Before moving to Delaware, I was instructed by my church leader to lie to get a job.

The house church leader Thomas and I were taking over for, Xavier, worked in medical billing. I was supposed to apply with his employer, telling them that I had worked under him in the past.

When Missionary John from the main church first told me that Xavier could help me get set up with a job, I felt uneasy. I had absolutely no experience or interest in medical billing.

When I put off contacting Xavier for more instructions, Missionary John called me and yelled at me for not acting more quickly. “When I inform you about an opportunity like this, you call right away!”

Reluctantly, I called Xavier. He sent me a packet to study on medical billing and briefed me on what lies I should tell so that our stories would be straight.

I applied for the job and, as instructed, lied through my teeth in the series of interviews. I’m a terrible liar and I was so sure they could see right through me.

To my surprise, they ended up offering me the job. I felt so guilty about lying that I rejected the offer and took another job as a scheduler at a medical center.

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I should have known that an institution that endorses lying because “the end justifies the means” can’t be counted on to teach the truth.