Are you following the latest trend? I’m not referring to the current style fads as laid out by Vogue and Elle. What I mean is the trend of confusing opinion with fact.
“Opera music is lame.”
“Soccer is the best sport in the world.”
“Michael Jackson was the greatest performer of all time.”
“You haven’t lived if you haven’t [fill in the blank] at least once.”
Yes, these are all opinions disguised to look like statements of truth. We as a culture have a tendency to state opinions as facts. Instead of saying, “I personally am not a fan of opera music,” we turn it into a declaration with an implication:
“Opera music is lame, therefore you’re lame if you like opera music.”
I personally love the opera, and that’s a fact. But that shouldn’t make you feel lousy, and therein lies the danger of confusing opinion with fact.
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In This Article
What Happens When You State Opinions As Facts
While it may seem obvious that you’re stating an opinion, the truth is statements like these have a degrading effect on the listener. When we don’t like something (or, conversely, we love something), we tend to make others feel that there’s something wrong with them for not feeling the same way. In this way, opinions are misused.
When we don’t like something, we tend to make others feel that there’s something wrong with them for not feeling the same way.
“Anybody who cares about others will get vaccinated.” (Hmm, where have we heard that one recently?)
“You’re not for women if you’re not pro-choice.” (Yes, that’s an opinion, not a fact.)
“Only a fool will believe in God.”
You might strongly believe something, but that doesn’t make it true. As Dr. Paul Kelm states in his book, Truth in Our Time, you are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts.
The Real Danger of Confusing Opinion With Fact
Lava lamps (a big trend in 60s, and again in the 2020s) are kind of cool (in my opinion), but I urge Christian teens as a group to fight against the trend of turning opinions into facts. For you, the danger of confusing opinion with fact goes beyond disgruntled friends. You’ve been called to be the light in a dark world, the telescope that zooms in on God’s glory. Your words, when spoken in love and kindness, can amend the soil of the heart and make it a fertile ground for God’s word to take root, and you cannot do that if you start mixing opinion with fact.
Opinions are not facts, and that’s a fact!
Separate Opinion From Fact
Be encouraging, even to those who don’t share your viewpoint. Think first about whether your opinion is needed at a given moment because, frankly, the world is in need of more truth, not more opinions.
The world is in need of more truth, not more opinions.
When the time comes to give an opinion, be loving in how you state it.
“Opera music isn’t my thing, but that’s cool that you like it.”
And let me leave you with a positive note from John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Now that’s a fact!
Love the facts!! ??♥️✝️ Good explanation on how to comment on opinions. Thank you, Lauren!
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