What does the word truth mean?
2007-02-19 06:29:47 · 16 answers · asked by Sara 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
"truth" does come with slightly confusing usage.
The best anyone can do is tell the truth *as they understand it*. Truth as not lying
This goes back to an old idea, Truth, "troth", is what you would be prepared to swear to in court. In this sense truth is concerned with personal conviction not external reality.
Faced with people declaring that they have the "truth" but being in disagreement, there is the concept (difficult to prove, but useful anyway) of an external reality which is the final measure of things being true. The "reality" verdict will prove one assertion true, one not. (Or just possibly both wrong)
We refer to people's memories, or documents, or books of mathematics, as appropriate. But are these perfectly reliable?
Time being short, we tend to use the short form of:
(It is my personal conviction in this matter that) the truth is...
And then it is possible to forget the assumed first phrase, and start to treat the assertion as an absolute.
(Truth and true do have specialised uses in logic and engineering, but that's not quite to the point here.)
2007-02-19 06:54:54 · answer #1 · answered by Pedestal 42 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
TRUTH
The Hebrew term ’emeth′, often rendered “truth,” may designate that which is firm, trustworthy, stable, faithful, true, or established as fact. (Ex 18:21; 34:6; De 13:14; 17:4; 22:20; Jos 2:12; 2Ch 18:15; 31:20; Ne 7:2; 9:33; Es 9:30; Ps 15:2; Ec 12:10; Jer 9:5) The Greek word a·le′thei·a stands in contrast with falsehood or unrighteousness and denotes that which conforms to fact or to what is right and proper. (Mr 5:33; 12:32; Lu 4:25; Joh 3:21; Ro 2:8; 1Co 13:6; Php 1:18; 2Th 2:10, 12; 1Jo 1:6, 8; 2:4, 21) A number of other original-language expressions can, depending upon the context, also be translated “truth.”
Jehovah, the God of Truth. Jehovah is “the God of truth.” (Ps 31:5) He is faithful in all his dealings. His promises are sure, for he cannot lie. (Nu 23:19; 1Sa 15:29; Ps 89:35; Tit 1:2; Heb 6:17, 18) He judges according to truth, that is, according to the way things really are, and not on the basis of outward appearance. (Ro 2:2; compare Joh 7:24.) Everything that emanates from him is pure and without defect. His judicial decisions, law, commandments, and word are truth. (Ne 9:13; Ps 19:9; 119:142, 151, 160) They are always right and proper, and they stand in opposition to all unrighteousness and error.
2007-02-19 14:38:07 · answer #2 · answered by Just So 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately, many do not realize that some truths are purely subjective. Here are Things like a group of people looking into a mirrored ball. No one will be able to agree on what is seen in the ball but none shall be wrong either. It doesn't automatically make any one wrong, but it does negate a solitary truth. Two people looking at the same situation can have two different ways of remembering it. This does not make either wrong just different. Too many forget as humans we experience things differently so what we hold as truth is really more subjective than objective.
2007-02-19 14:51:49 · answer #3 · answered by Moonsilk 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The meaning of a word in the dictionary and how people use it are usually quite different and that goes for more then truth.
On the other hand, Wikipedia has a huge page on Truth. Good luck actually trying to figure out what's going on there.
2007-02-19 14:37:38 · answer #4 · answered by Ievianty 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
1 a archaic : FIDELITY, CONSTANCY b : sincerity in action, character, and utterance
2 a (1) : the state of being the case : FACT (2) : the body of real things, events, and facts : ACTUALITY (3) often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality b : a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true
3 a : the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality b chiefly British : TRUE 2 c : fidelity to an original or to a standard
4 capitalized, Christian Science : GOD
2007-02-19 14:32:34 · answer #5 · answered by Gene Rocks! 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
However a word is used on Yahoo Answers is the correct way!
Yahoo Christians are the Final Arbiters of All Things!
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2007-02-19 14:33:37 · answer #6 · answered by abetterfate 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My dictionary has 12 definitions. That leaves a lot of latitude.
Where did you find the contradiction?
2007-02-19 14:34:05 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
truth is actually pretty relative. the dictionary says that truth is something that can be verified or substantiated with fact or proof.
religion sees it differently.
most religions regard their beliefs as truth and everyone else's as fantasy.
2007-02-19 14:38:05 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let me recommend to you a book called "On Truth," by Harry Frankfurter.
2007-02-19 14:43:40 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
That frequently happens because Christians make up their own definitions.
2007-02-19 14:32:42 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