The Majority Opinion

Truth and lies are of no consequence to anyone in society without an opinion that ultimately tells us which to believe. It is not the truth or the lie that matters. The majority opinion always rules. In fact, both expressions are only assumptions of what corresponds to the facts of reality. The process leading to our beliefs is a sham

Individually, we see truth—we detect it—and assume that others see it as well. The facts appear to be plentiful and, one by one, others come to believe and reinforce the viewpoint. That is how it is supposed to work. Eventually, witnesses to the truth pass it on until it becomes known and then widely accepted. Lies operate the same way; we see them and discredit their threat by countering with the truth—so we believe. The exposure is passed on until it becomes widely known and then all are forewarned.

Then one day a problem presents itself. It may be political, religious, financial, a moral indiscretion, or any number of bothersome dilemmas. An outcome to the problem is chosen, and the means to achieving it are presented to a populace who choose to refute the original truth because it is in the way of the popular outcome. It may even be as simple as an inconvenient truth that jeopardizes the status quo, and therefore, must be dismantled. It is hard for this to happen between individuals. If one holds the truth and another chooses to disavow it, an argument may erupt and the truth may be bruised but never eliminated. But, rally a crowd of opinions who seek the same outcome and all truth is neutralized—all lies are indistinguishable. One can imagine it to be a figurative vigilantism that seeks to kill the truth, not to achieve a common good but to achieve a common end. Abortion and homosexuality come to mind as lies emanating from the crowd of opinion that have replaced truth.

We have all seen examples of the suspension of disbelief when lies are ignored or perverted into a rally cry by stampeding political speech; the opinion flourishes until it becomes the new truth. Hitler was able to build a committed force of compulsive liars until an entire nation collaborated in war and genocide. Nearly every political contest is built on large scale hypnosis by a leader of a crowd of opinions. Any truth or lie can be overcome with a well positioned campaign aimed at the majority. The gears of war are not set in motion by individual truths or lies but by vast machines of ambition set in motion by the votes of a majority. Your child’s education is regulated by a faceless majority whose agenda is outcome based and unaffected by any individual truth you may detect. Roe vs Wade was not a truth. It was the opinion of a cowardly court majority, forever adjourned, while the actual truth dies a terrible death with every abortion.

Without the majority opinion, any truth that exists is meaningless, transient, and a worthless consideration that dissipates in the crowded chatter of society. Was there any truth to be found in the teachings of Christ? The crowd that shouted “crucify him” was the murderous majority whose opinion released a contradiction of the truth and extinguished the truth teller. Yet, Christianity not only survived, it became a wildly popular and enormous belief system. Why didn’t the truth die with the Christ?

The answer lies in His plan to spread the truth. He knew that only a great majority of believers could spread the faith exponentially by day, by century and by millennium. Many know His message to be the truth—the defeat of all lies—but the message only survives because of a majority opinion. The unschooled, the Atheist or the Agnostic would be right to have the same complaint. But in the case of Christianity, no majority existed for nearly three centuries. How did it survive and how did the Christ know that twelve men who held the truth with conviction had the power to protect it from even the greatest armies on earth? Was it mystery or the greatest public relations conversion event of all time? It may have been both but it never would have succeeded without the conviction of its martyrs.

Majorities have the power to erode facts and distort reality. They also have the same ability to wash over a diseased and faulty belief system and reestablish original truths. So where does the majority come from? How can it be regulated?

The majority is a false premise. It overturns the facts of any case for the convenience of group thought and preferred outcomes. Occasionally, the majority gets it right but it is a chance equation that pays little attention to the unshakable math in the problem and inserts any number of variables to get to the convenient answer. If truth has the power to set us free then opinion has the power to have us as unwitting slaves and sets justice as illusion. A majority opinion will always appear unjust to the minority and will leave truth suspended in contradictions of beliefs. An honest justice must be obedient to the truth no matter how small the shelf it sits on.

Majority opinions have the unwanted potential of creating victims of society rather than society becoming a harmonious product of individual truths. We must allow the truth to convict us. We cannot be reeds blowing in the winds of opinion, but rather, pillars of truth set in uncompromising foundations that can withstand the erosion of time and the convenience of preferred outcomes. The Apostles knew this truth made courageous by the Holy Spirit.

Christ had it right. The truth will prevail if we allow its conviction to penetrate us deeply and never allow it to be handed over to the majority.