Truthiness and Christianity

While on a retreat I was reminded of the 2006 Merriam-Webster's word of the year - Truthiness.

Truthiness may not be a word everyone is aware of, but if you are a Colbert Report fan, then you are well aware of the definition of "truthiness". The best definition I have heard came from Loyd Allen who defined it this way: "the preference for facts we wish to be true over the facts that are known to be true." 

During a time in the retreat I was on, the question came, "if you believe in God, then turn to you neighbor and tell them why you believe in God." 

I heard in my group a series of people say that they believe in God because humans cannot make trees or the sun so there must be a God. I hear other people say that they believe in God because it holds their beliefs together - to remove God from the structure would result in a collapsed worldview. Others tried to express they believe in God because of some evidence that points them in that direction. 

I get it. It is difficult to express why we believe in God. However most of the conversation that I hear about why people believe in God (or much of anything for that matter) comes back down to our preference to truthiness than Truth. 

And so, I want to offer up a reminder that Christianity is not a religion that primarily seeks Truth. Christianity is a religion that primarily seeks Love.

I am not afraid of truthiness because we all - atheist and deist alike - have a preference for the facts we wish to be true over the facts that are known to be true. I try not to waste my time in changing other people's minds. I will spend my time changing people's hearts. 

This is the change I wish to see.