Cultural Psychosis: When Truth Disappears
Pilate asked Jesus a sad question: “what is truth?” (See John 18:37-38)
Psychosis is a severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality. The whole definition of psychosis is based on the belief that there is an external reality from which some people disconnect. When Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” He was exposing his belief that external reality did exist and could be discovered.
If Pilate had had access to a cell phone (which he, in fact, didn’t) and had asked Wikipedia, “What is truth?” a neutral voice would answer “Truth is most often used to mean being in accord with fact or reality, Truth is also sometimes defined in modern contexts as an idea of “truth to self” or authenticity.”
Notice the culturally correct alternatives that Wikipedia offers. They give us a choice between believing in either external reality or in internal reality. We get to decide whether truth is available outside of ourselves, or whether we each determine by ourselves what is true. Over the centuries, truth has shifted from an external reality to an internal decision. Relativism now reigns.
Say you go to a social gathering. As you engage in conversation, you can say almost anything (except make the egregious error of saying you know something that’s not only true for you but also true for everyone.) You can do almost anything (except spit in someone’s face, but of course everybody knows that’s wrong). But you can’t say, “Jesus died on the cross to buy our way into heaven.” You can hardly say, “Jesus loves you.” without being thought somewhat soft in the head. The prime taboo in modern culture is to assume the presence of an externally established universal reality that applies to us all. To the modern, not only has truth lost credibility, God has lost credibility. We are rapidly developing a cultural psychosis.
May God (who is real) save us from our delusion.
Recommendations for Further Reading
- The God Who Is There, by Francis A. Schaeffer
- How to Be Your Own Selfish Pig, by Susan Schaeffer McCauley
- Hurt, by Chap Clark
Cultural Psychosis: When Truth Disappears
© Lynne Fox, 2019
biblegrapes.com
Audacious of Jesus to say that he was THE Way, and THE Truth and THE Life! He’ll have have to show up in person to prove it, since so few believe what He said! I expect His return will be upsetting to many!