Tired of all the opinions, polls, and surveys of what people think in the “news?” Over, and over again people speaking to the camera, writing their opinions in their news columns or speaking their mind on talk radio, people sharing few facts and a lot of bloviating. Are we any different if we sit in a coffee shop, across the living room of a friend’s house, or sit in the church pew expressing our opinions without factual truth?
Our society is caught up in passing on “juicy gossip,” all in the name of sharing ideas and opinions. Few news organizations today, including both written and televised, spend much time in doing appropriate research to communicate the whole truth and nothing but the truth. What most have found is gossip sells and people want to be on the inside of conversations, no matter if it is true or not.
Even in the “halls of education” fact-based truth is of little interest. Teachers, professors, and students are encouraged to express their opinions, all in the name of ideas. Thus, the philosophy of one’s life becomes more concerned with the acceptance of one’s opinions and ideas rather than concrete absolutes.
We are quickly becoming a society that wants to HEAR OURSELVES TALK and express our opinions, whether they be true or not. Many have become more concerned with making sure others hear what we say, verses finding out what is true. And when this happens, we no longer care about what is true, but we quickly become more concerned whether or not people are listening to us express our ideas. All you need to do is turn on the TV, or pick up a newspaper, news magazine, or go online and you’ll see this being played out every day.
The Lord God has a lot to say about gossip, slander, malice, and lying. IT’S NOT GOOD! There are no such things as white lies, or half-truths. Either we are telling the truth or not, we cannot have it both ways. We should not give news organizations the dignity of calling themselves “news,” but call them for what they are – rumor mills and gossip streams.
With this in mind, when we sit in our living room, the local coffee shop, or church pew, our conversations need to reflect the edification of others and speak the truth in love, and not have the attitude or mindset of HEAR ME TALK.
Jesus said in the Bible, John 8:32 “the truth will set you free.” Join us on Sundays at River of Life Church in Idaho Falls, ID where Robert Legg is the Lead Pastor.
