is Truth, it takes discipline in all these small things. And we grow in our ability to live in the truth when we practice it in these small actions every day. So start trying to do this and praying for God to give you grace in these little actions. 

Striving to do this every day and praying for God’s help to live in truth in the little things sets you up to be way less tempted when you’re put in a more difficult situation in the future. And the best part is, not living in the truth is WAY more taxing on your brain. Try as best as you can to live in the truth and have relationships built on this trust, and it will be way more life-giving and fulfilling. Because God, who is Truth, made you for truth and to be in relationships built upon trust.