What is truth?

Jesus was asked this question by Pontius Pilot (a Roman governor) who wasn’t interested in the answer, but rather to merely pose a rhetorical question. We see government leaders today creating their own version of truth, distorting realities and promoting propaganda among peoples. They are not interested in truthful answers to legitimate questions, and unfortunately, it appears neither are millions of America’s Christians.

Do you care about truth?

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:17 (NIV)

Granted, not everyone will share my zeal for Jesus as the embodiment of truth:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

I do not expect non-Christians to respond to appeals for truth through knowledge of, and faith in, Jesus Christ. But I do expect Christians to hold a standard of truth that reveals our faith in Jesus, not in politicians. Thus, truth cannot be relative to the Christian. We all believe in one Lord, whom we serve. We all believe truth is absolute. Yet, in this land where Christians comprise more than 75 percent of the population, it is the lie that reigns supreme. It is the lie around which we gather. And it is the lie that gains enormous power from the ignorance and apathy of far too many Christians.

Can it really be that, though Jesus said to bless and love our enemies and George W. Bush said we should attack and kill anyone he deemed to be our enemy … that Christians would respond to Dubya and ignore Jesus? Can it be that, in times of crisis, such as today’s economic fall, we forget God and respond to the liars, cheats and thieves who are complicit in causing such a crisis? When life and death is on the line, do we really have faith in the Lord of our heart or the lord of our land?

Or perhaps we believe that God chooses to be on our side because of the land in which we live and whatever decisions are made by our leaders are ordained by the heavenly Father?

For God so loved America that he gave His only Son … ?

Can we, as Christians agree that we love TRUTH? Can we agree that when we cease to pursue truth, dispel lies and make every effort to ensure that our leaders provide truth to the masses that we have abdicated our responsibility as children of God, worshippers of the Lamb and followers of the “Way, the Truth and the Life”?

I am constantly amazed at how little we know as Americans about how our own government is structured and operates. As Christians, I hear us consistently pray that God will bless America, which is tantamount to one of my many children asking that I acknowledge him only and reward only him, much to the chagrin of all my other children. Meanwhile, that child then uses his power to exploit his weaker siblings, exert authority over them and even kill them to achieve his selfish desires. Would you bless such a child or discipline him? The America I see believes it is greater than other nations, ignoring the revelation that whoever considers himself greatest on earth will be considered least in the kingdom of heaven.

Such is the state of this land we affectionately call America. The United States is the greatest. We are the best.

As an American, I am better than that poor sap over there in some foreign country, simply because I wear the red, white and blue jersey. I play for the best team. I am the strongest, smartest and most generous. I am America.

I do not lie. Other nations lie about me because they are jealous of me and hate me. They hate my good looks, my big home, my wealth, my health and my intellect. They even hate me when I help them, offering them the crumbs that stave off an otherwise horrible death.

Those nations despise me and desire to kill me. They say bad things about me. They say I kill their people. But they are wrong. I always try to do right. Sometimes I make mistakes because I am not perfect … just the best country that exists on this planet. My mistakes do sometimes cause lives to be lost, but that is understandable when one looks at my intentions. My intentions are always good, always pure. After all, I am the good child trying to protect myself from all of the evil around me by spreading my good to others — helping them ward off the bad. History has clearly revealed my goodness. Look at all the history books about me in my libraries. God’s glory has descended upon me and He has blessed me. How else could I have overcome so many obstacles and achieved so much?

Fat, apathetic evil America

The America most Christians perceive and believe is a lie. It is concocted, conceived and conjured from the minds of evildoers. Even the word evil has been given a connotation that belies its real image and definition. The truth about evil is that it is anything apart from God. It is whatever opposes God. It is, in a nutshell “without God.” But when we perceive evil through a prism of relative definitions it is often portrayed solely as those actions that are intended to do the worst deeds among men.

The perception most Christians have about America isn’t always based in reality or truth. So, where is the truth in America? But most important, where is the thirst and hunger for truth?

Across this nation I find few folks who are willing to sit down and ponder the questions that lead to truth and understanding.

Addressing issues by asking for truth

Today, our nation is impacted by the effects of decades of deliberate cheating, deceit and overall abuse by the leaders in our financial sector who, in cahoots with political leaders, managed to maintain investor and consumer “confidence” (see trust and faith) while they played in a global casino with American assets. As the Chicken Little alarmists scream about the sky falling, again, few will ask the relevant questions that bring about truth and understanding. They seek solely to get you and me to act, choosing the only option they provide us. They tell us if we don’t do as they say the sky will fall.

Few of us even know how to interpret what these chickens are saying. Few of us understand how we got to this point. Few of us know how our economic system operates. We haven’t yet figured out how our government operates. Our media is a massive failure, if our severe lack of knowledge and understanding of current events is any indication. Hopefully, we can utilize new media tools, like blogs and linking to informative articles (often buried in newspapers or stories given far less attention by media than it deserves) in order to begin a revelation of truth to those seeking it.

