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(I'll see if this passes the site's basic filtering guidelines.
I am concerned about what Christians perceive as our shared reality, lying, and the moral-ethical
effects of embracing conspiracy theories.)
When Trump demands that all who get his political support, must uphold his lie that the 2020 election was stolen with massive fraud (despite Trump's inability to find any substantive evidence for this), you MAY think that this is merely a perverse pagan aspect of American politics. OR, merely an artifact that non-Christian Americans hold who have no idea what reality is, or how to demonstrate that a personal opinion/belief is actually TRUE.
BUT,
given that many Trump supporters have swallowed huge conspiracy theories (some of them believed by ridiculous and twisted and oppressive groups through history), American Christians must come to a different conclusion.
American (and worldwide) Christians must conclude:
1 there is a shared reality
2 misrepresenting this shared reality, is what the Bible calls "LYING"
3 in Judaism and Christianity, LYING is a serious sin, and no continual liar will enter the kingdom of God
4 This means that Christians have a moral-ethical OUGHT to be very careful about what they call "reality", and have a moral-ethical OUGHT to carefully demonstrate that a proposition/opinion/belief is TRUE (according to evidence from our shared reality), before declaring it as a fact.
Donald Trump, despite his massive financial resources, has been unable to find ANY credible evidence that the 2020 election was stolen by massive fraud. His dozens of lawsuits trying to establish this assertion, have been rejected by judges as not containing ANY substantive and relevant evidence for Trump's claim.
---------- ----------
An average non-Christian American, who may not feel any moral-ethical OUGHT to carefully search out which opinions/belief/gossip are TRUE, and which are FALSE, may respond with a dismissing "So what?"
BUT, for Christians, this topic of embracing conspiracy theories, without carefully researching what is TRUE, is a matter of embracing continual lying, or rejecting patent systems of lies. This choice involves their future, after the final judgment, for ever.
The anti-intellectual Protestant Fundamentalists hardened their rejection of the intellect, and formal logic, during the European Enlightenment, and the emergence of modern science (100 years before Darwin lived). They rejected the goodness of the intellect, as a theological "slogan".
The embrace of conspiracy theories by many anti-intellectual Christians, underlines how a terribly dysfunctional theological trend, can lead to views of our shared reality, that have taken complete leave of our shared reality.
Anti-intellectual non-Christians, also fall into the same epistemological pit. The anti-intellectual blind, are trying to lead the anti-intellectual blind.
I am trying to point out that THIS IS NOT A SIDE ISSUE, THAT DEALS WITH MERELY PERSONAL PREFERENCES. Anti-intellectual Americans, who are not Christians, but who embrace conspiracy theories, suffer the same crippling effects as many of Trump's religious supporters.
Continual lying -- misrepresenting our shared reality -- will get us condemned at the final judgment. As the Bible presents to us, "There will be no liars in the kingdom of heaven."
This is not a simple case of political preferences, or personal opinions. Donald Trump is claiming an alternate reality, for which he has no evidence.
Christians have a moral-ethical OUGHT, NOT to embrace that other fantasy reality.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/11/politics/trump-johnson-election-falsehoods-analysis/index.html
I am concerned about what Christians perceive as our shared reality, lying, and the moral-ethical
effects of embracing conspiracy theories.)
When Trump demands that all who get his political support, must uphold his lie that the 2020 election was stolen with massive fraud (despite Trump's inability to find any substantive evidence for this), you MAY think that this is merely a perverse pagan aspect of American politics. OR, merely an artifact that non-Christian Americans hold who have no idea what reality is, or how to demonstrate that a personal opinion/belief is actually TRUE.
BUT,
given that many Trump supporters have swallowed huge conspiracy theories (some of them believed by ridiculous and twisted and oppressive groups through history), American Christians must come to a different conclusion.
American (and worldwide) Christians must conclude:
1 there is a shared reality
2 misrepresenting this shared reality, is what the Bible calls "LYING"
3 in Judaism and Christianity, LYING is a serious sin, and no continual liar will enter the kingdom of God
4 This means that Christians have a moral-ethical OUGHT to be very careful about what they call "reality", and have a moral-ethical OUGHT to carefully demonstrate that a proposition/opinion/belief is TRUE (according to evidence from our shared reality), before declaring it as a fact.
Donald Trump, despite his massive financial resources, has been unable to find ANY credible evidence that the 2020 election was stolen by massive fraud. His dozens of lawsuits trying to establish this assertion, have been rejected by judges as not containing ANY substantive and relevant evidence for Trump's claim.
---------- ----------
An average non-Christian American, who may not feel any moral-ethical OUGHT to carefully search out which opinions/belief/gossip are TRUE, and which are FALSE, may respond with a dismissing "So what?"
BUT, for Christians, this topic of embracing conspiracy theories, without carefully researching what is TRUE, is a matter of embracing continual lying, or rejecting patent systems of lies. This choice involves their future, after the final judgment, for ever.
The anti-intellectual Protestant Fundamentalists hardened their rejection of the intellect, and formal logic, during the European Enlightenment, and the emergence of modern science (100 years before Darwin lived). They rejected the goodness of the intellect, as a theological "slogan".
The embrace of conspiracy theories by many anti-intellectual Christians, underlines how a terribly dysfunctional theological trend, can lead to views of our shared reality, that have taken complete leave of our shared reality.
Anti-intellectual non-Christians, also fall into the same epistemological pit. The anti-intellectual blind, are trying to lead the anti-intellectual blind.
I am trying to point out that THIS IS NOT A SIDE ISSUE, THAT DEALS WITH MERELY PERSONAL PREFERENCES. Anti-intellectual Americans, who are not Christians, but who embrace conspiracy theories, suffer the same crippling effects as many of Trump's religious supporters.
Continual lying -- misrepresenting our shared reality -- will get us condemned at the final judgment. As the Bible presents to us, "There will be no liars in the kingdom of heaven."
This is not a simple case of political preferences, or personal opinions. Donald Trump is claiming an alternate reality, for which he has no evidence.
Christians have a moral-ethical OUGHT, NOT to embrace that other fantasy reality.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/11/politics/trump-johnson-election-falsehoods-analysis/index.html