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Charlottesville: Jesus Commands Us to 'Tell the Truth,' So Why Aren't We?

Counter protesters, members of Antifa (C) and white supremacist groups (R) in Charlottesville, Virginia, August 12, 2017.
Counter protesters, members of Antifa (C) and white supremacist groups (R) in Charlottesville, Virginia, August 12, 2017. | (Photo: Brad Huddleston)

I'm confused. I'm serious. I was in Charlottesville, Virginia, during the riots and what I observed and what I saw in the media's coverage are, for the most part, two very different narratives.

Although the atmosphere was volatile everywhere I walked, I have to believe that it was Sovereignty that kept me away from the physical confrontations. I did, however, observe verbal ones. I saw various white supremacist groups filled with hate and evil intentions. They were armed with weapons and ready for a fight. I also watched members of Black Lives Matter as well as Communists/Marxists, carrying their hammer and sickle flags. They were also filled with hate and evil intentions.

That Which Corresponds to Reality

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After returning home thankful that I was not injured, I turned on the television and, as expected, there was wall-to-wall coverage. The media was slamming the various white supremacist groups (and they should). But I immediately noticed something very perplexing. Very little if any coverage was being given to the various Communist and Marxist groups and violent Black Lives Matter and Antifa activists. It was as if the white supremacists were the only ones who were filled with hate. I kept waiting and waiting for someone to show images of the reality that we, who were actually there, observed. It has been several days since the riots, and I'm still waiting.

Moral Equivalence

President Trump then appeared on the news and made his statement, "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides, on many sides."

His statement was accurate. The white supremacists, Black Lives Matter, and Antifa groups were all filled with hatred, bigotry, and violence. However, the media went berserk and my confusion deepened.

The media, including Fox News, began to bash President Trump because he did not limit his criticism to white supremacists. I was there. The newly created narrative just didn't correspond to reality and to this day, I am left with a nagging feeling deep inside that something is very wrong.

All of a sudden, there seemed to be a "come to Jesus meeting" between Democrats and many Republicans that President Trump had committed the unpardonable sin of moral equivalence. How dare he keep his comments within the realm of reality and truth. You see, the truth is, there was indeed hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides, on many sides.

I'm Still Confused

To this day, I'm still confused. I can understand why the leftist mainstream media, including CNN, would want to limit criticism to white supremacists. But why Fox News? It seems that only a few anchors and commentators at Fox News have been accurate in their reporting, such as Jesse Watters. He, too, has repeatedly said that the alt-left has not received much attention.

I am also confused as to why many Christian leaders have also jumped on the "alternate reality" bandwagon by limiting their negative comments to white supremacists. Of all people, shouldn't Christians tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help us, God?

Again, the truth is, the white supremacists were not the only groups filled with hate, bigotry, and violence. Both the extreme right and the extreme left were guilty and to frame it any other way is simply lying and delusional. I have pictures and video that I took from the front lines.

People of all colors were ready for a fight. The Antifa group with their hammer and sickle flag was filled with hatred and violence, and one I spoke with kept referring to the police as "pigs." These were the same police who were protecting her First Amendment rights. And, of course, the white supremacists were filled with hatred and violence.

Never Forget

I still can't get my head around why most conservatives, including some evangelicals, have joined the left in their lack of criticism of hate and violence-filled Antifa activists. I just don't understand why these very dangerous enemies of the state are getting a pass. Some conservatives are even willing to throw President Trump under the bus when he is simply spreading blame where it is due.

Simply accusing someone of moral equivalence doesn't make them guilty of it. The accused might be telling the truth. I realize that to the world the truth doesn't matter much anymore, but the Jesus who lives in my heart continues to pull me toward Himself and let's be clear, He is Truth. Jesus always tells His followers, "Just tell the truth." When someone does not tell the truth, they are not following Him. When we are no longer allowed to tell the truth, our society is soon to collapse.

Our country is descending into chaos before our very eyes. The last thing we should do is retreat to Never Never Land.

Let's never forget that the Communists and Marxists have killed far more people than Hitler. Nevertheless, they are all equal in their evil, and all should be equally condemned. If they are participating in the same riot, they should share the same headline. Because white supremacists' numbers are small, we should be far more concerned about their Marxist and their Socialist cousins. Our American universities have been cranking them out for years, and we're now seeing the results.

Both extremes were represented in Charlottesville on that scary day. To give the extreme left a pass, and even affirm them, would make Hitler proud.

Brad Huddleston is author of "Digital Cocaine: A Journey Toward iBalance" and "The Dark Side of Technology: Restoring Balance in the Digital Age". He has a degree in computer science and a diploma of biblical studies, and is a credentialed minister in the Acts 2 Alliance movement in Australia. He also has an on-going collaboration with the Bureau of Market Research and its Neuroscience Division at the University of South Africa.

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