What is "Truth?"
To each and every mind "truth" is what that mind thinks is "truth." The subject matter is of no consequence, because "truth" is what anyone thinks in their own mind. If a billion human beings think that truth is what
they read in the "Bible", does that mean that the Bible is what truth is? The only problem with that thinking is that that same billion humans beings will think very different thoughts about what they read in that so called
Bible. The Bible they read will bring forth a myriad of different beliefs, customs and practices among those billion human beings, that cause massive confusion as to what "truth" really is. Is there really any such thing
as a definition of "truth?" The Worldwide Church of God defined "truth" as what their top leaders said "truth" is. The "apostle" Paul defined "truth" by his own definition of truth, but was he right and correct?
Those who penned, edited, revised, distorted, twisted, added to, deleted from and generally wrote the so called "Bible" define "truth" by their own definition and attributed what they said to God. Was God really the author? Truth differs with individuals and with groups, including religious groups and human governments. Sometimes innocent human beings are nailed with false accusations and even serve prison sentences for being "guilty" of crimes which they never committed. So then was the "truth" what they were accused of? Even Jesus was accused of many false allegations. Real truth is then an obvious slippery slope among human beings.
What human being thinks that what they think is false? Obviously no one. How do you define truth? The answer differs with the mind that advances an answer. It then becomes apparent that TRUTH is not cut and dried and has only one answer. In the Civil War of the Untied States, the North (Yankees) have a very different perspective than the South (Confederates) about that diabolical war of death and destruction. There is no one answer that will ever satisfy all people. Nevertheless it is more than obvious to any astute thinker that those who "win" the wars, write the "history" books which are taught to future generations of school children.
In reality the doctrine that "the Bible is infallible and inerrant" is nothing less than CENSORSHIP of freedom of thought. The infallibility doctrine seeks to squelch independent questioning and to cause common people to think that to question the Bible is to question God. The world is overrun with Bible scholars who know beyond doubt that the Bible is full of holes, while common church goers are led to believe that the Bible is beyond questioning. Whatever "truth" is, it is without doubt that there are many answers that differ and there is no one answer that will ever satisfy those who reason, ask questions and think about issues.
Van Robison
I actually disagree with many statements in this post, even though I think I do agree with the central thought you're trying to express.
ReplyDeleteI think you have to define what category in which you're looking for truth, and then you have to separate out the concept of human belief from the concept of truth as being two entirely different things.
In the sixties, when they tried the "new math" and said, "it's okay if 2+2=5 for you, we would hate to hurt your self esteem..." No, in quantitative categories, and other objective categories also, there is that which is absolutely true and that which is absolutely not true. This is cut and dried and has only one answer. Just because I choose to believe in my own mind that 2+2=5 is true does not make it anything other than a demonstrable falsehood as soon as I begin to interact with my environment.
There are also many things which have an objective, absolute truth, and even though we may never be able to discover what they are, the objective truth still exists. Even though the jury may convict an innocent man and he might serve a prison sentence, it does not change the objective truth. The failure to discover it does not make it slippery, it just makes it hidden. Sometimes DNA evidence will shed new light on old erroneous convictions, and reveal some truth that was previously hidden. I don't see why whether or not a sentient being created the universe, and whether he inspired the bible to be written or not shouldn't be included in this category. For those who reason, ask questions, and think about issues, if the information is simply not available, their quest to find the truth may end in frustration, even though that truth still exists. Perhaps a man who is truly the master of reason will refuse to invest in a specific answer in the absence of information, and thus avoid frustration.
There are other things which are subjective, such as which painting is the best painting. Here there can be no objective truth. Whichever you decide for your purposes is the best painting, that is the best one for you. This in no way impinges upon a different painting being the best one for someone else.
And then, there's what I believe the truth to be, whether that truth is objective or subjective. If I believe a man is guilty and I vote to convict, I may mistake this for truth, but it is just belief. Likewise, my belief does not alter or change the objective truth in any way. Truth is one thing, belief is another.
I subscribe to what is called the correspondence theory of truth--basically that the truth is "out there" in the external world. So, rigorous objectivity and independent verification are important factors in determining what statements one should consider true. It seems the author of this article, while gradually stumbling toward a description of a theory of truth, would do well to actually read up on the subject before committing himself to stumbling over questions that have been refined through many centuries of philosophical thought.
ReplyDeleteOh, now if only the COG's would champion these sorts of distinctions, instead of merely repeating the mantra of "Thank you God, that you have not made us like other men, and have blessed us with THE TRUTH." In their eyes there's no such thing as "new truth" because they already have 100% of the truth, and it's all divinely error-free. All they have to do is rehash it every week so they don't "lose" any of it.
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