The History of Truth: From the Garden to the Post-Truth Era

An Op-Ed from The Craig Bushon Show Media Team

The first lie ever told to mankind was not spoken in a courtroom or whispered in a palace. It was not written in the fine print of a contract or shouted in the streets of an empire. It was spoken in a garden. A serpent approached Adam and Eve and told them that if they ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, they would not die but would instead become like God. “You will be like Him,” the serpent promised, dangling the illusion of power without consequence. Humanity believed the lie, and with that decision, deception entered the world.

That moment was not just a story of temptation. It was the template of history. From that day forward, truth has always been under assault, and lies have always disguised themselves as liberation. The lie always sounds appealing: freedom without responsibility, knowledge without wisdom, progress without boundaries. And every age has fallen for it in one form or another.

When Pharaoh enslaved Israel, it was the serpent’s voice again. Pharaoh told his people that the children of Israel were too numerous, too dangerous, too expendable. The lie was that human beings created in God’s image could be treated as property, their dignity erased. The truth—that all life has value—was drowned beneath the weight of empire. But truth never dies, and through Moses, God shattered Pharaoh’s deception. The serpent whispered that the lie would hold, but truth proved stronger.

Rome carried the same deception forward. The emperors declared themselves divine, demanding loyalty not to justice or truth but to Caesar. The serpent’s lie wore the mask of peace and order, telling citizens that only by bowing to absolute power could they survive. Yet the earliest Christians stood in defiance, declaring that Jesus, not Caesar, was Lord. Many paid with their lives, but in doing so they exposed the lie. The serpent whispered through emperors and rulers that truth was dangerous, even criminal. But truth endured.

As centuries passed, the lie evolved but never disappeared. In the Middle Ages, kings claimed divine right to rule while corrupt leaders cloaked their greed in the language of religion. Ordinary people were told they had no voice, no worth, no authority to question. Once again, it was the serpent’s strategy: you will not surely die, trust the rulers, surrender your judgment, obey without truth. Yet reformers rose, men and women who declared that God’s truth belongs to no institution, no corrupt official, no manipulative power. Martin Luther nailed his theses and shattered a system that had placed lies above Scripture. Truth broke through deception once more.

When Galileo pointed his telescope at the heavens, he uncovered facts that challenged the old order. He said the earth revolved around the sun, not the other way around. For that, he was condemned. His trial was no different than Eden—he was accused not because he was wrong, but because he told a truth that threatened power. His so-called crime was the same one we see committed today: speaking truth that does not fit the narrative. Back then, it was branded heresy. Today, it is called hate speech. But the principle remains: The Truth Is Not Hate Speech. It never was. It never will be.

The Enlightenment declared that reason and science could uncover truth. Thinkers like Descartes, Locke, and Kant argued that truth could be found in logic, in evidence, in observation. Science rose as a new guardian of truth, and laboratories replaced altars as places of discovery. Yet even here, the serpent whispered. Reason, unmoored from God, became its own idol. Man was told he could be his own god, defining truth without limits. The lie was the same: you will be like Him. The danger was not in reason itself, but in the arrogance that sought to replace eternal truth with human pride.

In the 20th century, the serpent’s whispers became shouts. Hitler built his Reich on the lie of racial superiority, a deception that murdered millions. Stalin promised equality but delivered gulags and famine. Mao spoke of progress while destroying culture and faith. Each of these tyrants repeated the serpent’s pattern: offer paradise, deny consequences, silence truth, and deliver destruction. The serpent’s voice is always the same. Sacrifice truth for power, and you will be free. The result is always chains.

Now, in the digital age, the serpent has found new disguises. Lies spread at the speed of light, packaged as news, entertainment, or education. Social media has become the new tree of knowledge, offering the illusion that truth is whatever you choose to believe. Deepfakes blur the line between reality and fiction. Algorithms feed people only what confirms their biases, shutting out anything that challenges the narrative. And in the midst of this confusion, a new spin has become popular: people say there is no single truth, only “your truth” and “my truth.” They argue that what is true for one person may not be true for another, that truth is simply a matter of perspective.

Universities now teach students that truth is socially constructed, that history has no fixed lessons, that morality is relative. Media outlets talk about “alternative facts,” as if reality itself comes in flavors you can pick and choose. Big Tech decides which voices are “true” enough to be heard online and which ones must be silenced—not through debate but through censorship. The serpent’s whisper has been dressed up in modern slogans: “Live your truth,” “Speak your truth,” “My truth matters.” But what it really says is the same as in Eden: “You will not surely die. You can decide reality for yourself. You will be like gods.”

If truth becomes subjective, then power decides reality. The one with the loudest microphone, the biggest platform, or the most control over information gets to define what people believe. That is not freedom—it is manipulation. And history shows us exactly where it leads. When leaders twisted truth in Nazi Germany, millions died. When truth was silenced in the Soviet Union, entire generations were enslaved. When truth is relative, it becomes a weapon for tyranny.

But history has shown, and faith confirms, that lies enslave. It is only truth that sets us free. Our Constitution is built on the assumption that truth exists. Justice requires truth. Liberty requires truth. Without it, democracy collapses. The serpent thrives in confusion, but freedom can only survive in clarity. That is why on The Craig Bushon Show we remind America every day: The Truth Is Not Hate Speech. It is clarity. It is conviction. It is courage.

From the Garden of Eden to the Pharaohs of Egypt, from the Caesars of Rome to the dictators of the 20th century, from Galileo’s trial to today’s cancel culture, the same struggle has repeated. Lies dressed as liberation. Truth branded as dangerous. Deception offered as salvation. And every time, it has been the courage of people willing to speak truth that has preserved freedom.

Today, America faces the same test. Will we believe the serpent’s lie—that we can live in a world of manufactured realities, where words are violence, where truth is silenced, where freedom is surrendered for comfort? Will we accept the spin that says truth is only relative, that it depends on “whose truth” you are talking about? Or will we return to the eternal truth that made us free? That all men are created equal. That liberty comes from God, not government. That courage is the price of freedom.

The oath of office is more than words recited at a ceremony. It is a declaration that leaders choose truth over lies, conviction over deception, and liberty over tyranny. It is a vow to serve the people with integrity, not to manipulate them with narratives. When the serpent whispers that power excuses corruption, the oath of office stands as a reminder that truth is the only foundation for authority.

From Eden to Egypt, from Rome to America, from the lies of tyrants to the illusions of digital empires, one reality has remained constant: truth must be defended. It does not defend itself. And when truth is abandoned, freedom dies. The serpent’s lie is eternal, but so is God’s truth. The question before us is the same one asked in the garden: who will we believe?

Here, we stand on the side of truth. We say with courage and clarity that The Truth Is Not Hate Speech. It is the foundation of freedom, the heartbeat of faith, and the lifeblood of a republic worth defending.

Disclaimer: This op-ed reflects the views and commentary of The Craig Bushon Show Media Team. It is intended for educational and editorial purposes only. It should not be interpreted as legal, medical, or theological advice.