May 17, 2008
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Truth
Giles Lytton Strachey changed the way history was read and written. Born in London in 1880, he gained attention through the fresh style of his literary criticism. His breakthrough came in 1918, with the publication of his book, Eminent Victorians. Instead of dryly repeating events, he selected key moments and facts in the lives of his subjects. His aim was to cast “a sudden revealing searchlight into obscure recesses.”
However, there was a tradeoff. As Encarta Encyclopedia comments, “he occasionally sacrificed truth.” Yet his writings attracted many readers with a style that was “polished, malicious, and lively.”
Strachey wrote, “The first duty of a great historian is to be an artist: misinterpreted truth is as useless as buried gold, and art is the great interpreter.”
This model of interpreted writing has been adopted by many others who’ve decided they have the right to present “truth” in their own, subjective way-offering their personal interpretations as fact.
We can wonder if this is what happened to the story of Joseph. Even though he single-handedly saved Egypt from a great crisis, in later generations his life and accomplishments seem to have been forgotten or erased from the public records.
Today, think about this when you read newspapers, visit websites, watch movies and TV programs, and hear the opinions of others. No matter how authoritative others may seem, each person has biases and prejudices. Even “experts” might be reporting “interpreted truth” rather than the real Truth.
Remember: Only God’s Word is fully true. He is the Creator, and His Word is eternally true. Make sure to base your life on the Bible and not the fallible opinions of people.
Eight years ago, California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 22, which defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Yet the will of the people apparently didn’t mean much to the four out of seven state Supreme Court judges who just declared the law “unconstitutional.” This outrageous decision has, in effect, legalized same-sex marriage in California, and gay rights activists will inevitably use the ruling as a springboard to challenge traditional marriage across the nation. On today’s broadcast, Dr. James Dobson renews the call for the establishment of marriage amendments – at the state and federal levels – to protect marriage permanently. Joining Dr. Dobson for this discussion are public policy experts Tom Minnery and Tony Perkins, as well as Jack Hibbs, a California pastor who’s been active in the fight to preserve marriage in the Golden State.
“The California Supreme Court has taken a jackhammer to the democratic process … Four judges discarded the votes of 4,618,673 Californians who approved the state’s ‘Defense of Marriage Act.’ “
- Tony PerkinsDo you think that 4 people should have the power to overrule millions?
Comments (11)
Great points about Truth, two verses that come to mind are the ones “Let God be true and every man be a liar” and the one about all men being liars. If we say we don’t lie…..we just DID because we don’t FULLY understand the demands of total, exact TRUTH. Only God can SEE things Truly so only HE never lies…..we sinners are not capable of TOTALLY seeing Truth or SAYING it…..though we are obligated to only speak what we KNOW is the truth. That make SENSE?
No, those four judges do NOT have the right to overrule millions, nor do they have the right to oppose GOD, Who created Man and Woman for each OTHER!!!!
Absolutely Not! If anything is unconstituional it is they way they mishandle the power given to them.
I don’t see what the big fuss is about. Speaking from what I observe from our modern society, marriage is essentially just a civil union. For the majority of people it doesn’t hold the same religious meaning it used to.
I will go out on a limb and say marriage should either be extended to everyone (that’s right; even same sex relationships) or, it should be reserved for Christians, and anyone else not united in a church, meaning ALL non-Christian couples, should be considered to be in a civil union. Saying homosexual couples can’t be united under the same title as heterosexual couples, when they share the same beliefs for arguments sake, is a travesty of justice to me. It debases someone’s union, essentially claiming it to be second rate and I believe strongly that no one has a right to judge or treat others differently if they’re not hurting anyone. It’s punishment for something that no one completely understands and judgment and punishment of that nature should be reserved for God.
That is my two cents and what I see as the only way you can make people happy.
I’m speechless!!!!!!!!!!!!!
did you think of anything I can tell my girlfriend about her 15yr old? I told her that she just needed to trust him cause she did a good job raising him.
I know my sister and I were raised together and she chose the wrong road at a teen and I would think first before I did something.
God’s word is Truth. I am glad we can count on Him.
(Isa 59:19 NKJV) So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him. Come Lord… do Your thing and use us!
They can call it “marriage” but it isn’t marriage according to the Truth.
PS Thanks for addressing this.
ryc: agree to disagree it is! It makes life more interesting
this quote made me think of you:
“The slippery slope has been greased. If two men can marry, why not more than two? Are laws against polygamy also a violation of our constitutional rights? Was the Texas cult legal? There you had a lot of people in a committed relationship raising a lot of children. Heterosexual marriage is not some Right-wing plot to deny homosexuals their rights. It’s an institution sanctioned by all successful nations and cultures because of a compelling interest in a stable, growing society with heterosexual marriage providing a sturdy framework for both procreation and the orderly upbringing of children—the future of any society. Opponents of the decision will try to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November. That may be the only way to ensure that activist judges don’t further unravel the fabric of society and that government of the people has not become government by just four people.” —Investor’s Business Daily
@AuntieKathy - I hadn’t made that connection. You’re right. There has to be a standard. I asked a state representative for the Social Services about “gay marriage”. She told me that there are 3 “gay” foster parents in the state of South Dakota. That sent chills through me.
“The most important consequence of marriage is, that the husband and the wife become in law only one person… Upon this principle of union, almost all the other legal consequences of marriage depend.” —James Wilson
“Society has a vested interest in promoting only traditional marriage. Men and women are not interchangeable, and same-sex unions—no matter how devoted and enduring—cannot take the place of a married husband and wife. The essential function of marriage is to unite male and female. That is the only kind of union that can produce new life, and therefore the only kind of union in which society has a survival stake.” —Jeff Jacoby