“What is truth?” — Pontius Pilate

“Once we’ve made sense of our world
We wanna go [screw] up everybody else’s
Because his or her truth doesn’t match mine
But this is the problem
Truth is individual calculation
Which means because we all have different perspectives
There isn’t one singular truth, is there?” — Steven Wilson, spoken introduction to his song To the Bone

“What may be truth to one person might not be truth to another.” — Statement made in a conversation about truth.

“I don’t believe in absolute truth.”
“Well, then do you absolutely believe that?” — Another conversation about truth.

“In accordance with fact or reality.” — Oxford English Dictionary definition.

We live in a news culture in America where it seems the terms “fake news” and “fact-checking” are embedded in every headline or story. Be as it may, there is a vast difference in the understanding of truth.

If we don’t understand that “truth” is self-defining, like “existence” and “being,” we lose grasp of all reality.

As we approach an election, we want to talk about truth. For generations—even centuries, and millennia—truth was defined as something absolute and written into law. Both American and British law drew heavily from a book that was considered to be the epitome of truth. Our classifications for the degrees of murder are drawn directly from that book. Many civil ordinances are drawn from that book.

And a key passage (quoted in part below) from that book was on schoolroom walls and taught — rightly — as truthful:

“Do not murder.
“Do not commit adultery.
“Do not steal.
“Do not give false evidence against your neighbor.
“Do not be envious of your neighbor’s house; do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

In 1962 the Supreme Court begin its process of stripping all references to the Bible and Christianity from our schools and our culture, with the ban of the posting of the Ten Commandments coming in 1980. And the long-promoted philosophy of moral relativism proposed by “progressives” took its place.

Relativism has taken such a hold that ridiculous statements like the ones at the beginning of this article are broadly accepted in our nation. And ridiculous results abound … and deadly ones. Let’s address just one of those deadly areas.

What happens when we abandon absolute moral truth? The largest study of its kind on mass shootings (as of its date of publication —2007) is “Mass Murder in the United States: A History,” by Grant Duwe, director of research and evaluation at the Minnesota Department of Corrections. Here’s a breakdown per decade of Duwe’s data (my notes in italics):

Mass Public Shootings per Decade
1900s: 0
1910s: 2
1920s: 2
1930s: 9
1940s: 8
1950s: 1
1960s: 6       Prayer banned in schools, 1962; Bible reading banned in 1963
1970s: 13
1980s: 32      Posting of the Ten Commandments banned, 1980
1990s: 42
2000s: 28
2010s (three years): 14

See any time correlation between the actions against Biblical morality (and actions promoting moral relativity)? Outside of the spike in the ‘30s and ‘40s (likely, mobster killings) it’s flat until the 60s when the Supreme Court effectively threw the Bible out of schools. This is what has happened in our culture — not because of gun laws — but because of the effects of moral relativism. We can differ in opinion — and we often do — but that does not change what truth is by its very nature.

And all those increases in violence happened with the most restrictive gun control laws in the history of the country going into effect in 1968 (before then you could buy a gun via mail order). Real assault weapons (capable of fully automatic fire) were legal for citizens with no felony conviction until 1986, but none were ever used in a mass murder. There are still reportedly over 120,000 pre-cutoff machine guns in legal ownership nationwide. None have ever been reported having been used in a mass shooting. Legally-owned fully-automatic guns have only been used in three crimes since 1934. One was by a policeman.

Within the recent time frame of the above study, the worst year for public shootings was in 1991, when eight incidents took place, he said. With seven incidents, 2012 ranks second, along with 1999 – when the assault weapon ban was in effect (ban was in effect 1994-2004).

Should we even be surprised that restaurants, churches, schools and synagogues are getting shot up by people with no moral compass, some who actually believe they are doing the right thing, the true thing? After all, “we all have different perspectives; There isn’t one singular truth, is there?”
“Do not murder.” — God

Arguments often used:
“We have too many guns, we need to ban and confiscate guns.”

• We have 400 million civilian firearms in the United States; think we’ll get them all? Think those morally relativistic criminals out there will turn all theirs in?

• If we could snap our fingers and turn every gun into … flowers? … we would all be safe then? We have a culture where people on the street get knocked out as a game for the assailants, with many victims permanently injured or killed. And joggers getting beaten to death or stabbed. And people being run over by cars (as of this writing, FIVE children in 3 days have been killed waiting for school buses). And people being set on fire. Our country, without a spiritual anchor, is drifting farther from truth and closer to anarchy.

“Why does anyone need a gun?”

• Just days ago, an armed man eating with his children in a McDonalds in Birmingham shot and killed a masked gunman who opened fire in the restaurant. He and his son were wounded, but not seriously. Police responding the call were expecting a mass killing, which it likely would have been.

• There’s a reason mass killers don’t target police stations. Or gun shows. Or why robbers avoid homes where it’s likely the homeowner is armed.

• Unfortunately, until people’s hearts change, more and more armed security will be necessary in schools, synagogues, and churches.

It is just at easy to point out other absurd changes in our society post Biblical morality, but time won’t allow to discuss “Gender Fluidity,” “Selective Abortion,” “Toxic Masculinity,” and others…

One final thought: Some reading this are thinking, “this doesn’t seem like Jesus… Where is the grace?” Jesus said he was “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” He said, “I did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” It’s only by His grace that we can receive Him, and have a higher law written on our hearts that fulfills the Ten Commandments and more.

Some will say, “But Jesus was a pacifist.”

As He was facing his crucifixion, one of the last things he told His disciples was this: “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.” (Luke 22:35-38)

The swords weren’t for His protection; when He answered the Priests arresting Him with, “It is I,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (John 18:6) And He said he could command a legion of angels if necessary. (Matt. 26:53) The swords weren’t for offense (He rebuked Peter for that use); so why did Jesus tell his disciples to buy swords? Was it to deter the priests from taking them as prisoners also? I don’t know, but He told them to carry swords.

If I lived alone, I would probably not even think about personal defense; I have a family to think of, so I pay attention to it.

Some other random observations (not mine):

The origin of our Constitution:

At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the father of our Constitution, James Madison, proposed the plan to divide the central government into three branches. He discovered this model of government from the Perfect Governor, as he read Isaiah 33:22:
“For the LORD is our judge, [judicial]
the LORD is our lawgiver, [legislative]
the LORD is our king; [executive]
He will save us.”

The population crisis (too few children born):

“Do we realize what is happening to the western world that used to be called Christendom? What is happening in Europe? The nations of Europe are on a suicide march. The Dutch, the English, the Germans, the Italians, the Russians. Why? Because they are refusing to multiply; and by refusing to multiply, they are disobeying the dominion mandate. Civil governments are failing to carry
out their divine mandate, to protect and foster the family in order for the dominion mandate to be carried out. Instead, repealing laws prohibiting sexual behavior outside of the godly marriage, those governments are contributing to the ultimate destruction of their economies.” — Herbert W. Titus, Liberty University Law Review