11 Aug Denying the Truth Does Not Change the Facts
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but he is not entitled to his own facts.”
So said former New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. In doing so, he captured one of the most important truths for our time.
Truth is truth, and it doesn’t change no matter what we think, no matter what we believe.
In the book, Up to No Good: The Rascally Things Boys Do (as told by perfectly decent grown men), this story is told:
“Lou was playing with some friends and decided to try flying. So, they climbed up onto the roof of the barn, and Lou strapped some heavy wooden boards onto his brother’s arms. Then they counted down, and he jumped. He was lying on the ground, groaning in pain with several broken bones, and Lou yelled, “Hey Shorty! You forgot to flap your wings!”
You see, Lou’s brother, Shorty—momentarily persuaded by Lou—thought he could fly. Based on that assumption, Shorty jumped off the roof of the barn. But what he thought was true was wrong, and he paid the price.
Truth does not care what we think about it. It is true, regardless of whether or not we know it, regardless of whether or not we believe it. Truth is “reality.” It cannot be denied. To act contrary to reality is to open ourselves to a world of unpleasant consequences, like Shorty’s’ broken bones.
Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). To the degree that we do not know or believe the truth, we are vulnerable to ignorance and deception.
Truth has fallen onto hard times in the 21st century, and is coming under attack in two different ways, making us vulnerable to ignorance and deception.
Relativism
First, we are facing a cultural shift unlike anything in the history of the world. It used to be that truth was external and feelings were internal. So when our feelings conflicted with truth, we aspired to bring our feelings into alignment with truth.
Now, American culture has seen a major push toward believing that truth is internal, individually determined, and that we can choose our own truth based on our feelings. This is wreaking havoc, as one might expect, because it leads us to act contrary to reality. And, like Shorty, we pay the price.
In the 2018 Golden Globe Awards ceremony, Oprah Winfrey famously declared that “speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.”
Your truth?!? What if my truth contradicts your truth? Are they both true? That cannot be, of course, but people are often reluctant to admit it.
People speak of “my truth,” or say, “it’s true for me,” as though truth is merely a matter of personal opinion or perspective. But there is no such thing as “your truth,” or “my truth.” There is only “the truth”… that which is true for everyone.
Paul Copan wrote, in a Prager U article, “Truth can’t be relative. If it’s relative, it’s not truth. To say ‘there is no truth for all people’ is to declare a truth for all people. In effect, you are saying, ‘It’s true that there is no truth!’ And to declare that both your opinions and my opinions are true even though they contradict each other is nonsense.
“Truth isn’t opinion or preference. It’s not subjective or relative. It is inescapable because reality is inescapable. No amount of double talk will change that. And that’s the truth.”
Lies
The second way that truth is coming under attack is the dramatic increase in the willingness to consciously, intentionally lie to advance one’s cause.
During the 2016 presidential race, Harry Reid, the Democrat Senate Majority Leader, from the floor of the Senate, accused Mitt Romney of having not paid any taxes over the past decade. Romney, in fact, had paid taxes and released his tax returns to prove it.
Fact Checker gave Reid the highest “bad mark rating”, four Pinocchios, for the claim. Everyone knew it was a lie. But Reid not only refused to retract the allegation, but hammered on it and seemed to take pride in the fact that it wasn’t true. After the election, in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash about continuing to defend the statement even though it was not true, Reid’s reply was a cold, “Romney didn’t win, did he?”
This tactic is increasingly accepted as a strategy, not even considered wrong… but rather merely a tool to carry one’s point. In many areas, with politics seeming to take the lead, deliberately lying is becoming commonplace. It has gotten so bad that the term “fake news” has been added to our mainstream vocabulary.
In the current political upheaval that started with the death of George Floyd, but which quickly morphed into something unrelated to his death, lying (spreading deliberate misinformation) has been employed as a premeditated tactic. As just one example, senators and congressmen have consistently referred to the riots in Portland as “peaceful demonstrations,” all while we are watching fires burning in the background and violent crowds throwing rocks, glass and fireworks at the police.
While all serious Christians would admit that black lives matter, the official Black Lives Matter organization has risen in national prominence as a result of the deaths of several blacks at the hands of police.
As reported in the Washington Post, the co-founders of Black Lives Matter have openly admitted to Marxist allegiance. “We actually do have an ideological frame. Myself and Alecia in particular, we’re trained organizers. We are trained Marxists. We are super-versed on ideological theories.”
The “ideological theories” of Marxism are outlined in Rules for Radicals, a book by Marxist political theorist Saul Alinsky. The goal of Marxism is to create social and cultural chaos for the purpose of destabilizing a current governmental in order to replace it with Marxism, which is not only unChristian, but anti-Christian.
Reporter Larry Taunton* writes that one of the principle strategies in that book is “disinformation,” or simply, lies, in the belief that if you say something false often enough, people will begin to accept it as true.
The book instructs its adherents to maintain an unrelenting campaign of public disinformation (lies) while accusing your enemies of deception. The more outrageous the accusations, the better. Keep them busy defending themselves while you move forward with your plans. History and facts that are inconvenient are disregarded or distorted. The end justifies the means.
Assuming we take them at their word, and the founders of the Black Lives Matter are truly “trained Marxists” and are “super-versed in ideological theories” and follow the Marxist playbook, then spreading disinformation is a central tactic in their overall strategy to create political, social, and cultural chaos for the purpose of destabilizing the present government and replacing it with Marxism.
It is a significant example, but it is only one example of the commitment that the enemies of traditional Judeo-Christian values have to spreading lies for the purpose of creating political, social and cultural upheaval.
Conclusion
This, of course, puts Christians and others concerned with the truth, at a significant disadvantage. We must now spend great time and energy trying to figure out for ourselves what is true and what is false, and to try to offset the lies planted in the minds of the public.
This, of course, goes back to the spiritual warfare theme discussed in another blog post. Jesus said, of the devil, “Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Any person or organization given to lying is reflecting the truth that the wisdom generated by self-will is “earthly, natural and demonic” (James 3:25). The results are also demonic: “disorder and every evil thing” (James 3:16).
All this reinforces the spiritual warfare behind our current political and cultural upheaval. That is why 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to “be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.”
We must be alert to the fact that lying is a specific tactic by Marxists and other political activists intent on overthrowing the Judeo-Christian values on which our country was founded. We dare not believe everything coming from them. In fact, we must assume that their information will contain lies, not only of facts but also of conclusions and perspective.
Unless we understand this, we cannot make sense of the upheaval wracking our country.
This must lead us to three actions.
First, do what we can within our political system to advance the cause of biblical truth. Some will be called to a higher level of involvement than others, but it might include anything from promoting good web sites to running for political office, and everything in between.
Second, we must vote in November for those who will uphold biblical values, and we must encourage others in our sphere of influence to do the same.
Third, we must pray, for while we must prepare the horse for the day of battle, victory belongs to the Lord (Proverbs 21:31).
Please forward this and other recent blogs to those in your sphere of influence that you think might benefit from this information.
*https://larryalextaunton.com/2020/07/understanding-what-is-happening-in-america-a-christian-response/
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