I remember the first time I attended the Firefly Music Festival in Delaware about 12 years ago. I saw a lot of interesting things. One of the most interesting – and funniest – was the furries. Furries are people who like to dress up in animal costumes, kind of like cosplay. They were dressed in all kinds of outfits, from mice to lions and everything in between. Honestly, I just thought it was funny; none of them were mean or violent – none of them seemed prepared to cause mayhem – and none of the ones I saw were using litter boxes to do their business. This is an odd subject, you might be thinking – and yes, it is. I bring it up because I recently saw a video of state Senator James Talarico from Texas quizzing another Texas lawmaker who was trying to get a law passed banning schools from providing litter boxes for furries to use in their facilities. It turns out that, even though Texas Governer Abbott was using this as a talking point against woke culture, the sponsor of the bill could not produce a single actual instance of this happening. The truth matters. Or it should.
It’s kind of like when I first started at my church and a member would come up to me and say, “some people are concerned with…” My reply would be – obviously – who? No name was offered. When someone says, “some people say” or “I’ve heard …”, my BS radar clicks on. If you have a concern, own up to it; if you can’t, pipe down. Because the truth matters, especially in church. It should matter in schools and government and the workplace too. But it doesn’t always. And with misinformation and bots and siloing, the truth is getting harder to discern. And AI? That has the potential for an even deeper level of anti-truth hell. The truth matters, and we should care when lies are dominant and honesty is punished.
After reading about this past Saturday’s “No Kings” rally and having good discussions with people both pro and con about these events, I have come to realize that the truth is this: all of us love this country. Some may commit acts of violence to prove it, and that should never be acceptable, but, in their own warped ways, they still love this country. The millions of peaceful protestors who gathered all over America love their country too. You might not like what they are saying, but that is okay. The truth matters, and it is only by discussing our differences that we come find the truth. Truth cannot be found through violence – truth cannot be found by forcing people to accept you. Truth is more than our individual, narrow point of view. And truth can’t be found by name calling or disrespect. Until we can rise above our self-centeredness to see where others are coming from, truth will remain elusive. And America will continue to circle the drain.
Prayer – Holy God, help us to speak the truth in ways that lift up rather than tear down. Amen.
Today’s art is an example of the furry genre from Ziphora.