Our founding fathers knew that truth is essential for our democracy to flourish. George Washington believed, ““Truth will ultimately prevail where pains are taken to bring it to light.” Benjamin Franklin warned, “We have given you a republic, if you can keep it.” Fake news and Big Lies are examples of the truth decay that is threatening the integrity of our elections. Yet, a MIT study determined that Twitter falsehoods spread 6 times faster than truth. When we are so outraged at a falsehood that we share it with friends, we are unintentionally spreading the lie. Let’s stop truth decay by communicating it by word and deed, for truth is essential for keeping us free.

1. STOPPING TRUTH DECAY
”The body they may kill,
God’s truth abideth still.”
Matin Luther, 1510
Paul H. Carr, PhD
Emily Carr Osborn
Karin Carr Osborn, age 13

2. John 8: 31. Then Jesus said to those Jews who
believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My
disciples indeed. 32And you shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.”
33. They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s
descendants, and have never been in bondage to
anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34. Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to
you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a
slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son
abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you
free, you shall be free indeed.

3. “Truth will ultimately prevail where
pains are taken to bring it to light.”
“You will know the
truth,
and the truth shall
make you free.
John 8:32”
George Washington

4. “I am a firm believer in
the people.
If given the truth, they
can be depended upon
to meet any national
crisis.
The great point is to
bring them the real
facts.”
Abraham Lincoln 1863

5. “If we get in the habit of bending the truth to suit
political expediency or party orthodoxy,
our democracy will not work.
-----
That there are some things that are worth risking
everything for.
Principles that are eternal.
Truths that are abiding.”
President (2009 -2017)
Barack Obama
Eulogy for Senator John McCain
Sept 1, 2018,
Washington National Cathedral.

6. Benjamin Franklin said:
“We have given you a republic, if you can keep it.
Let’s hang together, or we will hang separately.”

7. NATHAN HALE, before the British captured him and
hung him as a spy during our American Revolution,
said,
I only regret that I have only one life to lose for my
country.

8. I am deeply concerned about those who
want
FREEDOM without RESPONSIBILITY
for preserving the freedom for which so
many have died, as the Ukrainians are
doing.
There are over three million Ukrainian
refugees.

9. Paul’s late wife, Karin
(1940 - 1986)
Karin Hansen, age 5,
was a German refugee.
In 1945, Karin fled,
with her mother and 4
siblings, from East
Germany, shortly before
the Russian army’s
advance that ended
World War II.
Karin’s dad Fred
Hansen was in a distant
lab working on the
German radar.

10. What’s worse than lying to others?
Lying to yourself.
It is easier for us see others lying to themselves than to confront the fact
that we lie to ourselves. This is also called self-justification or rationalization.
We do this to avoid the pain of cognitive dissonance.
(From Brandeis U Magazine Winter 2018/2019 pgs 12-13.)
Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well
enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye. (Matthew 7:5)
The truth that liberates us from opinions and prejudices is divine “agape” love.

11. Dr Frank Papandrea’s Sermon at our Manatee UU
Fellowship on Nov 28, 2021 was “Know Yourself First.”
While searching for a soulmate, he discovered that
potential companions had a low self-worth. He then noted
that his self-worth was similar. After he worked on raising
his own self -worth by meditation and soul-searching, he
was able to meet and form a satisfying relationship.
‘Love you neighbor as yourself.”
By loving and knowing yourself, you can better love and
relate to others.

12. Economic
Interests
Cartoon from the Union of Concerned Scientists Calendar

13. TRUTH IS OFTEN
INCONVENIENT
Scientific truth about
COVID vaccinations is
inconvenient for some.
“It is difficult to get a
man to understand
something, when his
salary depends on his
not understanding it.”
Upton Sinclair
Al Gore

16. Two-thirds of Americans get their news from
social media, which are not as accurate as
traditional media.
Traditional media hire editors and professional
journalists who describe both sides.
Academic journal articles are selected by an
editor after being reviewed by at least one
professional referee.
More accurate traditional media have trouble
surviving, as social media gets about 90% of
advertising money.

17. THE FAKE NEWS CRISIS
Bots and propagandists are just part of the problem,
the bigger issue is our human nature.
By Katy Steinmetz, TIME, pgs 28-31, August 20, 2018
We’re susceptible to believing dubious claims,
and play a role in spreading them.
TELL A LIE ENOUGH TIMES AND PEOPLE WILL
BELIEVE IT.

18. FAKE NEWS FLIES FASTER
MIT Study: Twitter falsehoods spread 6 times faster than truth.
The researchers at the MIT Sloan School of Management
also determined that sensational false claims were more
likely to elicit feelings of surprise and distress.
When we are so outraged at a falsehood that we share it
with friends, we are unintentionally spreading the lie.
Go to web pages like FactCheck.org before you tell you
friends about an outrageous story.

19. Kittens, Outrage and Fear are the best ways to engage folks on
the web .
When one clicks on an endearing kitten, it generally leads to a
fake news, but credible, extremist web-site.
In forwarding something that is outrageous, one is
unintentionally spreading what is actually misinformation.

20. FIGHT FALSEHOODS FROM FLYING FASTER
NEVER TRUST A SINGLE SOURCE
Discerning TRUTH in our media with its FAKE
NEWS
Whenever we repeat sensational, emotional
FAKE NEWS, we become part of the problem.
DISCOVER YOUR TRUE, LOVABLE SELF

21. STOPPING TRUTH DECAY
“You will know the truth, and the
truth will set you free. John 8:32”
Paul H. Carr, PhD
Emily Carr Osborn
Karin Carr Osborn, age 13

22. The first Protestant, Martin Luther, who stood up
to the Holy Roman Empire, wrote
The body they may kill,
God’s truth abideth still
His Kingdom is forever.

23. “Those that do truth come to the light…” John 3:17-21.
Text of Paul Tillich’s sermon DOING THE TRUTH
Truth is hidden and must be discovered.
It dwells in the depth below the surface.
The depth is eternal and therefore certain.
Pg 114 Paul Tillich’s book “Shaking of the Foundations”

24. Karin Hansen Carr was writing her memoir
DAGONS FROM THE SKY
a description of how the falling bombs looked to her as young child.
As an East German refugee, she lived with her mother and 4 siblings in an
abandoned farm house in the Bavarian alps near the border of Austria. They
were able to cultivate a large vegetable garden and were grateful for
whatever the farmer could give them.
After a year or so, they were able to connect with their dad. They journied
north to live with him in a Quanset hut near Hamburg Germany.
They then immigrated to Beverly, MA where their dad had a high-tech job.
I met her there when I was living in nearby Ipswich, where my dad was the
Methodist minister.

25. “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably
integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no
matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field,
in an army, or in an office.”
Like George Washington, Dwight D Eisenhower, was a
General before becoming our President. His campaign
slogan was “I like Ike.”