It's OK To Be Right

There is a school of thought out there that says that everyone is right - experience is the yardstick for truth and if you suggest that someone is wrong, well you are wrong because there is no such thing as absolute truth. The problem with this school of thought is that if you claim there is no absolute truth, than that statement is false... think about it. I believe another term for this school of thought is post modernism.

In relation to religion, post modernism says that all religions are true and heaven is what you believe to be true. For some Christians, the sparkle of post modern thought is very appealing because those raised in a fundamentalist background have been turned off by those who claim to know ALL the answers and have a patronizing attitude to anyone with a different viewpoint -- that nothing is negotiable -- that man can know everything about God -- that all other denominations are wrong -- and that God is a God of technicalities. I believe this rotten stench of "know-it-all"ism makes post modern thought -- not having to claim anyone is wrong for fear being one of those "know-it-alls" -- very attractive. I've been there and I can say I've found happy middle ground between Christian radical fundamentalism (i.e. those that claim to pretty much know everything and say everyone else is going to hell) and post modern thought.

I guess my happy middle ground would be this: I have beliefs that I find to be true, but I can admit that I could be wrong.

I believe the danger is when someone can't admit that they might be right, for fear they are saying everyone else is wrong. I think that there are things that are flat out, true: (2 + 2 = 4, everyone dies, the sun is hot, etc., etc.).

I'll give an example: you may have seen the episodes of American Idol where they show all of the contestents that are really, really, horrible. The parents and friends of these horrible singers just might be people who are afraid of giving someone the truth for fear of hurting their feelings.

"No, Bobby, you are a really good singer! You should try out!"
[Weeks later, after the pain and humiliation of sucking really bad on national television]
"Mom, everyone is saying I was horrible!"
"Oh Bobby, they just don't know a good singer when they hear one!"
"I don't know, mom, I was just on the "bad auditions" show, Paula was in tears laughing at me and you're the only person saying I'm good."

OK - here's an example of a mom knowing their kid stinks - but they don't want to hurt their feelings. What would have been the loving thing to do? Tell their kid the truth up front and save their kid the humiliation of singing really badly on national TV.

This example should make those who believe in God stop and think - if I know the truth - even if I could be wrong - is it more loving to share it, or not share it? Most religions believe their truth leads to heaven, nirvana, etc. If you don't have the truth, most religions believe that there is hell, or at worst, a ton of lost blessings. Shouldn't you share the truth - especially if it's good news?

Here's my happy medium again: as a Christian, I will share what I believe to be true. I share it with love and humility -- but I'm not insisting that I have all the right answers. If I am right -- it's something that I HAVE to share or else those I don't share with are REALLY missing out. If I don't share it, it's like being pretty sure that your friend has the winning lottery ticket but not telling them. I'm doing them a favor. I think I'm right, because I've done my homework and my life experiences corroborate my homework. Again, having an attitude of humbleness, and love are crucial.

One thing that confuses me about other religions, is that if following their religion leads to fulfillment and if not following their religion doesn't -- than why don't their followers share it with as many people as possible? If they can show me the truth, I'd want to be "converted!" Again, if I had some really good news, I think it's the moral thing to share it with as many people as possible. From what I know, Christianity is one of the very few religions that care about telling this wonderful truth. Admittedly, a lot of Christians, including myself, have done a really crappy job in how we share the truth.

Post modern thought is very attractive, because it's much easier to not tell someone they are wrong. And who like's being like the annoying "know-it-alls"? However, I believe it's not an "either-or" proposition. You don't have to be a "know-it-all" if you think that you have some truth to share. And I suggest that you are really my friend if you share what you believe to be true with me, and tell me that I might be missing the truth (i.e. I might be wrong).