What's Your Bias?
A commentary by David Treybig
Pastor of United Church of God congregations in St. Petersburg and
Tampa, Florida
Everyone seems to be biased these days. In the Middle East, the Israelis
know that they are a peace-loving people and that the Palestinians are
terrorists. Talk to a Palestinian and you'll hear that it's the Israelis
who are the terrorists. Palestinians are angry at the United States because
they believe this country unfairly favors the Israelis. And many U.S.
citizens can't understand why much of Europe is so biased in favor of
the Palestinians.
Of course, bias—supporting one viewpoint over another—isn't
limited to the Middle East. It seems to pervade just about everything.
Television programs provide clear examples of producer bias. The latest
fall programming reveals a bias for homosexuality and premarital sex.
And the bias isn't limited to the sitcoms. Even the news programs put
their own spin on the news. Ironically, the three major networks—ABC, CBS,
and NBC—like to think of themselves as unbiased in their
coverage and that they cover every story fairly. But a large percentage
of Americans think otherwise. Perhaps that is why during the war in Iraq
many Americans turned to FOX for news on the war. They simply
didn't trust the three major networks that are widely recognized as decidedly
liberal in their bias.
One of the latest observations about these same three networks is that
they focus more on reporting the ongoing deaths of American soldiers
remaining in Iraq than on the progress being made as utilities and governmental
infrastructures are rebuilt. Conservative thinking assumes that because
liberals hate war and the present administration, they will try to shape
public opinion by turning Iraq into another Vietnam. Liberal television
producers respond that they don't make the news—they only report
it. What they don't acknowledge is that they decide which news to
report and how much prominence to give each story, if any. Operating
in accordance with their biases, they think they are doing a good job.
Radio is another case in point. National Public Radio (NPR) clearly
promotes the liberal agenda while Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura Schlessinger
clearly represent the political right. In some cases, the hosts clearly
state their biases and tell you where they stand. Other programs, such
as those on NPR, don't tell you their bias overtly. You have to listen
for the sarcasm and little digs at other positions to determine their
slant. And no matter which side you listen to, you will hear it presented
as the most logical, intelligent and valid view—and anyone who
holds an opposing view is obviously an ignorant radical!
While freedom of speech in the United States is supposed to be protected
via the First Amendment to the Constitution, those with political bias
now attempt to silence competing views. Many college and university campuses,
long presumed to be the bastions of free speech, have become very selective
in what kinds of speech they allow. It seems that the public is expected
to tolerate immorality, vulgar speech and contempt for our country in
the name of freedom of speech. But make a statement in support of God
or the Bible and you are considered by many to be a dangerous, religious
bigot who needs to be silenced.
Does all this sound far-fetched? Consider the September 17, 2003, article
headline on World Net Daily that read: "'Bible as hate speech'
bill nearing vote: With U.S. watching, Canada set to criminalize 'anti-gay'
expression."
As the article reported, "opponents fear if the bill becomes law, the
Bible will be deemed 'hate literature' under the criminal code in certain
instances, as evidenced by the case of a Saskatchewan man fined by a
provincial human-rights tribunal for taking out a newspaper ad with Scripture
references to verses about homosexuality." Note that the man's ad didn't
quote Scripture. It simply referred to several Bible verses, and the
man was fined for hate speech!
A recent report on young people's attitudes toward politics showed than
many U.S. youth aren't interested in voting. Of course it's not just
youth that refrain from voting. Many adults also forego this right. Could
all the contention be one of the reasons so many are turned off by politics?
So now for the question: What's your bias?
Now, don't deny being biased. I'm biased. You're biased. Everyone is
biased because we all have opinions, feelings and points of view. For
that matter, even God is biased. And thankfully, He continues to act
in accordance to His character and plan for human beings.
As for my bias, I'm trying to adopt God's point of view. I'm trying
to make His perspective mine. That's why I'm going to be observing the
Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day, October 11-18 (Leviticus 23:34-36;
John 7:14, 37). I'm looking forward to setting aside human bias for godly
bias. I need to focus on how the coming Kingdom of God will provide a
society based on compassion, fair laws and opportunities for success
for all.
If you'd like to have a refreshing look at the coming Kingdom of God
represented by these biblical festivals, request our free booklets God's
Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind and The
Gospel of the Kingdom. |
