“The Invention of Lying” is an entertaining movie that premiered in theatres in 2009 where the stage is set in a world where lying does not exist. Not even as a concept. The main character, Mark, develops the ability to lie and soon discovers that dishonesty has great advantages. In one scene Mark's mother lay on her deathbed and confessed her fear of an 'eternity of nothingness'. Her son, who had only recently become the first man to lie in all of history understandably wanted to comfort her.
In the very last seconds of his mother's life he spoke, using his newfound talent of lying in order to ease her pain, he first empathises with a sigh, "Oh, Mom," Then, a new thought, as he commiserates with her plight, and a moment later, the traces of his *new* idea could be seen to cross his face. "Mom," he said, now hopeful, "Listen to me."
"Listen carefully."
"You're wrong about what happens after you die," he solemnly assured her, "it's not going to turn into eternal nothingness."
A glimmer of hope appears in her eyes. She had absolutely no experience or knowledge of lying and was incapable of even the conception of the idea that anybody could (this is the very premise of the movie). The sound of her affirmation was heard, "Ah-huh." The dejected expression on her face changes, slightly at first.
"You'll go to your favorite place in the whole world," he said. "And everyone you've ever loved and who has ever loved you will be there."
Tears of joy began to well up in her eyes and her son continued, "And... you'll be young again."
"You'll run and jump, like you used to. And dance." The timber of his voice carried his concern, touching his audience and his mother equally for the doctors and nurses had gathered behind them hanging on his every word.
"You used to dance," he sobbed. "And there's no pain." Now openly weeping, "There's love." "Happiness."
The next sentence caught my attention as it seemed a direct plagiarism of what Jesus has promised, "And everyone gets a mansion." He is still weeping, "... and it lasts for eternity." "An eternity, Mom." It was then that the elderly woman breathed her last breath at the sound of her son's last words, filled with promise, "Say hello to Dad for me." His voice trailed off as his mother passed.
The tenderness continued and the contrived movie moment was drawn out for effect, "Tell him I love him."
[Camera zooms back to pan the room, now filled with witnesses] The other patients and their care providers are enraptured by the lie. "Go on," says one. "What else happens?" asks another.
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Interesting premise, right? "The Invention of the Lie." I thought of this thread and brought my little transcription of the screenplay here because although there are several things that this "lie" holds in common with the Bible and the Word of God, there are also some things that I deem fabrications simply because they don't line up with the Word of Truth. Things like, "everybody whom you have ever loved or has ever loved you will be there..."
Pretty remarkable omission on the part of the Apostles there, well, that is, if they were lying. But given that God gave Jesus the words to speak and that His son faithfully spoke them, then in turn, those whom Jesus sent to speak the truth also spoke what they heard and did not embellish, this omission isn't that remarkable. Instead it comprises a sort of evidence, does it not? It does to me, again, for what that is worth.
