My Truth vs. Your Truth

By its definition, truth must contain an absolute. This is illustrated by simply looking at the opposite of truth, which is, of course, Falsehood. A statement, an idea, a concept, an idiology, or anything is either true or false. It cannot be both. While a statement may contain elements of both truth and falsehood, you can break down each piece and evaluate the truth of the components.

To say, ''you have your truth and I have mine" is intellectual cowardice. I experienced this the other day in my Creative Writing class. We were critiquing someone's work (a piece that resembled a sermon). It was rather harsh in its tone, but at the heart of the piece was still truth.

And the professor said to him (the writer of the piece), "You have to be careful with this sort of thing so you don't offend people. People each have their own truth. While this may be your truth, it may not be true to someone else."

At this I simply could not hold my tongue, my words may have been harsh, but I'll let you decide that. I said, "The elements of this piece, while harsh, are core values of the Bible. Yes, there are pieces of the Bible we can sit here and theologically debate, but everything contained in his work is spelled out clearly in the Bible and is not a matter of 'your truth or mine'. It's either true or it isn't, and in the end you are forced with the choice to either accept it or turn your back on it."

It was the first time I ever made a professor speechless! I would have enjoyed that moment had it not been for the nature of my rebuke. I should not have had to say those things. It's like pointing out the obvious and at a college (a place of "higher learning") I would have thought we would have moved past such ideas.

However, in America's attempt to become more "open minded", the world of Academia is attempting to redefine the word truth. While it has always been understood that 2+2=4, there are even those who would accept 2+2=5 because that is the "student's truth". Granted, I understand these cases are rare and extreme, but it is an idea that is permeating the culture nontheless in more ways than one.

Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one cometh unto the Father but by me." You cannot take that statement and say "well, that is your truth". That is a direct statement. A claim that is absolute. Either Jesus was correct -thus making any other way to Heaven false- or else He was a liar. It is one or the other. While people may feel good thinking there are many roads to Heaven, the Bible claims just the opposite. And in light of that, it completely destroys the concept of religion being "relative".

Truth is truth. Falsehood is falsehood. It cannot be both.

Simple as that.

reprinted from my college days