Necessity for truth in Christianity

Recently, I watched a movie that seemed to have one of the best trailers ever. One look at the trailer and you would certainly mark your calendar to watch its premiere. When I watched it however, I was disappointed. It wasn't what it seemed to be. I'm sure many of you who are reading this would be able to relate to such an event. It is indeed interesting though, to note how enthusiasm and excitement, brought about by charismatic sounds and effects could mask reality to fool one's eyes from seeing what really is. This somewhat harmless smart publicity, is seemingly a vague expression of how we view truth. The fact that we settle for what looks good at first glance is, sadly, an account of the deteriorating desire for substance in our quest for the truth. Like any movie goer, we would certainly expect to watch something fun, entertaining and up to standards. Yet, we would let ourselves be fooled to believe an exciting trailer when making our choice. Of course this doesn't really matter in the context of a movie. The horror of the ordeal comes when this attitude is applied to almost all aspects of our lives, including our relationship with God, family and friends. We would simply settle for what sounds good, feels good and seems good at first glance. Objective facts seem to be the last thing on our minds, even when we are aware of the importance of a particular subject.

A particular observation that drives me to make concrete my abstract thoughts in this page, is the terrifying sight of misleading philosophies in the modern Christian sphere, that seems to inject ignorance into the heart of the truth that gives life. I will not mention any particular forms of teachings or doctrinal remarks here. Rather, my desire is simply to appeal to all Christian brethren to look towards the nature of what we refer to as universal truth.

The truth is universal in nature. It does not depend on the morals and virtues of the messenger. Even if the devil himself were to speak the truth (though I'm not saying that he would), the truth would still remain true. It does not depend on the enthusiasm of the speaker. Nor will it depend on the music, sound effects, and background 'drama' that accompany it. The truth is powerful,objective and independent. It does not change over time. And it is definitely not about opinion (so it isn't about what you and I "think"). The truth may not even be democratic, for it does not need to respect the thoughts of the majority ( though I am a big fan of democracy, this cannot be denied). The truth is not popular opinion. No man can create truth, and none can destroy it. It exists and will always exist. If this isn't hitting the right tones, perhaps this will... truth is an attribute of God... just as God is Love, so too is he 'truth' (cf. Deu 32:4, Jn 14:6, Jn 1:14, Jn 14, Jn 16) .

The deception that we behold in this present day is the insensible notion that we can simply "follow our hearts" and this would lead us to the truth. This leads us to a cycle of relative 'truths', which are nothing more than confusion, a set of opinions built upon a foundation of mere feelings. In reality, truth is not, and can never be relative. The satirical poem by Steve Turner, entitled " The Creed" somewhat sums up the state of the modern, deceived, human mind. Here is an excerpt from it :

"We believe that each man must find the truth that

is right for him.

Reality will adapt accordingly.

The universe will readjust.

History will alter.

We believe that there is no absolute truth

excepting the truth

that there is no absolute truth"

As Christians, our call to stand as beacons that bear the light of truth would become meaningless, if the the very idea of an absolute truth is nothing but a weak conjecture. In fact, if absolute truth is absent, the very core of human morality becomes destroyed, resulting in an 'animalistic' reduction of the human race. We would become slaves to our misuse of freedom, defining our own morals and values, according to what suits the situation at hand.

If any part of true Christianity calls for the acceptance of an "Incarnated God", it must also call for the acceptance of an absolute truth. The Incarnation, in which God becomes Man, would become meaningless if truth was merely relative. If truth is subject to alteration, there will be no need for an affirmation of humanity (which is exactly what the Word made Flesh entitles us to), simply because affirmation would have been nothing but a state of mind. God could have spared himself the trouble of embracing human life, suffering and death, and instead simply pass down a philosophy of being saved, so that we may believe and have life ( after all, truth is simply what we feel like believing!!). If truth was relative, the resurrection could have simply been a lie, that would seem fitting into a theological reality. As such, Christ didn't really have to rise again. We just had to believe he did, because that's theologically convenient!! If truth was not absolute, salvation becomes nothing but an opinion, and life ends with the death of flesh.

As such, we should indeed guard ourselves against subjectivism. The truth of the Gospel is always objective. It does not contradict itself or with factual reality. To grasp truth, our search must be earnest and objective, free from the influences of emotions and opinions. Truth does not need to be defended by popular opinion. Instead, it stands strong by itself, defended only by its very own logical objectivity. The philosophy of truth is always upheld by logic (as long as logic itself remains free from the influence of opinion and false indoctrination). Truth is indeed absolute, universal and powerful. It may not be completely known to us in this life. Nevertheless, we are obliged to seek it. It alone lights the path to our ultimate destiny, union with God.