The Illogical Insidious Claim Modern Culture is Teaching Our Kids

My children are not amazed by Amazon Prime. Like at all. They know that when we order, we can expect a package to arrive on the porch in about 48 hours. Nearly every time I purchase, I’m incredulous. Is this real life? How do they have that many color options? How many warehouses do they even have? It consistently astounds me and I’ve never even utilized the drones.

The majority of American kids are growing up in a world where if they want something, they can get it. Virtually anything at any time. Somehow, sadly, this idea seemingly has translated to truth.

What’s true is like a custom Starbucks latte, what’s good coffee for me, may not be good coffee for you. Relative truth is the name for this mainstream ideology, and when we are talking about lattes, I’m whole-heartedly on board.

But often, in parenting (and all that is significant in life) in order to be loving you need the truth. Objective truth. (Objective just means it supersedes opinion. )

Today’s youth has collectively adopted the narrative that: “you have your truth and I have mine”. Or even there is NO truth!

But to say there is no truth, one can in turn respond by asking: “Is that true?”

Is it not an objective truth statement to say there is no such thing as truth?

My little pint-sized versions of my husband (no one looks like me but me in our house) are nearly always wanting to “live their truth.” If it were up to them, they would have fun-dip for breakfast, screen-time would be endless and bedtime would be midnight-ish or non-existent.

I can guess what you may be thinking: but that’s kids. Surely adults can live their own truth? Well, we were created with the capacity to make willful choices but I would argue that virtually no one lives dependent on relative truth.

We base our lives around what actually corresponds with reality.

Do we expect to know that our Amazon orders arrive relatively close to Christmas? Or do we want to know the actual day?

If someone robbed your home and you witnessed so and the burglar declared his own truth or said “what’s right for me, isn’t right for you!” Would you not be OUTRAGED and demand the evidence be made known and the wrong justified?

Spouses that are victims of infidelity are (generally) awarded more in divorce court cases. The court of law is constructed upon what is in line with reality. It also calls for something more than “it’s all relative.” And (truly mutually exclusive) marriage involves a truthful vow. A broken promise such as that is life-altering.

And nowhere is this concept more worthy of being evaluated than religion.

Everyone knows one absolute/objective truth about this life is that it comes to an end.

Therefore, truth and religion go hand in hand.

If there is a religion that is right and if it has implications for eternity, then it should be of UTMOST importance when it comes to teaching our kids and/or learning for ourselves.

The belief ‘All paths eventually lead to God’ does sound good and maybe even right. And we hear it all the time. But it is unfounded.

If you examined all of the world religions’ core truths, you would see that they make very different claims about the nature of reality.

Despite common moral components, such as: “do good to all people,” at the heart, religions make truly contradictory assertions.

Contradictory statements are self-defeating. Two differing claims can not both be true. You can’t have a square triangle or a calm, red-headed toddler.

Thus, logically speaking, all paths can not and do not lead to God.

Because of the cultural air we breathe, these false beliefs have become widely accepted.

So we can start by coaching our children that truth is out there. Not my truth or your truth but the truth. (Like The Ohio State University. Go Bucks)

Studying various worldviews with my kids has been a way for me to learn compassion and logic. And after some time (and honestly a lot of eye rolling) my young girls now can reiterate that all religions can be false, or one may equate with actuality, but it is invalid for them all to be true.

(See below for ideas on teaching kids about various worldviews and absolute versus relative truth)

A quick comparison on two of the world’s major religions exhibits a difference in truth claims. Islam teaches that Jesus was a man and that he never died. Christianity conveys that Jesus was fully God and fully man, but that He died as an atonement for the sins of all humanity and was then resurrected.

You get what I’m getting at.

It can be hard to un-internalize these concepts. But let us also recognize, people can certainly be bigots but truth itself is not bigoted.

And if people in your life have been less than kind in discussing this matter, please hear me when I say I am so sorry.* Unfortunately, honestly, I myself have handled truth and faith conversations in a way that has always not been gentle or respectful.

These discussions may often get tense because we know humans have worth, and our emotions reflect that.

But we must must must teach our kids that truth exists outside of our feelings.

An atheist friend of mine put it this way:  truth is truth and does not seem to have any regard for how I personally might feel or think about it.

I unreservedly agree with him.

What we believe does not determine what is real.

But rather we need to determine reality in order to ascertain what we should believe.

Contrary to the popular consensus, truth and love are compatible. Loving someone, frequently includes saying and doing the hard thing even when our feelings may not coincide.

When life and death are at play there is little question what is loving. We grab our toddlers when they are headed into a busy street. And we would tackle anyone unaware that they were headed towards an active shooter.

I surely don’t want anyone to feel like that I am emotionally tackling them. Or that I’m not inclusive or unkind but I need to listen to what I believe the truthful God of the universe has revealed and what He deems as loving. And I decidedly started a blog with the conviction that if I were to put my thoughts out into the internet world I would communicate about what matters.

Truth absolutely matters. I am writing all this simply because I care.

So how do we discover truth? Any truth claim needs to be substantiated.

Accurate history conveys the truth.

Scholars attest that (at least) three of Jesus of Nazareth’s apostles would not deny the fact that Jesus had appeared to them risen.

The night of Jesus’ death these same men denied (and lied) knowing him and fled the scene. What emboldened them to stand firm when their own lives where on the line?

People sure have done absurd things/die all the time in the name of religion. But would these men not be in the position to know the truth? If Jesus did not appear to them after his death, why wouldn’t they renounce that he was indeed risen?

Dr. Sean McDowell did his dissertation on the fate of the Apostles

Would anyone die for something they know to be a lie?

If you feel confused about truth, it won’t cost you much to do a little research. But it may cost a lot to follow a lie.

Christianity is a unique worldview in that it is based on public, historical events that could perceivably be falsifiable. The apostle Paul says : And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.

Scrutinize any and all truth claims and particularly those claiming religious legitimacy. Follow where facts point and decide then on what is most reasonable.

This life is short friends. What is true is absolutely worth investigating for you and your children.

John 14:6 Jesus answered: I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.

*1 Peter 3:15 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 

1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is worthless, and so is your faith.

For further reading:

Gregory Koukl, The Story of Reality

Nancy Pearcey, Finding Truth

Natasha Crain, Faithfully Different

Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

For Kids and Parents:

J.D. Carmolinga, Chameleon’s Can of Worms

Jennifer Glossop, The Kids’ Book of World Religions

Quote from Atheist Penn Jillette: “I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me along and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?

“I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.” – Penn Jillette