1) Truth and Misinformation and Disinformation
The United Nations has proclaimed Misinformation and Disinformation (MAD) as one of their priorities and are actively promoting strategies to counter its dissemination. Nations such as Australia are preparing legislation to combat MAD in the media, social media and on the internet.
The United Nations has proclaimed Misinformation and Disinformation (MAD) as one of their priorities and are actively promoting strategies to counter its dissemination. Nations such as Australia are preparing legislation to combat MAD in the media, social media and on the internet.
As a practicing Christian who reads the Bible daily, I believe that the only one with a right and complete understanding of truth is God, the creator of the heavens and earth. Deuteronomy 32:3-4 states:
I will proclaim the name of the Lord.
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he.
The Bible is very clear that all humankind is not perfect in understanding and actions, but are sinners; If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)
When we understand that humans are faulty in wisdom and understanding, we then must understand that any government attempt to combat Misinformation and Disinformation (MAD) by introducing legislation will be flawed and result in injustice. Misinformation and Disinformation is aptly named MAD and anyone associated with it is devoid of any historical and ecclesiastical research and understanding.
To an avid Bible student and observer of historical and current events the content of any MAD legislation is greatly disturbing. The study of history and reading of the Bible is of great importance. The Bible reveals human nature for what it is and history is witness to it.
What is Truth?
The first question that any MAD legislation must address is “what is truth?” This is the famous question uttered by Pilate when questioning Jesus prior to his crucifixion in John 38. In the case of Jesus, as the son of God, he was in a position to know God’s truth, but who else on earth has divine inspiration to know what the one true truth is? This then sets up the idea of “My Truth” and “Changing Truth”. It seems these days everyone has their own version of truth, based on their own experiences. In this scenario the words “My Truth” would better be replaced with the words “My Opinion”. When assessing MAD are we really considering truth or are we really just considering opinion? Is there only one valid opinion? Can opinion only be true or false, as we might see black and white? Or, are we actually seeing grey with some truth and some error? Any MAD legislation assumes only black and white in a simplistic way and shows the lack of true wisdom in discernment of shades of grey.
Changing truth over time
Unlike humans, God is the only one that has the one true truth that holds consistently over time. We just need to delve a little back into history to see how humans consistently change their version of “My Truth”.
Galileo, lauded and famed for his achievements in science and astronomy, in the later years of his life was under house arrest, his punishment for being “vehemently suspect of heresy”. Galileo’s suspect heresy was the idea that the earth revolved around the sun, rather than the Catholic Church’s accepted viewpoint of the universe being Earth centred. The MAD idea in the day, supported by the Catholic Church, was that the sun and universe revolved around the earth. It is now universally accepted that Galileo was indeed correct and that the “approved” thinking of the time was wrong.
Have we forgotten the myth of the flat earth? Wikipedia states “The myth of the flat Earth, or the flat-Earth error, is a modern historical misconception that European scholars and educated people during the Middle Ages believed the Earth to be flat”. It was an error on the behalf of scholars and those that were educated. MAD is not limited to those that are uneducated, history shows that the more educated are more at risk of exhibiting MAD ideas. Those in positions of power then pick up the MAD idea and persecute those who do not believe in it.
Ideas that society has changed its understanding on in the past century include gay rights and marriage, history of Indigenous Nations and their length of settlement prior to colonisation. How many more ideas will people change their minds about in future years? Climate change and EV are just a few ideas that are likely to go full circle.
If we look to very recent history and Covid lockdowns we need look no further than Boris Johnson. An avid supporter of lockdowns in the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson has just released his memoirs where he questions the value of lockdowns and admits he is no longer sure that they beat Covid. Boris has changed his version of “My Truth”. Questioning Boris and the UK government’s decisions on lockdowns several years ago would have resulted in a potential breach of proposed MAD legislation, but even Boris now questions the wisdom of it.
Who is the expert making the decision about MAD?
A famous MAD decision is the debate within the Church in AD 325 over the nature of Christ, as to whether he was God or whether he was mere man. Constantine, the Emperor of the Roman Empire at the time, assembled a Church Council of Bishops in Nicaea Turkey in AD 325. The outcome of the Council was that the doctrine of the Trinity prevailed and Arianism was ruled heretical and the properties of Arian Churches confiscated. The ultimate decision maker at the Council was Constantine, a pagan. Arthur Cushman McGiffert in “A history of Christian Thought” states “Constantine himself of course neither knew nor cared anything about the matter in dispute but he was eager to bring the controversy to a close, and Hosius’ advice appealed to him as sound”. The ultimate outcome of any MAD legislation is to put into place experts of no knowledge about the topic in dispute, but who simply want the controversy to end and rely on their own ill-informed opinions.
Difference of expert opinion
Then we have differences in expert opinion, each side claiming that they are the science or arbiters of “My Truth”. Dr Anthony Fauci, known in 2021 for his statement “I am the science” has indicated that he has been vaccinated and boosted six times. Dr Nick Coatsworth, the face of the Covid vacation campaign in Australia has publicly stated that he has only had two Covid shots and that the science shows that two is sufficient. How does MAD legislation deal with differences in expert opinion? Does it assume one opinion is more valid than the other? Who has the authority to determine which is correct? Have those supporting combatting MAD measures forgotten the learnings of the wonder drug Thalidomide and the wonder building material asbestos?
Need to convince by debate
If there is MAD each side needs to present their arguments and contend by debate. People need to be convinced through solid debate. This is a Biblical principle. Micah 6 is just one example of this where God calls upon Israel to answer Him. God had an issue with Israel and He asks them to answer Him. They are required to defend their actions. Another example is Isaiah 50:8 which says:
Who then will bring charges against me?
Let us face each other!
Who is my accuser?
Let him confront me!
Combatting MAD measures will bring in darkness
Combatting MAD measures is reminiscent of the Catholic Church during the Dark Ages, where they persecuted and put to death those that did not agree with them. People were illiterate, uneducated and poverty stricken. The Reformation period only arose once people were free to explore new ideas without the fear of persecution. You can only have discovery and progress where ideas can be open and subject to review by others. If the world foolishly embraces MAD legislation it will enter into a period of darkness, where fear and vindication rule. If we are to be in light and shine as a beacon of knowledge and progress combatting MAD measures needs to be rejected.
