If it’s important for us to recognize that political leaders can say things that are factually incorrect, how much more important is it for us to recognize that religious leaders can do the same? If it’s important for us to get past “your truth” and “my truth” in the realm of politics, how much more should we emphasize this in the realm of life’s ultimate questions?
Many people call attention to the danger of fake news which is good because fake news can cause real harm. But “fake religion” can also cause real harm. The religions of the world make contradictory truth claims therefore they can’t all be correct; some of them must be “fake religion.” When it comes to politics, it's important to foster respectful dialogue between those who disagree in order to get to the truth. But if we think the truth is important in politics, shouldn't we recognize that it's even more important in religion?
Political issues and political decisions are certainly worthy of our time and attention for they affect the lives of real people. But religious decisions have an even bigger impact – in many cases, an eternal impact.
And if the truth is atomized to the point where I can have my truth and you can have yours, then how can any of us actually have a conversation? Without a basic set of assumptions about what’s true, we have no starting point for the debates we engage in.
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Reference
CBC Radio, The Truth about Post-Truth, accessed August 11, 2020, https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/858361923659.