Don't believe your lying eyes? Isn't that how it goes?
If you've seen the January 6 videos, recently released on Tucker Carlson’s show, you know what I mean.
If not, let me assure you that nothing in D.C. has changed. Leaders there appear to still hate the truth, significantly when it exposes their fraud.
The political leadership in D.C., including Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), tried to keep the Jan. 6th footage a secret. Now they're outraged that we're privy to what they know and see. This was not supposed to happen. Ever.
As George Orwell wrote, “The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth.” Boy, did it ever!
But if that's not deranged enough, they're asking us to believe that the footage U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) shared with Tucker Carlson isn't the whole story. And we're expected to believe that, hook, line, and sinker.
Just like we believed COVID lies. Or that Hunter Biden's laptop was Russian disinformation.
But lying liars don't just live in D.C. They live in Montgomery, too. And they're already lined up, hands out, to work for lobbyists, not you. Their coffee klatches, expensive dinners, and whispered cloakroom conversations have nothing to do with us. No sir. No ma'am.
For far too many elected officials, it's about them. It’s also about us believing them, even when they lie to our face and implore us to pretend otherwise. "All tyrannies rule through fraud and force, but once the fraud is exposed they must rely exclusively on force," to quote George Orwell again.
But that raises a question. What kind of leader should we look for to replace our current ones who are acquainted with quiet lies and half-truths?
The short answer is a truthful one. Someone unswerving in their commitment to truth, rather than the lies our leaders desperately want us to believe.
Athanasius was a man like that. A respected Church Father and theologian from the fourth century, Athanasius stood for truth. He was often in hot water, battling famous leaders such as the Emperors Constantine, Julian the Apostate, and others, which is likely why he was known as Athanasius Contra Mundum, which means “Athanasius Against the World” in Latin.
According to David Chilton, author of “Paradise Restored,” Athanasius stood practically alone for 40 years against rampant heresy due to his defense of the Trinity, sometimes in peril for his life.
If you have a Bible, you've benefited from something Athanasius did. He was the first person to list the 27 books of the New Testament canon that we use today.
But Athanasius isn’t remarkable just because we use his ordering of the New Testament. Nor is he remarkable because we use his calendar suggestions regarding Lent and Easter.
Instead, he’s remarkable for 40 years of standing alone, of not caving to religious pressure — after which he was proven correct. He lived out his convictions even though they got him in trouble.
I understand that our political leaders aren’t pastors. Nor are they early church fathers. But we still expect our leaders to stand for truth and do what’s right, rather than demand that we play patty-cake with their lies.
Considering today’s political landscape, from Alabama to D.C., can you imagine anyone standing for 40 years, nearly alone in defense of truth? Are there leaders that we can support, who are as strong-willed to hold on for what’s right as Athanasius did? People that are committed, unflinchingly, to what’s true?
Imagine what would happen to our communities if that were the norm, rather than the pearl-clutchers freaking out in D.C. over lies they peddled about January 6! What if, instead of backroom deals in Montgomery, and last-second legislative changes that no one can rectify, we had men and women who were stubborn in their commitments, not to themselves, but to what is right?
We need a modern-day Athanasius to lead us, an Athanasius Contra Mundum: Athanasius against the world.
Amie Beth Shaver is a speaker, writer and media commentator. Her column appears every Wednesday in 1819 News. Shaver served on the Alabama GOP State Executive Committee, was a candidate for State House District 43 and spokeswoman for Allied Women.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.
