“Truth will ultimately prevail,” declared the great George Washington, Father of Our Country, “where pains is taken to bring it to light.” History and politics, religion and philosophy, culture and science all interact and together inform the world we live in. And unfortunately, in every age and place, peoples and nations usually have a vested interest in suppressing the truth on one or more subject. Modern America is absolutely rife with deliberate lies and aggressive censorship. But Americans are also becoming increasingly eager for the truth.

“Quid est veritas? What is truth?” asked Pontius Pilate (John 18:38). Ironically, he asked this of Jesus Christ, Who was and is God Himself — and God is truth. Indeed, Pilate instructs us in the danger of being ignorant of truth–usually, what follows is Truth’s public execution. But while we can define God as Truth because He is the ultimate reality, we can also say therefore that anything that is real, or reflects reality, is true. And yes, the definition matters. One of the plagues of modernity is that very few people from across the political spectrum and from many religious backgrounds fail to define even to themselves what words mean, and so they are not only susceptible to false definitions, but they talk at cross-purposes. And most certainly, like Pontius Pilate, modern America cries out either longingly or scornfully, “Quid est veritas? What is truth?”

No one person is the deposit of all truth, except Jesus; but as we look around America today, it is increasingly obvious that we are a nation that has moved very far away from the truth, and desperately needs to return to reality if we are to win the culture war and restore American greatness. America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and truths, but it has strayed from its roots, to the point where many U.S. leaders and institutions actively hate Judaism and Christianity as much as they hate the Constitution. 

There are of course many topics where opinions will differ, such as movies and food, but there are certain topics where a nation needs to agree on established principles or chaos will ensue. For instance, we had a Civil War, the bloodiest war in American history, because the Democrats denied our founding principle that all men are created equal and endowed by God with certain unalienable rights, including liberty.

Some truths are self evident to those not willfully blind, and other truths are more complicated and require painstaking research to uncover. In a small way, I hope this column will help to uncover truths about history, politics, religion, and more, which are too often actively suppressed by the powers that be, especially in mainstream media. And since debate is often a way for free people to thrash out the truth on difficult topics, I hope to receive feedback and commentary from readers.

Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. That is a terrifyingly true statement. As Cicero said, to be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child, and a nation of children is headed for disaster. In this column, I will explore how historical events and figures led up to our own political and cultural situations, as I strive to answer the question, what is truth?

*******

This article is the first in a new column, The Shot Heard Round the Web, by Catherine Salgado, which will be published weekly. The Shot Heard Around the Web will focus on cultural and political issues in the context of America’s own particular history.