How Much Does Truth Matter?

[Richard Aberdeen]

Around 2000 years ago Jesus, apparently for the first time in human history, equated truth and freedom saying, "you will know the truth and the truth will make you free." This also implies the negative; if we don't know what is true, we have no hope of being free. And, this short idea is more profound than it may appear at first glance. It provides both the correct goal of education, to know what is true and, the correct purpose of education, so we can be free.

Today, far too many influential voices play fast and loose with the truth, weaving deceptive agendas around ideas carefully blended with false and true. Such dishonesty can be far worse than lies that are plainly lies.

Our education systems don't hold up searching for the truth as the primary goal. Rather, students are discouraged from challenging what a teacher or textbook claims. We are essentially taught the truth is whatever our educators and textbooks say it is, rather than encouraged to be unafraid to challenge what are often at best, biased assumptions.

In American classrooms we are taught from an early age to study hard so we will get good grades, so we can earn a scholarship, so we can attend a top university, so we can earn more money. The goal is to earn more money, rather than to understand what is true so we can be free, both as individuals and as a collective society.

The rise of Fox News and right-wing radio eventually produced a president telling over 30,000 documented lies, before just his first term ended, while his second term appears to be worse. A once somewhat coherent nation is now divided into two warring sides, with media disinformation machines continuing to drive us further and further apart. We are constantly reminded we are red states and blue states, rather than the United States.

If the blind lead the blind, they will likely both end up in a ditch of division, deception and confusion. And unsurprisingly, our system of money over truth and freedom has produced a president bent on overthrowing our democracy, if he can't otherwise hold onto power.

There is a fine line between freedom of speech and freedom itself and, creating policies to reign in voices of violence and overt deception. Perhaps we should have allowed the teachings of Jesus be heard in our classrooms, rather than carelessly branding them as "religion", deceiving the simple while appeasing priests, preachers and the ACLU alike.

Apparently they prefer our children remain chained to the darkness of unbridled religious and secular confusion. The longer we insist Jesus is a religion and, refuse to accept him as the key historical influence on human rights and human behavior he obviously is, the more divided and confused our nation is likely to become.

Dividing education up into various categories as "science", "history", "literature" and "religion", is a great disservice to our nation's youth. It teaches unsuspecting children that history, science and God are separate, rather than part of the whole reality of human experience, as if our Creator somehow needs a religion and, doesn't understand how his own universe works.

Unfortunately, never learning from the one who taught us the truth for free, there remains a horrendous boatload of profit to made in both education and religion. And, trying to separate the real truth from fiction in America is likely to remain a seemingly impossible row to hoe.

This in particular is difficult today, when too many conservatives believe truth is a lie and a lie is the truth, while too many liberals talk about "your truth" and "my truth", as if there is no real truth. There is no such thing as my truth or your truth. Rather, there is only "the" truth and, then there are lies.

Prior to Copernicus, most scientists and other people believed the sun revolved around the earth. This was "science" at the time, just as much as anything called "science" today. American students are not taught the truth, that human science invariably changes its mind over time, even about the most basic realities of the universe and our own planet.

Whether we claim the earth is flat, square or spherical in shape, none of these claims change the actual shape of the earth. Regardless of what we believe or disbelieve and, regardless of how much we lie and are lied to, what is true remains the same. And, only the truth will make us free.

[Clownboat]

Around 2000 years ago Jesus, apparently for the first time in human history, equated truth and freedom saying, "you will know the truth and the truth will make you free." This also implies the negative; if we don't know what is true, we have no hope of being free. And, this short idea is more profound than it may appear at first glance. It provides both the correct goal of education, to know what is true and, the correct purpose of education, so we can be free.

Today, far too many influential voices play fast and loose with the truth, weaving deceptive agendas around ideas carefully blended with false and true. Such dishonesty can be far worse than lies that are plainly lies.

Our education systems don't hold up searching for the truth as the primary goal. Rather, students are discouraged from challenging what a teacher or textbook claims. We are essentially taught the truth is whatever our educators and textbooks say it is, rather than encouraged to be unafraid to challenge what are often at best, biased assumptions.

In American classrooms we are taught from an early age to study hard so we will get good grades, so we can earn a scholarship, so we can attend a top university, so we can earn more money. The goal is to earn more money, rather than to understand what is true so we can be free, both as individuals and as a collective society.

The rise of Fox News and right-wing radio eventually produced a president telling over 30,000 documented lies, before just his first term ended, while his second term appears to be worse. A once somewhat coherent nation is now divided into two warring sides, with media disinformation machines continuing to drive us further and further apart. We are constantly reminded we are red states and blue states, rather than the United States.

