Opinions are one of the most readily available commodities in the world today. We would all be better off if it weren’t so.
It seems that everyone has something to say about everything, including topics that require diligent study to comprehend and master. The advent of social media has made the dissemination of opinions quite easy. It has given an open microphone to those who, in the past, might have had an opinion, but did not have an audience with which to share it. While the freedom to share information is something that should be celebrated, the consequence of that freedom is the dissemination of opinions cloaked as facts.
Opinions are, unfortunately, often more valued than facts and the truth, which means that what someone thinks about something often takes precedence over what actually happened or what really is true. This valuing of opinions more than truth is destabilizing our world as important decisions–both of a personal and political nature–are made based upon whim rather than sound reasoning, much less divinely revealed truth.
Celebrities are some of the greatest purveyors of opinion in our current cultural climate. Because a celebrity often has a social media presence with followers numbering in the millions, their opinions about topics ranging from politics to morality to science to religion are disseminated and often received as truth claims. It seems that few are willing to question a celebrity who looks into a camera and says, with certainty, almost anything. Many take what celebrities say as the Gospel, even if the opinions offered are logically fallible or simply unreasonable.
What our world needs now, more than ever, is truth. Cold, hard facts. The kind of truth that is revealed in the Bible. The truth of which Jesus spoke, that sets people free. In a world that is filled with opinions–often opinions that are in service of someone’s personal or political agenda–we need the truth to be proclaimed with passion, boldness, and clarity.
Truth is not as popular as opinions because truth cannot be molded to fit personal agendas. It is by nature objective, verifiable, and based in reality. When someone speaks the truth rather than opinion, they appeal to something outside of themselves for validity. Opinions can be helpful from time to time, but they are no substitute for the kind of truth that is the foundation for moral, political, and social sanity.
May we all pursue truth and let our opinions–and those we accept–be guided and formed by objective, unchanging truth- particularly the truth of God’s Word.