Deceit

Deceit, a verb, to mislead, delude, misinform, defraud, cheat, fool, taken in, hoax, bamboozle, lie, hoodwink, swindle, duped, gall, seduce, con, hype--
Human beings are congenital liars. They lie to themselves (the worst), they lie to parents, parents lie to their children, pastors and priests to their congregations, politicians to their constituents, corporations to their investors, tax payers on their tax returns, and ad infinitum.
The lengths that "liars" go to to convince others is amazing to me. Religion, politics, and business are the obvious sources for lies that impact our lives.
People are strongly attached to certain ideas--ideas (beliefs), which they will not give up despite all common sense refutations to the contrary. The "Shroud of Turin" is a good example of how resistant people can be to "proof". Grasping at straws comes to mind when people resort to self-deception.
For those not familiar with the controversy; an examination of the shroud was made by a group of experts and carbon-dating was done. Three independent labs conducted the tests and all three came up with the same result--the shroud did not date back to Jesus's time. As is often the case with such controversies, where belief over rides reason, explain-aways cropped up and no definitive claim could be made to its being a fraud. In other words claims were made that the material picked to make the carbon dating was material used to repair the shroud and therefore was material that would date much later. Though the "explanation" is not valid, it couldn't be disproved ater-the-fact, it gives those who want to believe that the shroud is Jesus's death shroud a rationale to do so.
As I pointed out in my essay about Jesus being the Messiah? at www.tiltingatsacredcows.com Christians go to great lengths to deceive themselves and others. To anyone who has studied the Bible, without it being explained by religious propagandists, it is evident that the beliefs held by Christians are not supported by the Bible. The Old Testament and the New Testament are in conflict to each other--the New Testament throws out the laws as set down in the Old Testament, laws that, when violated, God exacted severe punishment on the people.
When a God says he doesn't change his mind and apparently does; how good is his word? Is he too a liar? According to the Christians he is. There is confusion too for in the Old Testament God says he is the Beginning and the End; In revelations Jesus says he is the Beginning and the End. Someone is telling a fib.
Christians turn themselves inside out "explaining-away" all the errors and inconsistencies in the Bible. How do you explain-away that the Bible says, Hares chew cuds? Or bats are birds?
Christianity has been one of the biggest con jobs ever on mankind and is a good example of how humans support and maintain a deception; how they deceive themselves first (for some emotional reason) and continue to build on that deception. Any time "reason" or "facts" are introduced their minds shut down like a steel trap; no counter arguments allowed.
In politics people will maintain their belief in a politician despite strong evidence against his/her competency or honesty. Give the people any straw to grasp and they will take it--only when all doubt, an overburden of proof against them, will some of the people let go. Ever notice how polls very seldom get below 33 percent, people are resistant to the truth.
Beliefs are reinforced, like a feedback loop in a electronic circuit, building up strength with each cycle. Lies and deception build on themselves growing stronger each time they are told. The stories and myths grow ever bigger and grand. However, there seems to be a length of time a belief will live--3000 years? Maybe Mary will in time go the way Isis did; to be remembered only in stone chips.