Re: Being Honest with Authorities

Dad
May 23, 2003

DO 17856/84

1. [W]hen there is a major investigation & they know‚ they already have your names & they know who you are & they've already got pictures & the proof & evidence & everything, to deny up & down that you're a Family Member sounds kind of ridiculous when they know you are! I don't think it's a very good testimony. What do you think? That's why they brought them in‚ because they knew.

2. I DON'T KNOW, I JUST DON'T HAVE A GOOD FEELING ABOUT IT THAT THEY'D JUST LIE LIKE THAT when the Police already knew who they were. (Maria: Like you said‚ if they catch you in one lie, then they are very suspicious of anything else you say & they don't know what to believe‚ whether all the accusations are true or false, they don't know.)

3. THERE IS NOTHING THE POLICE HATE LIKE LYING! They can spot it almost any time! And a lot of times they just ask you questions deliberately when they already know the answer‚ just to see if you'll lie about it! That's one of the tests the Police give, to ask you questions to which they already know the answers just to see if you'll lie! And if you do, then they don't trust you for anything!—Not that it would have done them any good there‚ but I think it might have been a better testimony.

4. (MARIA: I READ ABOUT SOME CHRISTIANS GOING IN THROUGH DELICATE BORDERS, SOME CHRISTIANS WHO JUST DETERMINED BEFOREHAND THAT THEY'D NEVER LIE & that the Lord would just have to protect them, you know. They sort of made an agreement with Him that they'd just always be truthful & that He would have to protect them in some way, & He always did.) That's what we've done, really, because I just don't like lying & I don't think the Lord does either!

5. I THINK THERE ARE UNUSUAL EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES, RARE OCCASIONS, & it even happened in the Bible, where you might be almost forced to not tell the truth to save your life or somebody else's, but I certainly don't think you should ever lie unless it is absolutely necessary! I really think if there is any chance at all that the Police already know‚ or you suspect at all that the Police already know the truth, I think they'd really rather hear you tell the truth. I think they'd even admire you for it!

6. (MARIA: AND THEN YOU'D HAVE A GOOD CHANCE TO STICK UP FOR YOUR BELIEFS & GIVE YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY & GIVE THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE MESSAGE & dispel a lot of the lies!) Exactly! Then you could be a good witness. If you tell the truth about that, then they'll believe you're telling the truth about other things.

7. (MARIA: WHAT WOULD YOU ADVISE IN THE CASE OF A BORDER CROSSING where the standard question they always ask is, "Do you have any books or magazines with you?"—And every time you go in, you take a lot of lit & a lot of New Testaments?) Well, that's a little different situation. I think almost everybody has got to make that decision on their own.

8. BUT IT REALLY HURTS ME TO HEAR THAT THESE PEOPLE LIE & SWEAR UP & DOWN THAT THEY'RE NOT ONE OF US, WHEN THEY ARE & WHEN THE POLICE PROBABLY KNOW THEY ARE! (Maria: I wonder if they could have gotten that impression from what we did in [one country]?) Yes, but look how much good it did us there—none at all! They just kept after us all the more because I think they knew we were lying! (Maria: Well, I'm afraid we might have given the impression that that was the correct thing to do, because we made it very clear in those Letters that that's what we did & that's probably what they should do too in a similar situation. And like you say, it didn't do much good.) They still took Alf [away for questioning] anyway! They still searched the house anyhow, & they still gave us notice to leave the country anyway! So obviously they didn't believe us anyhow.—So what good did it do? I think it was a bad testimony!