Absolute TRUTH

I previously tried to define TRUTH from a philosophical perspective and the more I pursue a knowledge of TRUTH, the more I realize how bad of a job I did with this definition. 

Through this pursuit I have concluded three key points: 

• TRUTH is sought after, even if we do not fully understand it,
• There is only one TRUTH, and
• TRUTH is intolerant, anything else is simply wrong.

I will focus today on this second point, that there is only one TRUTH.  My Pastor, this past Sunday, gave a great illustration. He referenced a guessing game often played at wedding showers or similar events where a number of objects, say Hershey Kisses, are placed in a large, sealed container and you are given the opportunity to write down on a slip of paper how many you believe it contains. The closet to the real number, without going over, wins the Kisses. Someone put the Kisses in the container and knows the correct number of Kisses. This number is the only TRUTH.  Any other number is wrong! 

On the other hand, those in attendance may be asked to write down their favorite song or recording artist on a piece of paper.  Here there are no wrong answers, no TRUTH for everyone, because answers are subject to personal experiences, judgements, and emotional responses.  There is no absolute TRUTH because the answers are subjective. 

The world is based upon TRUTH and the pursuit of it.  If you were called to testify in court you will be asked to raise your right hand and “swear to tell the TRUTH, the whole TRUTH, and nothing but the TRUTH, so help you God!” You are to testify to who you saw, doing what and when.  You will not be permitted to offer an opinion, say what you thought happened, or offer anything that you did not witness yourself. 

I have written in previous posts that many are trying to subvert the TRUTH and have you believe something else.  Here is another illustration to consider. One bullet is loaded into the cylinder of a pistol and the cylinder is spun. There is a one-in-six chance that the bullet will fire. If someone would put the barrel of the gun to their head before pulling the trigger it would be considered a “foolish behavior” and very risky. Each pull of the trigger changes the odds down to where, if it has not yet fired, the odds are one hundred percent that the gun will fire. 

Where does the TRUTH lay? This is the dangerous game that we often play with the TRUTH. Any pull of the trigger might cause the gun to fire, but we risk listening to opinions, odds and reasoning that might have you believe otherwise.  There are even some that might suggest that there is a chance that the gun may misfire even when you are at the sixth pull of the trigger. 

So much of our world today promotes lies, false information, and out-right deception that we are finding it hard to find the absolute TRUTH. Advertising, politics, popular culture, and even so-called scientific evidence frustrates us, presents un-real expectations, and bends reality. Do we continue to seek TRUTH, or do we accept what we are told to be the TRUTH?