Truth and the Bibleīut how does truth apply to the Bible and, specifically, to Christianity? Below are eight relevant points, offered by Christian philosopher Douglas Groothuis: In these and other questions, whatever corresponds to reality is the truth. Either a fetus is actually a human being or it is not. For instance, either abortion is wrong or it is not. When it comes to moral matters, truth also applies. When it comes to facts, we know that it is not true that the capital of the United States is Los Angeles, rather it is Washington, D.C. We know, for instance, that when someone is caught in a lie they did not tell the truth (what they said did not correspond to reality). At a basic level we all have a pretty good idea of truth. A statement is true, then, if it coincides with the way things are.īut let’s not make this more complicated than it needs to be. Consequently, what is real is true and what is true is real. Dictionary definitions of truth usually identify it as a “quality or state of being true … that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.” In slightly more philosophical terms we could say that truth is that which corresponds with reality. In the Gospel of John, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” but did not stay for an answer (John 18:38). To clarify matters it will be helpful to define two terms: truth and tolerance. In reality, the matter of tolerance and truth is not as simple as it appears. After all, with so many religious and non-religious perspectives in the world, isn’t tolerance to be desired over dispute? Are Christians really so prideful as to think they have the corner on truth in certain areas? What is Truth? As a result, Christians are told tolerance must override faith. All too often Christian beliefs are said to be matters of faith, not matters of truth.
Unfortunately, this is often the case when it comes to Christianity. On the other hand, those who stand for truth are often branded as narrow-minded, intolerant and judgmental. On the one hand, we hear much in public discourse about the need for tolerance, usually presented as the non-judgmental acceptance of all perspectives. These two sayings nicely capture the essence of the solution to the contemporary problem of tolerance and truth.
In the Latin the sayings are, respectively: “De gustibus non disputatum” and “De veritate disputandum est.”
0 kommentar(er)
