Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Politics and Religion
The Fight For Truth: Defending History Against Trump

The Fight For Truth: Defending History Against Trump

Last updated on: August 18, 2025 at 3:52 am by Henry Karlson

0 Comments

The Fight For Truth: Defending History Against Trump 2025-08-18T03:52:14-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

ajay_suresh: The Smithsonian / Wikimedia Commons

I don’t get it. How can anyone trust Donald Trump? His own history shows us that he constantly tells whatever lies he needs to defend himself. How, then, can anyone trust, let alone support him, when he says he plans to take over what can and cannot be said about history in schools and official governmental institutions such as the Smithsonian? How can anyone stand back and do nothing knowing his own disregard for the truth, with the way he constantly distorts or lies about history, engaging falsehood for his own private gain? Who thinks he should be able to silence the Smithsonian, making them conform to history as he says it is, instead of what actual historians have established? Who thinks he should be able to dictate to universities what they can and cannot teach about history, once again, silencing analysis which runs against his own ideology? Who thinks Trump should be free to censor the media, forcing them to only support his vision of events, calling anything else false news? How can anyone support such a tyrannical takeover of speech, one which clearly goes against the Constitution and what is promised in it? How can anyone not be concerned with what he is going to do as he forces his vision of reality on all others, making everyone conform to what he says things are? How can anyone do this knowing that when he is not actively manipulating facts, he is ignorant of much of what he talks about?

Are we going to have to have say the Central Park Five were guilty? Will the Smithsonian be required to make a display which says that? Will that be what students will be required to learn in high school? Will his losses in the courts, where it was shown he was guilty (or culpable) for crimes, crimes which a judge said includes rape (as it is conventionally understood), be wiped from history, and people forbidden to talk about them? Are we going to have to ignore his impeachments and act like they never happened? Are we going to have to say he graduated with honors from the Wharton School of Finance? Are we going to have to say President Obama was not born in the United States? Are we going to have to say Trump was Man of the Year in Michigan?

We have already seen that when people push against him and his lies, especially when they embarrass him, he goes on the attack. We just saw this happen to Dr. Erika McEntarfer who was fired for giving a jobs report which contradicted Trump’s claims. He does not want the truth to be known when it hurts his agenda. Why else is he having the monitoring of greenhouse gases stopped? He wants complete control over the narrative, and if the facts go against them, he seeks someone who will rewrite the facts. We see this in regards the way he is engaging science: scientists know full well what he wants is not science, not the truth which honest investigation brings, but whatever can suit his own propaganda, his own ideology, his own self-promotion.

Again and again and again, I see Trump lying, and I see him using his power so the only narrative the public receives is his own. He does not like the media when it contradicts him, when it does not make him look good. He hates independent journalists and media like the NRP (National Public Radio) because they are willing to show him as being wrong, if not outright making things up. This is why he has eliminated funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting hoping that it will be destroyed as revenge for contradicting him.

How can any sane person, let alone a Christian, get behind Trump’s manipulation of facts and the way he is trying to take over what people are allowed to learn from the media, from schools, from historians, and from scientists? How can anyone not see his disregard for the truth? Why is not everyone seeing the way he is treating the media and the Smithsonian as a major warning sign?

Christians claim they love the truth. It’s what many apologists say motivates them. Then why are they not speaking up when Trump is making it clear that he is not interested in the truth, but making propaganda? Why are they not shouting to the mountaintops that the truth is under attack? The more Trump covers himself in a Christian mantle (via Christian nationalism), the more he blasphemes Christ with his disregard for the truth. “No man who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no man who utters lies shall continue in my presence” (Ps. 101:7 RSV). Why do so many Christians support a man whose whole life is about being deceitful, and why do they welcome him into the nation’s house, the White House, as he continues not only to utter lie after lie, but makes it clear that his lies will be the only thing allowed to be taught?

I fear the real answer is that many Christians know who and what Trump is, and they do not care. They think the ends justifies the means. They support his objectives. They go along with the lies because the lies represent is how they wish things to be. They might talk about objective truth, and the fight against relativism, but their actions speak otherwise. Anyone who supports objective truth would seek to protect the sources which we use to explore it, and not be silent when they are under attack. They are like Trump themselves, which is why they allow it. They might have said they supported him because they said they cannot support intrinsic evils, but the fact that they support and promote lies, says otherwise, for lying is an intrinsic evil. They have longed for the day they will have the power to promote their ideologies, ideologies which are political and not Christians (such as the disregard we see to the poor or the migrant), and now they have it. They lie like Trump lies, and not just about national facts, but about what Scripture and the Christian tradition says about government and what it is meant to do. They must know God will not be mocked. For all the support they give to a lie, and all the deflection and sophistry they give to justify themselves, they will be judged, and will be found short; the more they have proclaimed the love of truth while supporting such untruth, the more their hypocrisy will be revealed in their eschatological judgment, and the more they will have to deal with the consequences of their own disregard for the truth.

The Smithsonian is just the latest institution under attack from Trump. Being told they cannot portray the truth as historians should terrify everyone. History is being rewritten by a liar. History is being rewritten for the sake of an ideology. What institution will be next? How long will the public be able to speak out against this without retaliation? How long will churches be allowed to speak against Trump’s policies? To me, it is clear that Trump is following the ways of all tyrants, where they try to maintain their power by denying free speech. Trump will act like free speech still exists, but he will provide a new definition for free speech, just like he has rewritten history, and we will be told we are free to speak so long as we just repeat what Trump tells us to believe.

* This Is Another Post From My Personal (Informal) Reflections And Speculations Series

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.

Progressive Christian

Politics and Religion

History and Religion

Previous Post

August 17, 2025

Living The Faith: Insights From The Lives Of The Apostles

Next Post

August 20, 2025 Finding Truth In Other Religions: A Call For Openness

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Gosh, did that hit the spot. I have been having great anxiety lately. And I ..."

Mark Wilson

Rejecting Doom: Christian Hope And Human ..."

"Justice and peace are two sides of the same coin. Where there is justice, there ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Thank you for your very, very powerful and very, very insightful analysis of the relationship ..."

alwayspuzzled

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Given the amount of lethal malevolence that has prevailed in human history for the past ..."

alwayspuzzled

We Must Value Our Health

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz