Truth Discussion ...

Monday, June 20, 2016. We have a new truth discussion in the western world. It has come up in different countries, but it is active. In the UK we discuss the Brexit, and the arguments are twisted and stretched by both sides. In the US we are moving towards a presidential election - and the presentations about the candidates are full of statements which are not truthful. In Germany, the media coverage of the “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) is far from reporting the whole truth, but mainly picking on particular controversial points, leaving out 99% of the facts. You could go on to France, to Italy, to Poland …

The Problem …

Let us name the problem. Writing about facts is not facts. It is interpretation, and it is opinion. So if we look into what is published today, most is driven by either desire to reach the attention of people, of as many as possible. Or it is driven by fear, if the wrong side gets a good word or even if the arguments are reported accurately, they might gain an advantage.

What contributes to the problem: facts are left out. Statements are twisted. All with the goal to present some group or individual in a bad light. But we need to be fair: sometimes it is difficult to be truthful. When you have a strong opinion, it is a challenge to admit that the other side might have some good points in their arguments. Often, either politicians or journalists fear that the people are not going into details of arguments anyway, they try to condense the arguments into some brief and short statements - which by shortness are a reduction of the truth and they cannot adequately cover the breadth of the facts and the diversity of the true situation.

It is time for a renewed set of basic principles for the free press. It is time for a renewed balance in the public area. It is time to make progress with the truth, with the facts, with having them reported and accessible. Media are struggling in the era of the internet, where direct access to a lot of information is possible. We are now able to listen ourselves to people, we do no longer need to believe the lies of others about what a person has said. The power of the media companies is changing. The more we need a better truthfulness in the publications of those who are paid by public money. We need full truth in the public-service broadcasting, without the continuous task to destroy those they are reporting about.

The truth discussion with Jesus …

The truth discussion is old. It ranges back to the old Greek philosophers. It has been active in the time of Jesus. He got into this discussion when talking about his own role and mission. Who was he? He claimed to be the son of God, and got into a heavy discussion about the ability to hear the truth. In the gospel of John, it is written:

45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (John 8, 45)

The truth can be clear and without doubt in many cases. What you have done, where you have been, what you took. All that is easy to be truthful with. Here, the origin and role of Jesus is easy - it is not difficult to interpret. It might be difficult to check, difficult to believe, difficult to come to sound conclusions when you are still searching and trying to understand. There are other cases where the truth is more difficult to check, when it comes to words and statements and what they mean or could mean. When we want to learn about truth and life, Jesus is the point to go to and to ask. Take a chance! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts