Quantcast
Channel: politics – UMR
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 6

Whatever happened to “truth”?

0
0

Momany_Header

 

by Chris Momany

 

The mixture of condemnation and hand-wringing over the Trump presidential candidacy would be amusing if the stakes were not so high. Those running for office have perfected the art of truth-bending, even those who do so under the banner of not being a “politician.” Yet independent fact-checkers are wearing themselves out with Trump’s rhetoric, and social media is ablaze with tweets and memes that condemn irresponsible accusations by The Donald. I share the concern, so much so that I have been thinking about a quaint (some might say antiquated) notion of late. Truth.

 

I’ve spent enough time in the disciplines of philosophy and theology to know that fact and truth are not necessarily the same thing, but they are not unrelated, either. When a politician invokes events that did not happen to support his or her message, something is wrong – as when Donald Trump made widely discredited claims about American Muslims celebrating the 9/11 attacks. Of course such rhetoric is inflammatory, alarming, and downright offensive. Because Mr. Trump has linked this claim to suggestions that certain people be registered in a data base, his language is understandably identified with totalitarian periods of history. I, for one, am more than concerned.

 

However a background question haunting us is this: Whatever happened to “truth”? This concept no longer seems to serve as a standard, and many have toiled for decades to make sure that it is no longer relevant. Truth has become one more means on the way to implementing an agenda, or in the chic parlance of spin orchestrators, truth is but one more tool for developing a “compelling narrative.”

 

Academics have been playing this song for decades. It is music typically accompanied by some celebration of the Enlightenment’s demise. Modernity and its search for unshakable foundations are dead, and scholars have been dancing on the grave of modernity for a long time now – so long that the dance has become rather uninspired and tiresome. Mention “truth” at the meeting of any reigning academic guild and you are likely to receive blank stares (at best) and arrogant dismissals (at worst). Nobody talks about that stuff anymore, and you are reminded of this “fact” (without a hint of irony). So simply claiming that something is out of date becomes accepted intellectual justification for its dismissal.

 

Oh, some on the right have engaged in attempts to buttress the “truth,” but more often than not they point fingers at the left and invoke their own version of the truth. They are not as concerned with discovering truth as with massing a collectively subjective voice to impose their kind of truth. So who is really to blame for our blatant disregard of truth?

 

Perhaps we should look in the mirror – all of us.

That great reservoir of reflection can either challenge us or reinforce our perceptions of reality. A mirror can point out our flaws or simply energize that gorgeous image of everything we already believe. We created Donald Trump – you and I. When we decided that truth was no longer trendy, we gave license to all kinds of behavior disconnected from others. That is the scary part. I can claim my own inner truth, and others can be damned, if I so desire. This is a perspective that dominates both the left and the right these days.

 

There was a time when the church cared about the truth. I’m not so sure anymore.

 

We post rants on the left and then say things like “there is no truth” or “all is relative.”

We post rants on the right and then praise the economic relativism of crony capitalism to make sure that powerful people remain arbitrators of “truth.”

 

Lord, help us.

Someday soon we are going to have to consider the idea of truth in all of its glory, whether it advances our well-organized agendas or not.

Until that time, all of the ignorant support for dangerous political candidates and all of the self-righteous outrage over their candidacy will mean very little.

Chris Momany, UMR Columnist

Chris Momany

Chris Momany has been chaplain and director of church relations at Adrian College since 1996 and has taught in the Department of Philosophy/Religion since 1998. He is an ordained United Methodist minister, and a graduate of Adrian College, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Drew University. His academic interests focus on Christian ethics and philosophy. He has been published in the Christian Century, the Wesleyan Theological Journal, The Asbury Theological Journal, the Circuit Rider magazine, the United Methodist Reporter, and other venues. Chris also writes for the Daily Bible Study curriculum of the United Methodist Publishing House and for MinistryMatters, an online ministry resource. His book on the Wesleyan ethic of love and justice bears the title, Doing Good: A Grace-Filled Approach to Holiness. Chris has led many conferences, workshops, and continuing education events. For several years he has combined his research and teaching with a focus on human trafficking. Today it is estimated that 27 million people are held as slaves throughout the world. Chris has been a national leader among college and church professionals in confronting this issue.


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 6

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images