An excerpt from an article.... - 01/09/17
My Beliefs, My Opinions, My Truth
What exactly is a post-truth culture? It’s a culture where truth is no longer an objective reality. It has become subjective. It’s what’s true for me—my beliefs, my opinions, determine my truth. Dr. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sums it up as the mindset that
All truth is relative, all truth claims are relativized, and all statements of what might be called traditional or conservative moral judgment are just very well disguised efforts at oppression.
He provides an example of how this works. When a Bible-believing Christian says, “Homosexuality is wrong,” our post-truth culture hears, “I don’t like gays.” Since objective truth doesn’t exist in their minds, “Homosexuality is wrong” isn’t an objective truth claim. It’s personal belief, opinion, or truth—and an intolerant, oppressive one in their view—that’s based on emotion. So it translates in their minds to “I hate gays.”
What Happens When Man Determines Truth?
So in our post-truth culture, man determines truth. Man makes himself the ultimate authority. This starting point, which rejects God’s Word and the idea of moral absolutes, makes truth subjective. Does this work?
Let’s think about this. If my truth is different from your truth, then you can’t tell me what to do any more than I can tell you what to do. If I believe homosexuality is wrong, who are you to tell me it isn’t? I have my opinion, and you have yours. For that matter, if stealing your wallet is right for me, you can’t tell me it’s wrong. Because, in this view, it’s not wrong; it’s just not right for you. Such a concept of moral truth simply cannot work in any society. Someone ends up deciding truth, and usually it’s those with the most power or money. As the adage goes in such a situation, “Might makes right.”
What exactly is a post-truth culture? It’s a culture where truth is no longer an objective reality. It has become subjective. It’s what’s true for me—my beliefs, my opinions, determine my truth. Dr. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sums it up as the mindset that
All truth is relative, all truth claims are relativized, and all statements of what might be called traditional or conservative moral judgment are just very well disguised efforts at oppression.
He provides an example of how this works. When a Bible-believing Christian says, “Homosexuality is wrong,” our post-truth culture hears, “I don’t like gays.” Since objective truth doesn’t exist in their minds, “Homosexuality is wrong” isn’t an objective truth claim. It’s personal belief, opinion, or truth—and an intolerant, oppressive one in their view—that’s based on emotion. So it translates in their minds to “I hate gays.”
What Happens When Man Determines Truth?
So in our post-truth culture, man determines truth. Man makes himself the ultimate authority. This starting point, which rejects God’s Word and the idea of moral absolutes, makes truth subjective. Does this work?
Let’s think about this. If my truth is different from your truth, then you can’t tell me what to do any more than I can tell you what to do. If I believe homosexuality is wrong, who are you to tell me it isn’t? I have my opinion, and you have yours. For that matter, if stealing your wallet is right for me, you can’t tell me it’s wrong. Because, in this view, it’s not wrong; it’s just not right for you. Such a concept of moral truth simply cannot work in any society. Someone ends up deciding truth, and usually it’s those with the most power or money. As the adage goes in such a situation, “Might makes right.”