People say they have the "truth" but can we humans with limitations say we really have the truth? If not, then who has the truth? who knows what is or is not true? Is there such thing as error? Can we say that everything is right? or something is wrong? How can we be sure?
2006-09-18 10:51:17 · 26 answers · asked by Incredula c 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
1 - Truth is absolute - regardless of our perceptions or interpretation of it. The law of gravity still remains whether we believe it or not. If we choose not to believe in it, we will still plummet to our death if we jump off of a 30-story building.
2 - Truth is constant - just because we receive a new understanding of something it doesn't mean that truth changed. For example, for centuries people erroniously believed in a geocentric view of the universe. Someone may say that this was their truth, but obviously adherants of this view were wrong. Truth didn't change when we learned of our solar system's heliocentric structure - only our understanding of it.
God Bless you
2006-09-18 10:58:52 · answer #1 · answered by pastor 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have asked the great question of the ages. Here is what I feel.
First, truth by definition is something that doesn't change. Truth is knowlege of things as they really are, as they really were, and as they really will be. So the first answer is that things that are true are unchanging--though our understanding and perception of truth may change.
You also point out that we humans are fallible--we make mistakes all the time. So how do we guard ourselves against deception, even self-deception when we are seeking truth?
I believe that a kind Father in Heaven provided a gift to each of us that will lead us to find *His* truth if we will learn to follow it. That gift is the Holy Spirit. Paul told us what the "fruits of the Spirit" are in Galations chapter 5. When we are seeking truth, God will show us in our hearts by his Holy Spirit when we have found truth. When the "fruits of the Spirit" are in our lives, we can be certain that we are pursuing the path of truth.
Conversely, when we are following false teachings/teachers, we will be filled with darkness, confusion, and anxiety. This is also God's way of letting us know when we're on the wrong path.
Hope that helps.
2006-09-18 17:59:44 · answer #2 · answered by jc 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Those who are in power and those who win wars write the books and sayings of history. This is the "truth" that is passed down. To the victors, glory. To the losers, damnation and loss of identity.
So, the truth is always skewed at any point in time. And since the truth is reported by humans, and humans are emotional creatures, the truth is biased as reported.
What is right and what is wrong? That is a perceptual answer. What is right to one is wrong to another. And what SOCIETY deems to be right and wrong depends on who is in power at that time.
Since the truth will never be truly known, you can only live on in the present and hope that what you see and believe is a true reality, and not a falsehood that you want to avoid.
2006-09-18 17:55:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Common dictionary definitions of truth mention some form of accord with fact or reality. There is, however, no single definition of truth about which scholars agree, and numerous theories of truth continue to be widely debated. Differing opinions exist on such questions as what constitutes truth, how to define and identify truth, what roles do revealed and acquired knowledge play, and whether truth is subjective, relative, objective, or absolute. This article introduces the various perspectives and claims.
Philosophy of truth
Questions about what is a proper basis on which to decide whether and to what extent words, symbols, ideas and beliefs may be said to be true, whether for a single person or an entire community or society, are among the many important questions addressed by the theories introduced below.
[edit]
Major theories of truth
Each of the five substantive theories below deal with truth as something with a nature, a phenomenon, or thing, or type of human experience about which significant things can be said. These theories each present perspectives that are widely agreed by philosophers to apply in some way to a broad set of occurrences that can be observed in human interaction, or which offer significant, stable explanations for issues related to the idea of truth in human experience.[1][2] There also have more recently arisen "deflationary" or "minimalist" theories of truth based on the idea that the application of a term like true to a statement does not assert anything significant about it, for instance, anything about its nature, but that the label truth is a tool of discourse used to express agreement, to emphasize claims, or to form certain types of generalizations.[1][3][4]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth
2006-09-19 08:18:09 · answer #4 · answered by danielpsw 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Truth is not relative, as much as people wish it were. There is absolute Truth.
Jesus is the Truth. He is the Word of God, and Truth is found in the Word of God. Those who love Truth will love Him.
As it is written: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except by me." (John 14:6)
Everyone asks the same question Pontius Pilate asked, "What is truth?" But the answer remains the same.
All too often, people will ask themselves the wrong question. They ask, "Is this right for me?" And they should instead ask, "Is this right?" But that implies that there is a standard. (And there is!)
2006-09-18 17:58:49 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Truth is unchangable. The perceptions and perspectives of humans change. We humans with limitations can only know truth through God, not through the limited calculations of even the smartest humans. There is no error in the truth of God. God is constant, infinite, true.
2006-09-18 18:10:33 · answer #6 · answered by catarina 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Truth is that which remains the same regardless of whether or not you're thinking about it. For example: my house is true, because even when I'm at work and not thinking about my house being there, it is. The sun is truely made of hydrogen rather than fire, because even when people thought it was made of fire it was actually made of hydrogen.
Error would be anything believed to be true, but isn't.
As for who has the truth, God has the truth.
Something is wrong when it is not true. That is, something is wrong when it only seems to be the way it is when you think about it, but when you aren't thinking about it it is actually another way. If I thought my house was washed out to sea, it wouldn't matter how hard I thought that, it would be wrong.
2006-09-18 17:56:18 · answer #7 · answered by Sifu Shaun 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No truth never changes. It is constant. And we must discover it. Jesus said: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by me. He is Truth. Discover Him...and you will find all the answers to your questions. He never changes. He never lies.
It is our perception of truth that changes. The world around us today wants to tell you that there are no absolutes. But they are wrong.
2006-09-18 17:57:09 · answer #8 · answered by rejoiceinthelord 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Truth is The Lord, Jesus Christ. Yes ones perception changes and therefore what he saw before as truth may not look that way now, but that's part of growing and being human. But Jesus is steadfast and will always be the truth.
2006-09-18 17:54:21 · answer #9 · answered by Janet lw 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Truth itself is a construct of language. In addition perception and reality are variable factors. Truth may or may not be a factor in whether or not something is right or wrong. We cannot be sure. This is my opinion - ergo, may or may not be the truth depending on your perception.
2006-09-18 18:11:14 · answer #10 · answered by Siri 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