Woe to the One Who Teaches a Child to Lie

What does it mean when a person craves attention to the point that he or she will involve a child in deception? According the teachings of Jesus, (Matthew 18:6-7), it would be better to be drowned in the sea with a millstone around your neck than to lead a child of faith astray. "Woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes."

It was a hoax... a lie. And it was of the magnitude that it tricked the world.

Recently, the entire world watched, with an "eye to the sky", desperate to know what had happened to a young boy who was believed to have been inside his father's weather balloon when it broke loose from where it had been tethered at the family's home. When the balloon was finally grounded, the boy was no where to be found. Rescue workers and volunteers scoured the areas where the balloon's path may have travelled. Every news channel was focused on this little boy's fate.

It was a hoax... a lie.

There was relief when the boy was found in the attic of the family home. By the time I began watching the media frenzy, the possibility had already been raised that perhaps the boy was hiding, fearful of being punished. This was the hope that the world was clinging to. Parents wondered what they would do... feel... if this were their own child. Compassion and empathy surely poured into the prayers that were offered from MY living room.

According to CNN, when questioned on-air by his father about why he hid, the little boy responded, "You guys said we did it for the show." Two days later, the boy's mother admitted that the family had concocted the whole thing as a publicity stunt, to make themselves more marketable for "Reality TV".

CNN reported: "The couple hatched the plan about two weeks before the incident and "instructed their three children to lie to authorities as well as the media regarding this hoax," according to the documents."

It was a hoax... a lie... and the children were encouraged, even coached, to participate in the deception.

The response was interesting to watch. Some laughed it off, as if "boys will be boys" explained it all. (The term "boys" evidently included the father.) Some put the father on what seemed to be a "pedestal" of sorts, admiring the craftiness of the one who suckered the whole world into sitting on the edge of a universal "seat". Past hoaxes and hoaxers were given air time, and a "second chance at fame".

Some pointed fingers of blame towards the media in general, and towards Reality TV shows in particular.

Others almost demonized the parents. Angry, and rightly so, over the amount of money that was spent on rescue workers, the local law enforcement hinted that charges may be filed and fines assessed. Members of the media, doubly "honked off" that they had been fooled, were not very positive in their comments.

A few raised questions as to whether the involvement of the children should be seen as child endangerment. When all is said and done, this seems, to me, to be the only issue that really matters. Yes, the money should be repaid by the family. If laws were broken (and surely they were, though I have no personal knowledge of Colorado law), then charges should be filed against the adults.

Child Protective Services has a moral obligation to investigate the family's parenting skills, and to make recommendations based upon what they discover. The decisions made by these parents seems to go far beyond the mistakes that "every parent" makes. ALL parents make mistakes at one time or another. Despite good intentions, sometimes children are unwittingly placed in a potentially dangerous situation. But these parents chose to propagate a lie... a hoax... a deception that involved their children and the safety of all those who worked to try to "save" the child. Woe to the one who teaches a child to lie!

You might say that it was not just the child who needed to be saved. It is the entire family who needs to be saved from an addiction to fame and glory. My prayers are still offered up with compassion. Though I cannot empathize with whatever motivated them to act on this craving for attention, my faith tells me that there is hope and grace and healing for those who seek it.

That is no hoax. That is no lie. That is the Gospel... the good news of Christ.