I feel like I live in Bizarro world.
Truth is subjective, moral relativism is a very real thing, logic is non-existent, and we are driven by emotions.
First: We live in a fallen world and sin is our common denominator. None of us are “good” all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
I start there because that is the only place to start.
Second: Logic… where has it gone??
We have lost the ability to make non-emotional determinations based on facts, and applying our logic, because sometimes what we “believe” is what we want to be true, more so, than actual truth.
Let’s break it down… the word “fact” is defined as, “a thing that is known or proved to be true” … OK? What’s “Proved”? Past tense of “prove” defined as, “demonstrate the truth or existence of (something) by evidence or argument.” Ahhhh… ok, so the argument part: We’re doing that REALLY well lately, but to argue for the sake of argument is NOT demonstrating a truth, and I believe this is where we are failing.
Logic and applying logic is a practice. For instance, in the most simplistic fashion, here’s an example:
Fact #1: I am overweight
Fact #2: Some overweight people suffer heart attacks
Conclusion: I will suffer a heart attack
Do you see where the logic failed? Yes, Facts #1 and #2 are, in and of themselves factual; however, the conclusion is not because it ignored the first word of fact #2, “some”. Following??
Words are super important and painting with a broad brush actually makes statements less factual. WHAT?!?! Yeah… follow me…
All white people are racist. Do you know all white people? Have you interviewed them to come up with this conclusion? The answer is NOPE; therefore, the statement is FALSE.
All black people are criminals. Do you know all black people? Have you studied every black persons criminal history? NOPE! Again, FALSE.
All Hispanic/Latin/LatinX people are illegal immigrants. Don’t even get me started!! FALSE.
So why am I bringing this up? Because we are all being steered to refer to some very sensitive topics with very large brushes and it’s not logical and nonsensical to do so.
The purpose of this post is to remind everyone to ask questions, to dig deeper, to question sources, to discern, to logically dissect arguments being presented. We are getting emotionally invested in things that are false guys. Not 100% false… but definitely, not 100% true.
My compass is pointing to my true North. Where’s yours at? Is your true North a political party? Political affiliation? Social status? Friends? Spouse? If your “true North” can falter in anyway, is it really a “true North”?
A respectful challenge to all of fellow believers: sift everything, EVERYTHING, through scripture. Then, stand firm in truth and love. Above all LOVE!
May the odds be ever in your favor.