|
FINDING TRUTH IN A WORLD OF LIES?
Our philosophy dictates our beliefs and our beliefs dictate our actions. We have to want the truth. Col. Jessep screams at Lt. Kaffee in the courtroom scene in “A Few Good Men,” “You can’t handle the truth!” And, sadly, many people do not want the truth. We have to want the truth. Col. Jessep screams at Lt. Kaffee in the courtroom scene in “A Few Good Men,” “You can’t handle the truth!” And, sadly, many people do not want the truth. Malcolm Muggeridge writes, “People do not believe lies because they are plausibly presented, but because they want to.” The prophet Jeremiah reports, “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule as the prophets direct; my people love to have it so...” (Jeremiah 5:30, 31) “No lie ever works unless someone is willing to believe it. People often prefer lies over truth if they uphold cherished self-images… Audience self-flattery is the foundation stone of effective commercial communication. Above all else, audiences must be told what they wish to hear about themselves.” (Wilson Bryan Key, PH.D. “The Age of Manipulation.”) Pascal says if we seek the truth we will find it. We have to start with a desire to know truth. Creation and God’s Word are the bookends of truth. “God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening. Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded, But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere. (Psa. 19:1,2) Whether it be the laws of unity, connectedness, multiplication, reciprocity, or compensation, truth is speaking to us right outside our windows. If we want to know the truth we must read and ponder God’s Word, the Bible, for ourselves. Jesus said. “Your (Father’s) word is truth.” (Jn. 17:17) Of course, the problem comes when we read the Bible through someone else’s interpretation. We must learn to let the Word speak to us, not tell the Word what it means through our own opinions and preconceptions. Ask questions to stay out of narrow religious boxes and controlling cults. When we stop asking questions, we are asking for trouble and inviting the control of others. What is the source? Is it reliable? Are there hidden agendas? How do you know it’s true? I once saw a documentary on people who were caught in cults, and after gaining freedom, they were asked how to stay free from controlling personalities. The answer was, keep asking questions. Trust your spirit. If you sense something is wrong, it probably is. You may not be able to define the lie or error, but you can sense it. “As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you, but his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him.” (I Jn. 2:27) Read transparent and classic writers. Trust those who are honest about themselves and who have withstood the test of time. Look for the humility of seekers who are still learning. We only have a certain amount of time to read, so we must read the best. Read those who wrote before TV came on the scene. Some of my favorites are Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Pascal, Paul Johnson (historian), Muggeridge, C. S. Lewis, Paul Tournier, Jacque Ellul, Thomas Traherne, Oswald Chambers, Bonhoeffer, Solzhenitsyn, Whittaker Chambers, and many others. Watch your associations. Don’t listen to fools. Spend time with the wise. If you want to be wise, you have to be around wise people. To hang around with fools is to become foolish. “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (prov. 13:20) How can you identify a fool? Here are a few clues: Atheists are fools (Psa. 14:1). Fools hate God’s knowledge (Pro. 1:22, 10:14), are complacent (Pro. 1:32), go in with a harlot (Pro. 7:22), refuse correction (Pro. 10:8, 12:15, Ecc. 4:13), spread slander (Pro. 10:1), treat evil like a sport (Pro. 10:23, 13:19), are imprudent (Pro. 12:23, 13:16), are arrogant (Pro. 14:3) are quick-tempered and contentious (Pro. 18:6;14:17), are daydreamers pondering unattainable objectives (Pro. 17:24), don’t delight in understanding but only expressing their own opinion (Pro. 18:2), don't walk in integrity (Prov. 19:1, Ecc. 5:4), repeat their folly (Pro. 26:11), hear the word, but don’t act on it (Matt. 7:24-27), ungrateful to God (Rom. 1:21), seek to be rich (I Tim. 6:9), compare themselves with others (II Cor. 10:12), show partiality in judgments (Pro. 24:23), and harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in heart (James 3:13-15). Find honest friends who have a heart to learn outside the boxes. Don’t get stuck with just those who agree with you, but be willing, with caution, listen to those who challenge your thinking. Beware of the world’s propaganda from TV, ads, movies, politicians, professors, etc. Propaganda from many sources promotes a false world view demanded by modern man fragmented by secular news and fearful of the chaos. Modern man can't live with the chaos and contradictions. So he seeks a world view that explains the disorder and brings a measure of peace to his world. But the world view is at best incomplete and at worst a lie and takes man away from reality. Propaganda is all pervasive in modern society and comes from religion, politics, education, mass media, advertising, revision of history, sociology, psychology, and culture. Jacque Ellul warns about becoming a “current events man.” “To the extent that propaganda is based on current news it cannot permit time for thought or reflection. A man caught up in the news must remain on the surface of the event: he is carried along in the current, and can at no time take a respite to judge and appreciate; he can never stop to reflect. There is never any awareness of himself, of his condition, of his society – for the man who lives by current events.” Do not listen to those who hate. Haters are blind and live in the dark. “He that hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and knows not where he goes, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.” (I John 2:11) If you hear hate – turn it off. Run away. Be a “see-througher,” not a “lookatter.” Do not judge by appearances. We live in a world of illusions. Things are not as they seem. Fact check and do your own research. “Do not judge according to external appearance, but judge with proper judgment." (John 7:24) The world uses costumes and uniforms to cover its deceptions. It has to work tirelessly to perpetuate the imagery of its false heart. In 1662, the brilliant scientist and philosopher, Blaise Pascal wrote of this phenomenon. “Our magistrates have known this mystery of imagery. Their red robes, the ermine in which they wrap themselves like furry cats, the courts in which they administer justice, the fleurs-de-lis, and all such august apparel were necessary; if the physicians has not their cassocks, if the doctors had not their square caps and their robes four times too wide, they would have never duped the world, which cannot resist so original an appearance. If magistrates had true justice, and if physicians had the true art of healing, they would have no occasion for square caps; the majesty of these sciences would of itself be venerable enough. But having only imagery knowledge, they must employ those silly tools that strike the imagination with which they have to deal; and thereby in fact they inspire respect.” Keep a journal. Process your thoughts by journaling. Write down what you are thinking and review it. Early in my life, I was encouraged to keep a journal every day. It was one of the most significant words of counsel I have ever received. Journaling has helped keep me sane in an insane world. Going over past journals has been extremely helpful in marking my progress in life and seeing necessary corrections. It has helped me discover who I really am and not just continue as an imposter. Every book and article I have written and every lecture I have given have started with a thought recorded in my journal. |