Truth Matters

Truth is disappearing in Western culture; in America too. If we do not believe in truth, real, objective, facts-whether-we-like-them-or-believe-them truth, then the edifice of our civilization crumbles. Our culture crumbles, then our nation inevitably will crumble. This sounds melodramatic and hyperbolic, but it is historically demonstrable. No truth, then no right or wrong, no fact or fiction, no beauty, no better or best, no certainty; When this happens, immoral actions increase, and sooner or later, government steps in to control, to oppress. Without truth, tyranny is possible, or inevitable, and America is flirting with all of this. Truth matters. From a Christian point of view, God is truth, the holy, righteous standard of all things good and true. Scripture says, "Buy the truth and do not sell it." For more from Dr. Rex M. Rogers see www.rexmrogers.com. 

Transcript

Lies are logically the opposite of truth, and if American culture is jettisoning truth, what does that suggest about the future of lies? 

Hi, I’m Rex Rogers and this is episode #165 of Discerning What Is Best, a podcast applying unchanging biblical principles in a rapidly changing world, and a Christian worldview to current issues and everyday life.

I’ve talked a lot about truth, or the abandonment of it in America if not also Western culture. I’ve done this because it strikes me as the fundamental challenge of our age. Yes, we have wars and rumors of wars, protests, promiscuity, confusion, anarchy, and despair, but they all track back to the truth that we, the American people, no longer believe in truth.

This easy to demonstrate by quoting cultural elites or academics. Most leaders today do not take religion seriously. Oh, many still believe in a God of some kind, or say they do, perhaps what they remember from Sunday School as a kid or more likely a god of their own devising, one that is sort of a “Man upstairs” or a kindly grandpa in the sky. What they do not believe in, is the Sovereign God of the Universe revealed in the Bible, who is engaged in human affairs, knows each of us individually, and to whom we will give an account someday.

Same might be said for the average John or Jane Doe. Christian social researcher George Barna’s findings reveal “Most Americans (68%) still consider themselves to be Christians. Among these self-identified Christians, though, only 6% have a biblical worldview. Less than half of the self-identified Christians can be classified as born-again, defined as believing that they will go to Heaven after they die but only because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. Within the born-again population (just 33% of the adult population), a shockingly small proportion (13%) hold a biblical worldview.”

“The bulk of the American adult population—82%—falls into (what Barna calls) the “World Citizen” category, described as people “who may embrace a few biblical principles but generally believe and behave in ways that are distinct from biblical teaching.”

Most Americans today adopt a combination of beliefs scholars call moralistic therapeutic deism. It’s summarized this way:

1.    God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

2.    The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

3.    God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. 

4.    Good people go to heaven when they die.   

Christianity is declining while moral therapeutic deism is increasing. “Another big group is people that don’t necessarily identify with any religion. This group is also referred to as “nones” and accounted for 30% of the U.S. population.”

Lost in this DIY, Do It Yourself, religion is any bona fide, real understanding of absolute truth.

Now truth is not only MIA among our cultural elites but also the American public.

This is a philosophic concept, so maybe it is difficult to see how this affects everyday life, yet it does, and the impact is increasing. Not believing in absolute truth translates directly to something called relativism or moral relativism, meaning nothing can be known for sure. No decision or conclusion or judgment can be drawn with certainty. This then means there can be no final answer about right or wrong, fact or fiction.

So what?

Well, consider these examples:

·      Local thugs are engaging in what’s called “smash and grab” tactics, mobs breaking into upscale stores, ignoring surveillance equipment, stealing as much as they can carry, and dashing out the door. The mayor says something along the lines of these are just kids who are acting out, in fact they probably deserve to do this because of the difficult experiences they’ve had with racism or bigotry, and besides, the goods are not that valuable so it’s not worth the court’s time to prosecute. Well, if there is not truth, no right and wrong, no accountability, then why not ignore crime whenever it fits a certain political narrative?

·      Your male neighbor announces he is a woman and claims legal privilege and protection for his self-defined identity. Depending upon your state, he can use the women’s restroom, participate in women’s sports, receive insurance coverage for women’s health, or gain access to any or all women’s events or activities. If there is no truth, then anything goes.

·      A colleague decides to march in the streets and chants antisemitic slogans like “Gas the Jews.” You find this reprehensible and immoral, but when you share this view with him, he says, “Hey, that’s your truth and this is my truth.” Truth, insofar as he uses the term, is subjective, arbitrary, a mere product of human convention. If there is not objective or absolute moral truth, then who’s to say any point of view is objectionable or worthy of condemnation? In fact, to judge the man’s views is considered intolerant, not inclusive, or bigoted.

·      Your female neighbor is carrying a child into her ninth month of pregnancy, then changes her mind and opts for an abortion. Depending upon your state, she can abort the child. If there is no truth, there is no right and wrong.

·      A given European country, perhaps the one from which your ancestors hailed, notes its population is declining, so it decides to open its borders to mass immigration of people whose religion and culture are entirely at odds with the inviting country. Leaders proclaim a view called “multiculturalism,” claim all cultures are equally good, and no judgments of bad, better, or best can be made between them because there is no recognized universal standard of morality. Yet when the new immigrants arrive,  many of them refuse to learn the language, assimilate, abide by the country’s laws, march in the streets demanding benefits, harass locals, especially women, commit crimes they say are their right, and otherwise form balkanized communities at odds with their hosts. If there is no truth, no right or wrong, how can one say certain cultural activities are immoral or illegal?

·      You’ve heard the phrase, “trust the science.” OK, if there is no truth, how can we trust the science? If science is not governed by the scientific method seeking objective truth, and scientific conclusions are guided not by what’s real or what’s fact but what’s politically advisable or materially and financially advantageous, how then can you trust the science? If science is about power or money, not health and well-being, how can we trust the science?

So, truth is not just an abstract philosophic concept. It matters in everyday life. 

Cultures that give up on truth, soon give up on morality, and cultures that give up on morality soon lose their freedom. “We will only be a free people so long as we are a moral people. Immorality is incompatible with democracy; the French Revolution is an exemplar. Tyranny is invited when a nation becomes incapable of ruling its own vices, and we are well on the way to tyranny. Our institutions have become corrupt because we have become corrupt. We allow our politicians to lie because we have become deceitful.”

Cultures that attempt to function without truth soon lose a sense of morality, accountability, responsibility. These cultures lose their identity and sense of purpose, all of which we are now witnessing in America. Most frightening of all, cultures that reject or ignore truth lose a basis for freedom, and history offers many tragic examples of this in one failed authoritarian nation after another. Lose freedom and expect oppression. 

“The question is not whether oppression is going to happen, but rather when. We ought to be upset when our government is preventing freedom of speech, freedom of the press, or freedom of religion, but we shouldn’t be surprised. We do need to be prepared as this continues because while it is not impacting you today, it could easily be you tomorrow.”

Scripture says, “Buy truth, and do not sell it,” (Prov. 23:23). Truth matters.
 

Well, we’ll see you again soon. This podcast is about Discerning What Is Best. If you find this thought-provoking and helpful, follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Download an episode for your friends. For more Christian commentary, check my website, r-e-x-m as in Martin, that’s rexmrogers.com.  

And remember, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm. 

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2024   

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