If the blind lead the blind, they will likely both end up in a ditch of division, deception and confusion. And unsurprisingly, our system of money over truth and freedom has produced a president bent on overthrowing our democracy, if he can't otherwise hold onto power.

There is a fine line between freedom of speech and freedom itself and, creating policies to reign in voices of violence and overt deception. Perhaps we should have allowed the teachings of Jesus be heard in our classrooms, rather than carelessly branding them as "religion", deceiving the simple while appeasing priests, preachers and the ACLU alike.

Apparently they prefer our children remain chained to the darkness of unbridled religious and secular confusion. The longer we insist Jesus is a religion and, refuse to accept him as the key historical influence on human rights and human behavior he obviously is, the more divided and confused our nation is likely to become.

Dividing education up into various categories as "science", "history", "literature" and "religion", is a great disservice to our nation's youth. It teaches unsuspecting children that history, science and God are separate, rather than part of the whole reality of human experience, as if our Creator somehow needs a religion and, doesn't understand how his own universe works.

Unfortunately, never learning from the one who taught us the truth for free, there remains a horrendous boatload of profit to made in both education and religion. And, trying to separate the real truth from fiction in America is likely to remain a seemingly impossible row to hoe.

This in particular is difficult today, when too many conservatives believe truth is a lie and a lie is the truth, while too many liberals talk about "your truth" and "my truth", as if there is no real truth. There is no such thing as my truth or your truth. Rather, there is only "the" truth and, then there are lies.

Prior to Copernicus, most scientists and other people believed the sun revolved around the earth. This was "science" at the time, just as much as anything called "science" today. American students are not taught the truth, that human science invariably changes its mind over time, even about the most basic realities of the universe and our own planet.

Whether we claim the earth is flat, square or spherical in shape, none of these claims change the actual shape of the earth. Regardless of what we believe or disbelieve and, regardless of how much we lie and are lied to, what is true remains the same. And, only the truth will make us free.

I hear your rant.
Did you have anything to debate?

"The longer we insist Jesus is a religion and, refuse to accept him as the key historical influence on human rights and human behavior he obviously is, the more divided and confused our nation is likely to become."

I believe you division charge is misplaced.
We need Christians and Muslims for example to stop telling their children that there is a god that loves them so much as to send them to heaven, yet hates the other so much as to send them to a hell. Once this happens, then perhaps we can stop the violence, bloodshed and division caused by religions.

It seems like you just want to double down on Jesus claims. If the Muslims were to act like you, violence, bloodshed and division will increase. Should we slay the infidel so this cannot happen, or should parents just stop this behavior (or something else?) Richard Aberdeen?

[1213]

...The rise of Fox News and right-wing radio eventually produced a president telling over 30,000 documented lies...

I liked your idea about seeking the truth. So, is that claim really true? Please give one example of the documented lies?

[Richard Aberdeen]

[Replying to Clownboat in post #2]

There is nothing in the Bible that says God hates Muslims. You are badly mistaken. Jesus died for ALL people who have ever inhabited the earth and, who ever will.

[Mr E]

Around 2000 years ago Jesus, apparently for the first time in human history, equated truth and freedom saying, "you will know the truth and the truth will make you free." This also implies the negative; if we don't know what is true, we have no hope of being free. And, this short idea is more profound than it may appear at first glance. It provides both the correct goal of education, to know what is true and, the correct purpose of education, so we can be free.

Today, far too many influential voices play fast and loose with the truth, weaving deceptive agendas around ideas carefully blended with false and true. Such dishonesty can be far worse than lies that are plainly lies.

Our education systems don't hold up searching for the truth as the primary goal. Rather, students are discouraged from challenging what a teacher or textbook claims. We are essentially taught the truth is whatever our educators and textbooks say it is, rather than encouraged to be unafraid to challenge what are often at best, biased assumptions.

In American classrooms we are taught from an early age to study hard so we will get good grades, so we can earn a scholarship, so we can attend a top university, so we can earn more money. The goal is to earn more money, rather than to understand what is true so we can be free, both as individuals and as a collective society.

The rise of Fox News and right-wing radio eventually produced a president telling over 30,000 documented lies, before just his first term ended, while his second term appears to be worse. A once somewhat coherent nation is now divided into two warring sides, with media disinformation machines continuing to drive us further and further apart. We are constantly reminded we are red states and blue states, rather than the United States.

