John 18:37 So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a
king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king.* For
this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
Truth has been on my mind a lot lately. In this political
season, we have so much “information” being fed to us. News, commercials and
political memes try to lead our mind, ideas and vote.
Do they still teach about primary and secondary sources in
school? The primary source might be a court document, but it couldn’t be an
article about the court case that was a secondary source. (btw: SNOPES is NOT a
primary source) I find it’s getting much more difficult with the seemingly
infinite volume of information and ideas available now through the Internet to
discover the truth of a matter.
My husband told me about a “news” story he read that turned
out to be fake the other day. A coworker at lunch related the story of the
“hanging chad” 2000 election and with conviction told “facts” that may or may
not have been exactly as I remembered them.
I just heard a story, about a woman who confessed gossiping
to a priest who gave her the following penance: go home and get a feather
pillow, take it to the top of the church bell tower, open it up and throw all
of the feathers over. When she was finished she went back to the priest and
told him she had done it. He then told her to go to town and gather ALL of the
feathers back up and put them back into the pillow.
Once a story is told, whether truth or fiction, you can’t
get it back. It’s out there and some may continue to retell it. Maybe they’ll
add some flair to the story for effect or to advance their beliefs among
others.
I find myself increasingly disturbed and frustrated as I
cannot trust news sources – I find myself looking up to heaven and asking the
same question Pontius Pilate asked Jesus “What is truth?” I find that I am
becoming cynical, like Pilate, that truth is elusive and subjective.
Jesus said: “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” John
18:37 and “I am the way and the truth* and
the life” John 14:6 and I remember where the truth is: http://www.usccb.org/bible/ I go there
every morning and then march through this crazy world full blustery winds of
ideas and information. I beg God to help me, to guide me and I thank Him for
wanting to.
