Making an Idol out of "truth"

with a lowercase "t"

When I sat down to write this, I intended to write about the Lahaina fire. It quickly became obvious that 1) I am long winded, and 2) the implications of this story, and what has come from it have identified a larger problem. This is now a referendum on the state of the “truthers.” There will be a follow up directly addressing Lahaina.

One of my dearest literary friends, CS Lewis once said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” By and large, we have lost sight of the world we were made for, because, spoiler alert, it is not this one. Now, in place of the quest for Heaven, we are seeking to replace that search with things of this world.

If you’re a conservative, it is likely that sometime over the past three years, you’ve been assigned the identifier of “conspiracy theorist.” This is, of course, meant to be derogatory. As many eyes were opened to the corruption of our institutions in 2020 (shoutout to the people who saw it BEFORE the Rona,) folks began to wear the title as a badge of honor. I myself have claimed it proudly when it comes to such topics as childhood vaccines, masks etc.

Our authorities and institutions have failed us repeatedly. It would be silly and naive to assume their good intentions, to stop asking questions, and to take their words at face value. In fact, seeking truth is something Christians are called to do. *Insert stumbling block because we live in a fallen world.* When we seek Earthly truth as an end in itself, and not as a means to the true end itself, Heaven and our Lord, we will only find bitterness and pride. Look up your favorite “truther” accounts, left or right. You won’t find joyful people.

Commenting on their intentions would be presumptuous on my part. Many say they do it for attention, or for fame, or even because fear sells. (Did you hear that sentence in a Trump voice? Because I did. I refuse to let him own the phrase “many say” so I’m keeping it ;) Perhaps they think they’re doing a service to the public. Perhaps there is a time and a place for their rhetoric, because the masses are hard to wake. Or, perhaps our 24/7 news cycle and culture of instant gratification has simply bred a market for quick, witty, short responses to topics that require long, measured, nuanced answers.

Low hanging fruit is tempting. Throwing stones at “the left” and showing how politics has become their religion is easy, and certainly accurate. But what about our own “side?” Can we be honest with ourselves and say that the so called “conspiracy theorists” have gone too far?

Please hear me when I say this. Just because someone CALLS something a conspiracy theory, does not make it so. This is a form of gaslighting that the media and folks on both sides of the aisle use to discredit things they do not agree with. I’d have to write an entirely new article to make a list of the things that have been called conspiracies, that have been proven true with simple facts. No, rather I’m speaking to the persona. To the obsession with having the inside scoop. With the almost fanatical adherence to a theory. To the pride that will not allow us to have the humility to admit that we are human, and could be mistaken.

If you think I’m exaggerating, you haven’t spent enough time in the comment section on social media, or scrolling Twitter/X/whatever is happening over there, and for your sanity I suggest you keep it that way. In researching the recent Lahaina fire, large accounts have received death threats from the “conspiracy theory” crowd, for simply disagreeing with the prevailing theories in that community. If someone disagrees with your way of thinking, and your reaction is to wish death upon them…well, I hope that we can all agree, that is the sign of a movement spinning out of control.

Let’s just say, for a minute, hypothetically of course, you hear about someone who is suffering greatly. What should your response be? I think, if my Christian upbringing serves me well, the correct answer is to immediately turn to prayer + ask how we can help. If our immediate response is, “the government did this and I am going to angrily rant about it on social media,” it seems that we might be a bit out of order.

So what can we do? Well, extremes will always be with us because, human nature and all that jazz. But we sure can do our part. Stop feeding the monster. Try not to share without vetting the information. Try to wait a few days for more information. Preaching to myself here…everyone does not need our opinion on every single topic IMMEDIATELY. Do keep asking questions. Keep seeking truth. Keep Heaven as the goal, and pray for the humility to see clearly. Seek Truth with a capital T.

To wrap this up, because it was originally supposed to be about Lahaina anyway, why don’t we take a minute to pause and pray for the people of Lahaina. Let’s pray for those with lives to rebuild, that they have strength to suffer well, and peace in the struggle to come, and for the souls lost in the fire, may eternal rest grant unto them oh Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.