Today, I am asking you to join me in pondering the questions that ought to be asked and answered.

If the light of truth and understanding is to be shed upon the dark deeds and decisions of our nation’s leaders, then the people must stop relying upon media to do the work for us. Our media hasn’t done its job … and likely won’t anytime soon. If it had, we wouldn’t have a nation stunned by two majors wars (and two more on the horizon), a so-called financial meltdown that presumably occurred out of the blue and a country filled with folks who haven’t any clue how all of this occurred, but seem quite willing to expand the power of those who led us down this destructive road.

Let’s start asking relevant questions. I will offer some and hopefully you will add yours. If anyone wants to take a stab at providing links and commentary (please support your argument with linked information from credible sources), please feel free to do so.

ECONOMIC CRISIS

• Why haven’t the inner city communities across the nation received a “bailout” package long ago? Many communities that have been left to deteriorate while other communities in the same city renovate, update and flourish? Are those millions of people also participating in the bailout of Fannie and Freddie?
• What heads will roll in Congress, in the White House, on Wall Street and in the Federal Reserve and its member banks for a deliberate and determined course down the road toward this crisis?
• Who will hold the president and the Fed chairman responsible and accountable for its war waged against all 50 states in order to push through predatory lending practices that are at the core of the financial meltdown?
• When Congress created the Federal Reserve and provided it with sweeping powers over the U.S. economy and the ability to purchase Treasury Securities from the executive branch (in exchange for what?), who in Congress (or what group of folks) were positioned to be accountable for the inevitable problems the Fed would encounter while gambling American assets on the open market?
• What is the status of the discussion over the massive funds the taxpayers can save by immediately retracting U.S. troops from abroad?

WAR

• The facts from numerous credible sources and investigations clearly conclude our president and vice president are liars and cannot be trusted.
• Who is responsible for holding these two accountable for illegally and immorally dragging this nation militarily into Iraq and costing enormous negative impact to millions of lives?
• What can be done if no one is willing to hold the Commander in Chief responsible and accountable for irreparable harm caused by deceitful decisions?
• How can the nation reverse the massive expansion of power of the executive branch that has occurred under this administration (Office of Homeland Security, Director of National Intelligence, expansion of secret organizations operating under authority of the executive branch)?
• When both the Speaker of the House and the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee stand as impediments to the people’s efforts to impeach and remove both the president and vice president, what can be done to immediately push through the will of the people (as evidenced by the 251-166 vote in favor of articles of impeachment sent to House Judiciary)?
• The history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East is a story of unimaginable deceit, lies, distortions of truth, overt and covert killings and utter contempt for truth and the sanctity of life by U.S. leaders. Yet, most Americans do not know the 55-year story of U.S. propaganda. The two institutions in America responsible for providing truth to the masses are media and the church. Both have failed miserably. So how do we get both the church and the nation’s media to delve deeply to uncover, expose and disseminate widely and repeatedly the unadulterated truth that we all need to make wise decisions in participating in the political process?

In just these two subject matters, there is much to be learned if we choose to ask questions. There are other issues as well: Public education, 9/11, Immigration, United Nations, Global Warming … and the list goes on.

Suffice to say that we live under a cloud of misunderstanding, lies, deceit, treachery and a naive gullible perception that enables enormous power to remain in the hands of a few while so many of us are impacted by the devastation they cause. And when we seek answers, we seek them from the very people who hold the power, cause the crises and promise resolution. We then wait for them to honor their promise as we provide them with even more leverage over us. The incremental approach of those in power upon the freedoms and powers of the people continues to work … as long as we do not demand answers to relevant questions and hold leaders accountable. If the people in power can ask their own questions and convince us those are the only questions worth asking, then we fail to ask our own questions and demand truth and accountability.

All too often when I ask the average American important questions, they cannot answer them. They usually become flustered, frustrated and disinterested. That is exactly what keeps the power in the hands of those who manipulate masses for their own self-serving desires. It is what makes us sheep following the shepherd of government while ignoring the Good Shepherd. You know, that Shepherd who says He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

But we won’t find truth if we do not seek it. And that’s the hope of those who shovel distortions and deceit in our mouths daily, watching us swallow with glee as we eagerly align ourselves with one liar or another — ever ready to point out the lies in the opposing liar’s camp while ignoring the lies told in our own.

I am hopeful we can remove ourselves from such a fruitless exercise and set ourselves apart enough to begin the process of asking questions of all leaders, which will (with God’s help) enable us to see through the veil of evil and uncover the truth … which brings about common understanding.

Posted on September 28th, 2008 by MikeGreen
Filed under: Truth & Christians

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