Monday, June 6, 2016
499 - Some Truth, not Same Truth
Spirituality Column No. 499
June 7, 2016
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
What I want to write about today – lovingly, I hope – is the current, pervasive state of media malfeasance that so accurately reflects and sadly but enthusiastically nurtures culture-wide religious ignorance.
There are two aspects to discuss. One is the actual existence of truth and love revealed in Jesus Christ. These are real things, really there, really important and really ignored by the snickering classes who deem actual Christ-centered, God-glorifying faith an intellectual embarrassment. The other is the empirical non-faith knowability of religious doctrines and differences, also real, important and ignored.
“All religions are the same” is perhaps the most misinformed statement of any age yet seems to be the controlling narrative of modern public discourse. Mention an obvious and observable difference attendant to a culture, race, nationality, gender, a private faith or a recognized religion and one has committed, at minimum, a boorish micro-aggression against the intolerant, hypocritical lords of political correctness.
Maybe this is so important for PC lords to control because truth is so freeing.
My thoughts today were triggered by the media coverage a month or so ago of the untimely and unfortunate death of the very talented musician “Prince.” No, I wasn’t especially a fan, but on the other hand look up Prince’s 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame performance of the Beatles’ classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Arguably, you’ll see the greatest guitar solo of this or any age. Of course, that’s an opinion, not truth.
Where the media botched it was reporting Prince as “Christian” without understanding the profound differences of Prince’s “Jehovah’s Witness” faith which says Jesus is love, yes, but also that Jesus was a man but not God. The media shrugged its collective shoulders, not seeing the dangerous, salvational departure from the Christian Trinity. Argue efficacy if you want, but don’t say, “They are the same.”
If the media covers, in no particular order, the Pope, the Roman Catholic Church, Islam, Muhammad Ali’s Nation of Islam (Louis Farrakhan, et al), the Dalai Lama, Buddhism, Hinduism, Billy Graham’s Evangelism, Bible Christians, Protestant churches, Anglican Bishops, Reformed electionists, predestined Calvinists, Latter Day Saints, Jewish traditions or the myriad Christian Orthodox doctrines – it takes intellectual rigor and more than a little philosophical and theological training to accurately describe, discern and report on, in context, whatever news they are making.
C.S. Lewis generously declares in “Mere Christianity” that there is some truth in all religions, but also rightly points out that Jesus is the only religious figure who says plainly, “I am… the truth…” (John 14:6).
Religious distinctions – and the Bible especially – are worth knowing and reporting on accurately. That’s all I’m saying.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) majored in journalism in college; discernment came later.
June 7, 2016
Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary
Some Truth, not Same
Truth
By Bob WaltersWhat I want to write about today – lovingly, I hope – is the current, pervasive state of media malfeasance that so accurately reflects and sadly but enthusiastically nurtures culture-wide religious ignorance.
There are two aspects to discuss. One is the actual existence of truth and love revealed in Jesus Christ. These are real things, really there, really important and really ignored by the snickering classes who deem actual Christ-centered, God-glorifying faith an intellectual embarrassment. The other is the empirical non-faith knowability of religious doctrines and differences, also real, important and ignored.
“All religions are the same” is perhaps the most misinformed statement of any age yet seems to be the controlling narrative of modern public discourse. Mention an obvious and observable difference attendant to a culture, race, nationality, gender, a private faith or a recognized religion and one has committed, at minimum, a boorish micro-aggression against the intolerant, hypocritical lords of political correctness.
Maybe this is so important for PC lords to control because truth is so freeing.
My thoughts today were triggered by the media coverage a month or so ago of the untimely and unfortunate death of the very talented musician “Prince.” No, I wasn’t especially a fan, but on the other hand look up Prince’s 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame performance of the Beatles’ classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” Arguably, you’ll see the greatest guitar solo of this or any age. Of course, that’s an opinion, not truth.
Where the media botched it was reporting Prince as “Christian” without understanding the profound differences of Prince’s “Jehovah’s Witness” faith which says Jesus is love, yes, but also that Jesus was a man but not God. The media shrugged its collective shoulders, not seeing the dangerous, salvational departure from the Christian Trinity. Argue efficacy if you want, but don’t say, “They are the same.”
If the media covers, in no particular order, the Pope, the Roman Catholic Church, Islam, Muhammad Ali’s Nation of Islam (Louis Farrakhan, et al), the Dalai Lama, Buddhism, Hinduism, Billy Graham’s Evangelism, Bible Christians, Protestant churches, Anglican Bishops, Reformed electionists, predestined Calvinists, Latter Day Saints, Jewish traditions or the myriad Christian Orthodox doctrines – it takes intellectual rigor and more than a little philosophical and theological training to accurately describe, discern and report on, in context, whatever news they are making.
C.S. Lewis generously declares in “Mere Christianity” that there is some truth in all religions, but also rightly points out that Jesus is the only religious figure who says plainly, “I am… the truth…” (John 14:6).
Religious distinctions – and the Bible especially – are worth knowing and reporting on accurately. That’s all I’m saying.
Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) majored in journalism in college; discernment came later.
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