"Truth is treason in the empire of lies." Isaiah 28:15
That's not a direct translation of this verse in the book of Isaiah, but it sure is an accurate observation about a culture where "we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves" (Isaiah 28:15b, NKJV).
It's certainly where we are in this country today. But it's not a sudden fulfillment of an ancient prophecy; it's precisely the condition that Hans Christian Andersen was exposing in his insightful 1837 story, "The Emperor's New Clothes" (illustrated above in a painting by Edmund Dulac ).
You know the story, right? Swindlers convince the emperor, and just about everyone else, that they weave fabrics so magnificent that clothing made from their cloth is invisible to those unworthy of their positions. The swindlers proceed to make the emperor an imaginary suit which he then parades through the town.
No one wants to be exposed as unworthy -- until a child with no pride of position speaks the truth:
"But he hasn't got anything on."
At last, a whisper begins to spread through the crowd, and at least some acknowledge the truth. But the elite continue in their fantasy, Andersen tells us:
"The Emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, 'This procession has got to go on.' So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn't there at all."
It's a perfect analogy for what has happened among the world's scientific elites -- and what organizations like ICR are doing to help the crowd see through the lie.
Truth has indeed become treason. Thank God for scientists such as those at ICR -- scientists who stand for truth in spite of the consequences.