Are you familiar with the fictional story published by Hans Christian Anderson of Denmark in 1837 entitled, The Emperor’s New Clothes? The piece paints a picture of how two men perpetrated an elaborate hoax on a compromised leader and his entire kingdom. Allow me to summarize:
In the story, the emperor loves fine clothing. He’s so obsessed with his wardrobe that it consumes all of his time and money. Instead of focusing on his soldiers or constituents, he directs his energy toward finding a new suit for every hour of every day.
Recognizing the leader’s vulnerability, two con artists—both unemployed and unskilled—approach the king with an offer to make him the most amazing, best fitting, and intricately woven new suit.
Part of the intrigue is that the fabric is so magical that the new clothes appear invisible to anyone who is stupid or incompetent. (The original texts says that the clothes have the “wonderful property of remaining invisible to everyone who was unfit for the office he held, or who was extraordinarily simple in character.”)
The emperor doesn’t want to appear dumb or unqualified for his position, of course, so he acquiesces to the demands from the “tailors” and provides them with the best compensation and quality material for their project. They pocketed the money paid and the fine gold thread provided.
After a couple of days when the emperor doesn’t see any results, he sends some of his advisors to check in on their progress. He’s confident that his valued associates won’t lie to him.
However, these men return to their leader and report about the beautiful colors and the amazing fabric. They assure his majesty that everything is on schedule for the big reveal when the procession will parade through town so that the emperor can show off his new fancy suit.
The advisors couldn’t see anything, either, but didn’t want to seem incompetent to the boss. After all, they could lose their jobs.
Months later, the big day arrives. As the emperor passes the villagers, they call out, “wow, what a great new suit! Those colors are incredible, and the fit is impeccable!” This goes on for several blocks.
As the parade winds toward the end, a child yells out, “Hey, the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes!!” Finally, the crowd has no choice but to acknowledge that the emperor—and the entire town—has been taken to the bank.
But his majesty is so invested in the charade that he refuses to admit the sham. Instead, he insists that his escorts continue to hold the imaginary train of his robe for the remainder of the march.
To view the original text, click HERE.
The Oldest Trick in the Book
Although this story was first published in Europe nearly one and a half centuries ago, the cautionary tale could have been written today in the United States.
For example, many Americans now realize that H.R.5376, the $740 Billion bill dubbed “The Inflation Reduction Act”’ passed by congress on August 16, 2022, won’t decrease deflation and will most likely increase it.
Joe Manchin (D-W.Va), the man responsible for breaking the deadlock and pushing the bill forward, was recently interviewed by Hillary Vaughn of Fox News. She asked him a simple question, “When it comes to inflation, is it misleading to call this The Inflation Reduction Act for Americans when it’s not going to make their grocery bill cheaper? It’s not going to make everyday goods cheaper for them.”
Manchin responded, “Why would it? We never said anything would happen immediately…”
Why would it? Maybe because you told us it would! We were lied to, once again, in spectacular fashion. Check out the brief clip HERE, starting at the 43-second mark.
Lying is so in vogue that some have taken this to a whole new level—gaslighting. According to Psychology Today, gaslighting is an insidious form of manipulation and psychological control where victims are deliberately and systematically fed false information that leads them to question what they know to be true.
Boy does it ever. Our government officials aren’t the only ones lying to us, either. Corporations, legacy media outlets, and even the medical industry have been found to be gaslighting the American public.
A disturbing video recently emerged where Dr. Frances Grimstad of Boston Children’s Hospital promotes hysterectomies for young girls diagnosed with gender dysmorphia. She discusses how these procedures are similar to any other hysterectomy; however, she fails to mention how removing a diseased organ from a middle-aged woman in order to restore her health compares with removing a healthy organ from a child, causing permanent sterilization for life. A children’s hospital is perpetrating this crime against our kids! Watch this shocking segment HERE.
Let’s explore three ways we can expose the lies and discover the truth:
1. Look for it
We shouldn’t be surprised when everything is not as it appears. Throughout Scripture, we’re warned against being deceived—particularly in the last days. The passage we discussed last week, for example, is scary because it implies that even God’s chosen ones can be misled.
Why are we so easily deceived in this age? I believe there are several reasons. The Bible predicted that there would be a dramatic increase in 1) information, 2) imposters and false teachers, and 3) wickedness. All of these factors combine to make it much more challenging to find the truth.
The tragic reality is… it’s not just evil people who will be deceived in the last days, it’s lazy and naïve people too.
I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty of this many times. I would like to always believe the best of people and trust that they would not intentionally mislead me. I want compassion to always be my first response, and I need to better support individuals in difficult situations without judging them.
But I’ve learned over time—and through making many mistakes in my judgment—how to become more discerning.
I can show kindness to young people in our society who are questioning their sexual identity without buying into the machine that is preying upon them. For example, when Richard Levine (a.k.a. Rachel Levine) recommends new federal guidelines recommending “gender-affirming” care for minors, it doesn’t pass the sniff test.
According to the Assistant Secretary of Health in an interview with The New York Post, “no doctor worth their salt opposes it” (Algar, 2022). “It” meaning the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy on kids who identify as transgender. Levine, by the way, is not a medical doctor.
But what is behind the transgender craze regarding children? I can understand when a consenting adult wants to try this experiment, but what is leading children as young as five years old to decide that they must have been born the wrong sex?
Would you be surprised to discover that the pharmaceutical industry is driving the hysteria? Of course, you would not. The documentary by Matt Walsh entitled ‘What Is A Woman’ concluded that a transitioning child is worth $1.4M over a lifetime of doctors and drugs.
Dr. Curtis Crane, a plastic surgeon who performs transgender surgery in Austin, Texas revealed in a September 2019 article that the cost of a gender confirmation procedure for a woman “becoming a man” can range from $150,000 to $200,00. However, the male-to-female surgery is only $80,000 to $100,000. Does this explain why there is so much societal pressure on girls who are labeled tomboys to transition?
At the risk of sounding too cynical, I’ve learned how following the money typically reveals the truth.
2. Call it out
This current state of affairs can be so terribly demoralizing that we can be tempted to run and hide under the covers. I did that exact thing for years! My husband will attest to the fact that I was very content living under my proverbial rock for the first 20 years or so of our marriage.
But, like many of you, I cannot unsee what I’ve already seen. As a believer in Jesus Christ, I recognize that I have an obligation to speak the truth, no matter how unpopular.
So…
NO. Releasing hundreds of billions of dollars more into our economy will not reduce inflation.
NO. Voicing an opposing opinion to transgenderism is not violence.
NO. Men cannot get pregnant and have babies.
NO. Experimental mRNA technology does not provide greater protection from infection than natural immunity.
NO. Aborting a viable human life is not health care.
NO. Transwomen are not women; they are men who have been chemically or physically castrated.
NO. Exploiting minor children for sex is not love.
And, NO, the sexual mutilation of children is not affirming his or her gender.
No, no, no, no, no, and no—final answer. The year is now 2022 and the emperor still isn’t wearing any clothes.
What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. (Isaiah 5:20)
The rationalization “I don’t know what to believe anymore” is not a valid reason to acquiesce to everything thrown at us. Don’t be deceived. God desperately wants to reveal His reality to you and me, but we have to search for the truth and call out the lies.
Do you want to know the third way we discover God's Truth in the middle of all this chaos? Join us next week!
PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Barclay
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