If the blind lead the blind, they will likely both end up in a ditch of division, deception and confusion. And unsurprisingly, our system of money over truth and freedom has produced a president bent on overthrowing our democracy, if he can't otherwise hold onto power.

There is a fine line between freedom of speech and freedom itself and, creating policies to reign in voices of violence and overt deception. Perhaps we should have allowed the teachings of Jesus be heard in our classrooms, rather than carelessly branding them as "religion", deceiving the simple while appeasing priests, preachers and the ACLU alike.

Apparently they prefer our children remain chained to the darkness of unbridled religious and secular confusion. The longer we insist Jesus is a religion and, refuse to accept him as the key historical influence on human rights and human behavior he obviously is, the more divided and confused our nation is likely to become.

Dividing education up into various categories as "science", "history", "literature" and "religion", is a great disservice to our nation's youth. It teaches unsuspecting children that history, science and God are separate, rather than part of the whole reality of human experience, as if our Creator somehow needs a religion and, doesn't understand how his own universe works.

Unfortunately, never learning from the one who taught us the truth for free, there remains a horrendous boatload of profit to made in both education and religion. And, trying to separate the real truth from fiction in America is likely to remain a seemingly impossible row to hoe.

This in particular is difficult today, when too many conservatives believe truth is a lie and a lie is the truth, while too many liberals talk about "your truth" and "my truth", as if there is no real truth. There is no such thing as my truth or your truth. Rather, there is only "the" truth and, then there are lies.

Prior to Copernicus, most scientists and other people believed the sun revolved around the earth. This was "science" at the time, just as much as anything called "science" today. American students are not taught the truth, that human science invariably changes its mind over time, even about the most basic realities of the universe and our own planet.

Whether we claim the earth is flat, square or spherical in shape, none of these claims change the actual shape of the earth. Regardless of what we believe or disbelieve and, regardless of how much we lie and are lied to, what is true remains the same. And, only the truth will make us free.

Another Leftist rant. As if the Left has a corner on truth. Let's be real. People twist truth as it suits them. Left-Right or in between.

I do agree that the truth is not affected by people's beliefs about it, neither agreement nor disagreement.

[Richard Aberdeen]

[Replying to Mr E in post #5]

Some people are very honest. Other people constantly lie. Your assessment of "all" people is not true.

[bluegreenearth]

This in particular is difficult today, when too many conservatives believe truth is a lie and a lie is the truth, while too many liberals talk about "your truth" and "my truth", as if there is no real truth. There is no such thing as my truth or your truth. Rather, there is only "the" truth and, then there are lies.

Please distinguish between epistemology and ontology in your argument. Are you making a claim about what reality is, what people can justifiably know about reality, or both?

[Richard Aberdeen]

[Replying to bluegreenearth in post #7]

More than anything else, we can thank the internet and modern film and tv for dumbing down our population. Next in line is Trump and the GOP, who have done their best to ban books and change the historical reality of the United States; in particular Black history. Liberals also carry some responsibility, but far less than the first two noted.

[Clownboat]

[Replying to Clownboat in post #2]

There is nothing in the Bible that says God hates Muslims. You are badly mistaken. Jesus died for ALL people who have ever inhabited the earth and, who ever will.

I think you protest too much as I don't think that you send someone that you loved to eternal torture in hell? Heck, your probably more moral than your preferred god concept and wouldn't punish someone infinitely for a finite crime to begin with. So good on you for that!

I acknowledge that you have hyper focused on the word hate in place of addressing the point that was made.
In order to foster debate, please allow this change as it doesn't affect the point being made:

"We need Christians and Muslims for example to stop telling their children that there is a god that loves them so much as to send them to heaven, yet doesn't care enough about other humans as to send them to a hell. Once this happens, then perhaps we can stop the violence, bloodshed and division caused by religions."

To make this less personal. Do you think that Muslim should stop telling their children that Christians deserve to go to hell, or do you feel that such a teaching is good for the world?

[Richard Aberdeen]

[Replying to Clownboat in post #9]

The Quran is garbage. The Bible contains the words and teaching of God, who is the God of righteousness and judgment, as well as the God of mercy, love, peace and freedom.

Do you really think God would be righteous, just and fair if Rosa Parks and Adolph Hitler received the same reward? Not even the worst kind of human judge would consider such a thing to be fair.

There is great reward for asking Jesus to forgive us and to save us from our sins. Then our sins are covered and we will never see judgment or death. On the other hand, if we don't want Jesus to forgive us and save us from our sins, we will never know what love is.

The death of Jesus on the cross cost God his only son, greater pain and sorrow than we can possibly imagine and, there is great punishment for rejecting his free salvation.