Absolute Truth
Jun. 30th, 2005 12:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greybetaA good friend of mine sent me a philosophical email to keep my mind perspicacious.
“It's important not to have absolute truth because it is the result of fundamentalism, dictatorships, and of those who are not free.”
“If you hold to my teachings, you are my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Have you ever heard this conversation before?
M: How would you defend your belief in absolute truth?
P: I know that there is Absolute Truth.
M: Yes, but how would you defend your belief in absolute truth?
P: I know that there is Absolute Truth, and that is enough.
M: I see. But how would you respond to someone who claims that "the risk of absolute truth is that one risks not growing, because doubts and questions are what makes individuals grow...?"
P: I believe those who are dead in faith do not challenge it. It is in times of doubt that our faith in the Absolute Truth comes out.
M: Ah, yes, but so many out there claim to know your truth of Christianity. If there was such an absolute truth, then how would you respond to the fact that many denominations claim a version of the truth?
P: There are many ways to serve the Lord. But I do think that many denominations choose to find a comfort zone rather than focusing on serving the Lord.
M: So then you would you respond to the statement that no one denomination has precedence over another?
P: All that matters is acceptance of Christ as your savior.
M: Many would say that answer would be fine if you were born to a Christian nation. But what if you were born to a Hindu or Muslim nation? Wouldn’t it likely you would be Hindi or Islamic?
P: I grant you that. But God words in mysterious ways, and I cannot claim to know His justice.
M: So I ask you again, how would you defend your belief in absolute truth?
P: I know that there is Absolute Truth.
Personally, my thoughts often belie my Buddhist tendencies. I often talk as someone who doesn’t believe precisely because there was a time that I did not believe. As I’ve sat in the watchcare of the Baptist church for three quarters of my life, what have I learned? That it’s better to be a Christian first and a Baptist last.
The problem is that many people can’t ever articulate why they believe the way they do. It’s truer and truer that people can explain what they don’t believe in. But you know what’s really hard to do? Convince someone of Absolute Truth.
But I’m not absolutely sure about that…
“It's important not to have absolute truth because it is the result of fundamentalism, dictatorships, and of those who are not free.”
“If you hold to my teachings, you are my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Have you ever heard this conversation before?
M: How would you defend your belief in absolute truth?
P: I know that there is Absolute Truth.
M: Yes, but how would you defend your belief in absolute truth?
P: I know that there is Absolute Truth, and that is enough.
M: I see. But how would you respond to someone who claims that "the risk of absolute truth is that one risks not growing, because doubts and questions are what makes individuals grow...?"
P: I believe those who are dead in faith do not challenge it. It is in times of doubt that our faith in the Absolute Truth comes out.
M: Ah, yes, but so many out there claim to know your truth of Christianity. If there was such an absolute truth, then how would you respond to the fact that many denominations claim a version of the truth?
P: There are many ways to serve the Lord. But I do think that many denominations choose to find a comfort zone rather than focusing on serving the Lord.
M: So then you would you respond to the statement that no one denomination has precedence over another?
P: All that matters is acceptance of Christ as your savior.
M: Many would say that answer would be fine if you were born to a Christian nation. But what if you were born to a Hindu or Muslim nation? Wouldn’t it likely you would be Hindi or Islamic?
P: I grant you that. But God words in mysterious ways, and I cannot claim to know His justice.
M: So I ask you again, how would you defend your belief in absolute truth?
P: I know that there is Absolute Truth.
Personally, my thoughts often belie my Buddhist tendencies. I often talk as someone who doesn’t believe precisely because there was a time that I did not believe. As I’ve sat in the watchcare of the Baptist church for three quarters of my life, what have I learned? That it’s better to be a Christian first and a Baptist last.
The problem is that many people can’t ever articulate why they believe the way they do. It’s truer and truer that people can explain what they don’t believe in. But you know what’s really hard to do? Convince someone of Absolute Truth.
But I’m not absolutely sure about that…
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no subject
Date: 2005-06-30 11:22 am (UTC)I can certainly attest to this.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-30 02:53 pm (UTC)It seems to me that the point here is not defending the fact of absolute truths, I can come up with lots of things that are absolutely true and can be proven to be so, but rather being able to defend those things that one believes that are not open to easy proof because they depend on faith. The 'discussion' in your post seems more targetted on absolute morality, not absolute truth.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-30 04:02 pm (UTC)Well, it seems like an excessive amount of heat (or suffocation, if you want to look at it that way) kills people. How do we know that? It's been true before and seemed true with this experiment.
But what about the future? How can we know, with absolute certainty, that people will die from being put in a pit of lead? Well, it's been true in the past and we can do an experiment to see if it's true right now. But there's no guarantee that it will hold true in the future. It's pretty likely that it will hold true in the future, and I wouldn't jump into a vat of molten lead in some ridiculous attempt to prove you wrong, but the fact remains that there isn't a guarantee of enduring truth in anything inductive.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-30 06:43 pm (UTC)There are no square circles, there are no round squares.
There is life on earth.
Absolute zero is really, really cold.
I'm sorry but I just don't buy into the school of thought that there are no absolutes - seems to me that you are declaring an absolute when you make such a statement, thus invalidating yourself.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-30 07:45 pm (UTC)Deductive absolutes, on the other hand, are perfectly possible. For instance, a thing can't be both P and not P at the same time. No experimental evidence is necessary; this can't change. It's logically impossible.
A world with no absolutes would certainly be absurd.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-30 08:48 pm (UTC)Ah, good, we can agree on that. :)
no subject
Date: 2005-06-30 08:51 pm (UTC)on absolute truths :P
Date: 2005-07-01 12:50 am (UTC)Re: on absolute truths :P
Date: 2005-07-01 02:37 pm (UTC)Re: on absolute truths :P
Date: 2005-07-01 04:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-30 07:37 pm (UTC)