Opinion rules!

Opinion rules!

I once asked myself a very important question: Do I live a life based on truth or on opinion? I thought it to be a very important question to answer. When I watched cable television, or participated in the 24/7 information and data stream via the internet and social media, I began to notice that more and more programs or postings had to do with opinion rather than truth or fact. I speak three languages ( German, English, Spanish) and discovered how news stories are reported very differently in different languages/ countries/ continents. I began to see more and more layers of opinions than shows that actually reported the facts alone. Let me explain: Something would happen in world events or politics for example and within a short time you could find people in the information stream that opined on this event. They did not report what happened, they immediately voiced their opinion on what they felt it meant to a political party, present government, ideology or a country. Then a little later came the next layer of opinions. These are shows that then voice their opinion about the opinion that was given on the first talk show or opinion show. Often times they show a quick video of that opinion show and then opine themselves on what they think their opinion is about the opinion given about the original event. Many then come to conclusions that you either agree with or disagree with. All sides of the political and ideological spectrum have these opinion shows. 

For that reason our information stream is filled with these opinion shows, to the point, that you cannot escape them anymore. In many television channels these are supposedly divided between hard news shows and opinion shows. I must state that even here the lines have become blurred. So what are we to make of this and how are we to live our lives, making decisions when most of the information we receive are opinions or opinions about opinions?

We have to understand that the opinion of somebody is just that, an opinion. Opinions always represent a position that a person takes or has on any certain topic or event. That position usually depends on their worldview or ideology and everything that happens is then filtered through that point of view. With voicing an opinion that person seeks to influence, convince or confront, it is always the same. For that reason we have become a society that is divided by and flocks to opinions. Each one of us prefers to listen to opinions that best represent our own view of things. This is why there is so much division and hatred in the public space now.

The Bible teaches us that we are not to “quarrel over opinions” ( Romans 14:1). We can find a lot of truth in the word of God about how to deal with opinions.

Proverbs 18:2 (ESV) states: A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

It seems that today we have a multitude of people that make a living in voicing their opinions. For some reason, they seem to know everything about everything. One day they are specialists in matters of foreign policy and war. Then in the next segment of the show they seem to know everything there is about local politics. Then in the next segment they are so knowledgable that they can opine on the things of the economy and fiscal policy. The list goes on and on. It has become huge business and on television and social media much money is earned simply by people giving opinions and thus creating a following. Once we identify a person that has opinions we agree with, many begin to “trust” their opinions and take their statements about anything into consideration or even as truth. We can now follow most any public figure on social media. But how can we trust or listen to somebody that we do not know personally? Why is it that as human beings we so easily trust in the opinion of others that we have never met and probably will never meet? 

How do we escape this situation and how can we begin to make sense of everything that is happening and every opinion that is presented to us. The best way to find a solution is to define our perspective, our worldview. For us believers this worldview must not be political or ideological, it must be a biblical worldview. 

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:8 (KJV)

In the word of God we are warned not to be spoiled through philosophies, deceit, traditions of men or after the rudiments of the world. Having a biblical worldview brings to a stop all influence that these many opinions intend to have on us and are filtered through the true and powerful word of God. We will quickly find out that with a biblical position, all the opinions that the world offers to us via television and social media, become less and less interesting to us and then loose their importance all together.