Since the Christian faith is dedicated to soulful kindness, the integrity of one's deepest beliefs and, above all, truth-telling, I have been following with great interest the current contest for the Republican presidential nomination. All these (now) men declare themselves as devout Christians, and I have no reason to believe that they would lead us astray. Indeed, because they are so upstanding, I'm certain that one of their greatest devotions is to that fundamental Christian tenet, the ninth Commandment, that "you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."
So in the case of the Republican candidates, I know they are telling us the truth about each other.
Lately, though, the vitriol that fuels each candidate's uncharitable language about the others has caused me confusion. Surely I must be getting it wrong. No good Christian would lie, ever, and I do believe this to be the case among the current gathering of Republican candidates. Everything these men say about each other must be the truth, demonstrable, self-evident and buttressed by the sanctity of their faith.
Thus it makes sense that, if what they're saying is true, each of them must be a duplicitous, power-mongering blowhard. These men wouldn't lie about each other, would they?
So the solution is to vote for the Democrat.
Terence Clarke's story collection New York will be published later this year.
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