Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash.

• Acts 19:35-36

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

• John 8:32

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

• John 14:6

“Although originally famous for his work in linguistics, Noam Chomsky is today best known for his analyses of political power. Since the publication of his first political book, American Power and the New Mandarins, in 1969, he has claimed that there is often a mismatch between the way that states exert power and the rhetorical claims that they make. He maintains that rhetorical claims by governments are not by themselves sufficient for us to reach the truth about political power. Governments may speak the language of ‘facts’ as a way of justifying their actions, but unless their claims are supported by evidence, then they are only illusions, and the actions to which they lead lack justification. If we are to understand more clearly how states operate, it is necessary to move beyond the battle between rival forms of rhetoric, and instead to look at history, at institutional structures, at official policy documents, and so forth.”

• Sam Atkinson (senior editor), The Philosophy Book, Big Ideas Simply Explained

In the Scriptures above, the quote from Acts 19 is the only reference to the word “facts” in the NIV, and the “facts” being asserted are about a false god, so how reliable are these “facts?”  The other two Scriptures are Jesus’ words pointing to Him, Jesus, as the Truth and the truth will indeed set you free.

Noam Chomsky (1928-   ) is part linguist, part philosopher, and part prophet.  We are living in a world that is being manipulated by extreme views.  Every view screams to be the one thing that matters and all else does not matter.  But how does it scream?

In two ways does the view on one concept scream for importance, maybe more.  Politicians get on the band wagon and fuel the media.  This one could have at least three sources: 1) the politicians trying to prove they have an idea in their head other than obtaining more power and staying elected. 2) the media moguls, the small group of people that own the media outlets forcing their views to be expressed over all else. Or 3) the movers and shakers with the big bucks that manipulate the media moguls, the press, and the politicians for their own gains.

But then the other way is a special interest group that riots, protests, etc.  That causes the three groups wanting power and money to virtue signal (to gain more money and power) by backing the cause of the oppressed.  And if it is the politicians, the oppressed will be oppressed even more, but it will look like they are trying to help.  Practically all decisions by government these days takes little or no thought on how the poor will make out after the smoke clears.

For example, we may all have electric cars by 2035, but the poor and half the middle class will have starved by then.  There will be no advancement in battery life and all life must be within a small circle of your home, thus industry collapses.  And as far as I can tell, no motels have charging stations.  And rental properties will not have charging stations.  Thus everyone except the rich will be walking.  I love the idea that a British politician made – that he understands that the poor cannot afford electric cars, but he is assured that the price will drop $10,000 soon.  Ahhh, from $60,000 to $50,000 when you cannot afford anything above $15,000.  That works for everyone.  Right?!?!  My wife and I withdrew money from a life insurance policy to by what will be our last car.  We will have to use public transportation, if we can afford that, or simply die.

We have lived with fake news, slanted news, tilted news…  Please, they are “lying” and they do not report the news.  If they were news, according to Chomsky there would be evidence to back up what people say are “facts.”

But we prefer the illusion.  Chicken Little has forgotten his quest to save the world and he has moved into an abandoned missile silo.  The sky could fall, and Chicken Little would never know.  Besides, no one listened to Chicken Little, did they?

It is as if we are all living the life of Truman in The Truman Show.  From birth we’ve been told the story that the media wants us to hear, to manipulate us to their own ends.

But Jesus is the Truth.  Notice that when He returns, He will be called Faithful and True.  God is both, and there is evidence all around you to prove it.  As Jesus said, “Those who have ears, let them hear.”  And we could take that further, “Those who have eyes to see the evidence, let them become aware and see the evidence.”

If you like these Tuesday morning essays about philosophy and other “heavy topics,” but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Tuesday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.