What is Truth?

Hi, my name is Chris and I’m about to dropkick a hornet’s nest (even though I don’t think it should be one).

Growing up in a Southern Baptist church, I heard a great deal about “Absolute Truth.” I was warned to guard against the many lies that the world would throw my way. If I wanted to be grounded in any sort of reality then I needed to trust God (and, by default, my particular denomination’s interpretation of God which is where things got dicey). Now I know that it is more than a little bit arrogant for a human or institution to make claims of being the sole arbiter of Truth. Life can be complicated. Yet I have found myself more and more frustrated with what a tenuous grasp we have on any sort of shared semblance of reality.

After the 2020 election, the guy who was the President at the time insisted that the election had been stolen from him. This claim had been debunked time and time again, but he persisted to perpetuate a lie and many people believed him. Five years ago today, he held a rally on the Mall in Washington, D.C. on the day that Congress was to certify the election. A mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol and many eventually breached the building. This was something that our whole entire country witnessed in real time. People on both sides of the political aisle were horrified.

The damage done on that day was more than just symbolic. Five people died as a direct result of the riot. 174 police officers were injured. Four officers who responded to the emergency at the Capitol would die by suicide before Christmas that year. Lives were lost for a blatant lie.

The guy who was President at the time never apologized. He tripled down on the lie. When he was elected to the office again, he granted clemency to 1,200 people who attacked the Capitol including people who were arrested for assault against officers. He ordered that stories and videos about the attack be purged from the Department of Justice archives. And today on the fifth anniversary of that terrible day, the White House has published a website that seeks to re-write the history of that day. The liar was a noble hero. The rioters were peaceful protestors.

The world saw it all happen. But if I go to the official homepage of the executive branch of my country, it is going to tell me that what I saw, what many people saw was not real. It drives me up the wall that the importance of truth was hammered home to me by a demographic that overwhelmingly supported this man and his lies which led to destruction, violence, and death.

I believe that we should try to work peaceably with all people the best that we can. The world needs us to do that. But I am at a loss concerning how to interact with people that tell me that I cannot believe my own eyes or trust my own mind. I am especially wary of a government that so brazenly bends reality to its desires. The truth is vital to our survival as a civilization. I hope the truth will one day set us free.