Illusory Truth aka Fake News

In Thom Gardner’s book Healing the Wounded Heart, in an appropriately titled chapter called Living the Lies that Bind, he shares a story about his wife Carol. When she was in third grade, she had been asked by her teacher to look after a little girl visiting the classroom who was partially blind. She felt pretty special, seeing this as a big vote of confidence from her teacher. Yet after lunch, the teacher came and told Carol she was going to get someone else to look after the little girl.

Carol didn’t recall the reason given, only the humiliation and feeling she wasn’t good enough. This and other similar experiences meant Carol grew up with a feeling of inadequacy and lacked confidence. She heard an inner voice telling her “You can’t do this” or “You’re not good enough for that”.

This reminded me of a similar experience in my own life. When I was in fourth grade, I clearly remember my teacher telling me I would never be any good at maths. In that same year, I was tested and gained a place in an opportunity class for gifted and talented children.  Yet my belief in my mathematical inability went with me, to the extent that my grandmother was called into a meeting with my teacher to discuss it. He questioned, “who on earth has convinced this girl she can’t do maths? The results that got her here show the complete opposite!” He was the first in a succession of lovely teachers that tried to help me overcome my problem, but the lie persisted. When my own children were at school, I’d always wave them in their father’s direction for help with maths, not believing I had anything to offer.

It appears both Carol and I were operating under what is known as the illusory truth effect. This psychological phenomenon describes our propensity to start believing statements that are untrue if they are repeated often enough. Psychologist Lynn Hasher says her research team from the University of Toronto first noticed the effect in the 1970s. She says “repetition makes things seem more plausible … and the effect is likely more powerful when people are tired and distracted by other information”. A study in 2012 by researchers at Washington State University showed the illusory truth effect was behind the success of fake news, long before US President Donald Trump coined the term.

Next time you watch your nightly news, stop and consider how many concepts are reported as truth that perhaps five or ten years ago were seen as the exact opposite? Is something now true simply because it has been reported and repeated often enough to become accepted as such?

It appears the technique has been around for quite a while. Adolf Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf: “Slogans should be persistently repeated until the very last individual has come to grasp the idea”.

Journalist Paul Ratner states that the power of the illusory truth effect comes from familiarity – “it’s easier to process information you’ve come across previously”. And in case you’re wondering how we can all be at risk of falling for such lies, studies have shown that the effect is not lessened by intelligence.

If illusory truth depends upon the repetition of lies, why did both Carol Gardner and I accept the lies as truth when they were only stated once?

Enter the father of lies.

In John 8:44, Satan is described thus:

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Thom Gardner says “it only takes a little lie to cause a life to come crashing to the ground”. We all know what happened to the world when the serpent got into the ears of Adam and Eve with his lies. The enemy is always prowling, whispering his illusory truths into our ears without ceasing.

You can’t look after this little girl.

You’ll never be good at maths.

Did God really say …?

It’s the enemy’s job to repeat the lies so often they become truth. Illusory truth. We hear it so often we believe it’s true.

When we don’t seek the benefit of real truth, the illusion eats away at our self-esteem and we struggle to believe we are of any value. Family therapist Darlene Lancer says “the gap between the self we show others and how we feel inside widens”. We change our behaviours to suit the lies we believe, bringing about all sorts of unwanted effects such as fear, rejection, worthlessness, shame, insecurity, neediness and hopelessness.

Consider the following statements:

I’ll always be alone

I don’t belong

I’m not good enough

I’ll never be safe

What was done to me was my fault

I’ll never be good at …

Nothing will ever change

Do any of these feel true to you?

What you feel is what you’re familiar with, it’s what you know and the illusory truth effect could be keeping it true for you. Imagine the life you could have if you weren’t held back by the power of illusion.

It’s in all our best interests to be vigilant in searching out what underpins who we are and what we believe. Truth? Or illusory truth, fake news, lies … call them what you will.

I can thoroughly recommend the teaching of Thom Gardner into this area of unmaking the lies that bind us. You can click here for a link to both his book on Healing the Wounded Heart as well as audio teaching. Be blessed!

The song I have chosen for this post is the appropriately titled Would I Lie to You? by The Eurythmics, starring the sassy Annie Lennox. 

I wonder if she lied?

Truthfully,

Tracey 💭

With thanks to:

Thom Gardner (2005) Healing the Wounded Heart, Destiny Image, USA.

Joshua Miranda, Harrison Haines and Suzy Hazelwood of Pexels for Fake News image

Alexis Fotos from Pexels for Change Image

The YouTube Channel of Eurythmics for Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart - Would I Lie to You? (Official Video)