{"id":88561,"date":"2025-07-10T12:33:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T17:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=88561"},"modified":"2025-07-10T12:33:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T17:33:04","slug":"who-is-telling-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-is-telling-the-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Is Telling the Truth?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Jerry Falk<\/p>\n

A friend on Facebook recently asked, “How do you know ‘facts’ are truth or lies?” Apparently, he was referring to the current political climate in the United States.<\/p>\n

I took his question a step further.<\/p>\n

\"\"If we reject the existence of God and dismiss biblical morality, on what basis do we determine whether something is true or false? Science, while valuable, is not infallible, and it cannot determine what is morally right or wrong. Morality requires a higher standard.<\/p>\n

Moreover, if we are merely the result of a cosmic accident-if our closest relative in the evolutionary chain is the chimpanzee-why should truth matter at all? Aren’t we, in that case, nothing more than a coincidental byproduct of primordial slime?<\/p>\n

And further, why should your truth be the standard and not mine? What gives the U.S. government the moral authority to declare certain actions “legal” (and therefore presumed good or truthful) and others “illegal” (bad or false)? If truth is relative, then laws are nothing more than personal preferences enforced by power.<\/p>\n

To make any meaningful claim about right and wrong-or truth and falsehood-we must appeal to an objective standard beyond ourselves. This applies not only to individuals but also to nations. When leaders reject a moral authority higher than human legislation, it becomes easy to believe that “one person’s truth is just as valid as another’s.”<\/p>\n

Most people shape the truth to suit their desires. They bend it to fit personal preferences or ideologies, justifying actions and lifestyles not by objective standards, but by internal perceptions and emotional impulses. As an example, even biological reality is now being redefined as merely a mental construct. We’re told that sex assigned at birth doesn’t matter-what matters is how one feels<\/strong>. And others are expected to affirm those feelings as truth, even when they directly contradict observable, scientific reality.<\/p>\n

I have little confidence in political leaders or parties-especially those who ignore the biblical command to “put away falsehood<\/em>” and “speak the truth with <\/em>[their] neighbor<\/em>” (Ephesians 4:25). But if human life is simply a journey “from the goo to the zoo to you,” then why should truth matter at all?<\/p>\n

Without God and His Word-revealed through inspired writers-we are left with no moral foundation beyond ourselves to distinguish right from wrong or truth from falsehood. And this, I believe, is one of the world’s deepest problems.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Jerry Falk A friend on Facebook recently asked, “How do you know ‘facts’ are truth or lies?” Apparently, he was referring to the current political climate in the United States. I took his question a step further. If we reject the existence of God and dismiss biblical morality, on what basis do we determine…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[546,441],"class_list":["post-88561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-feelings","tag-truth"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":28385,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-we-determine-who-is-right-and-who-is-wrong-when-everyone-claims-to-take-his-stand-from-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":88561,"position":0},"title":"How do we determine who is right and who is wrong when everyone claims to take his stand from the Bible?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 11, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How do we determine who is right and who is wrong when everyone claims to take his stand from the Bible? For example, what is the appropriate time for holy communion? Some believe it is evening while some believe it could be any time. Does the timing determine our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23445,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-absolute-truth\/","url_meta":{"origin":88561,"position":1},"title":"The Absolute Truth","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Jeremiah 32:37-41 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m sure you have heard people who in matters of right and wrong express this belief \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI feel it is wrong for me, but other people have to decided for themselves whether it is wrong for them. I can\u2019t push my beliefs on others.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The statement\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57731,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-your-standard\/","url_meta":{"origin":88561,"position":2},"title":"What Is Your Standard?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer What is your standard of what is true? How do you determine what is good? Remove God from any answer and what will you have? Personal preferences? Whatever society says? Human experience? What other options are there? Once God is taken out of the answers, no other\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/ESV-Bible-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39649,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-conscience\/","url_meta":{"origin":88561,"position":3},"title":"My Conscience","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 4:1-5 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Defining your conscience \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A part of every human is an awareness of what he should do in various situations \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Your conscience does not determine what is right or wrong \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0That is what judgment is for. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Righteous judgment is done by God\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23429,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/racism-is-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":88561,"position":4},"title":"Racism Is Wrong","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Racism is wrong. Do you know why? If you say that it is wrong, but do not ultimately know why, then all you are doing is expressing either your own personal preferences or mirroring the preferences of others. That is not acceptable, for preferences are subjective expressions,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/racism-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":55497,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/christian-morality-versus-atheist-morality\/","url_meta":{"origin":88561,"position":5},"title":"Christian Morality Versus Atheist Morality","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 5, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Donald R. Fox One of the most interesting formal discussions between an atheist and a Christian was the Oliphant-Smith Debate, conducted in Shawnee, Oklahoma, August 15-16, 1929. W. L. Oliphant was a preacher from the Oak Cliff Church of Christ, Dallas, Texas. Charles Smith was the President of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88561\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}