“I am glad you’ve found something to help you.” This is a common response to those who tell others how their new found faith in Christ has changed their lives. Sometimes it’s another way of saying, “It’s good for you, but don’t push it on me or expect me to believe it!” This treats religious beliefs as merely pragmatic. What it does for you is what really matters. Truth becomes a very personal matter not much different from personal taste. It’s like saying, “I believe cheese cake is the best cake!” But is religious truth merely something useful or a matter of taste? Some truths are personal opinion. My beliefs about cheesecake might be true for me but certainly not binding on others. Who would expect me to seriously defend cheesecake? If I said, “Ford makes the best trucks,” I might be asked to defend my statement because this kind of opinion can be objectively debated. The same would be true if someone said, “Hitler was a good person.”
Although truth is sometimes only personal opinion, in many situations we want more than opinion. When a doctor offers a prognosis, I don’t want his feelings about my condition, I want objective truth. When I take my car to my mechanic, I want more than his personal opinion. In history class, we don’t want to hear someone’s version of history, we want the facts. When testifying in court, we hold people accountable for telling the truth, the whole truth, so help you…… Then we use a variety of means to test the truthfulness of their claims.
On matters of greater importance, truth must be more than personal feeling. But how does this apply to religious truth? Is religious truth something we create for ourselves rather than an objective reality we discover? Is it merely a matter of personal opinion or can it be objectively proven? Is it reasonable to ask that religious beliefs accurately correspond with facts and reality? Many religious claims are too important to relegate to personal opinion-- especially when they make universal or univocal claims. According to scripture, all people are sinners; all people must die and answer to God; Jesus died for the sins of the whole world and is the only savior who can forgive our sins and reconcile us to God and one day is coming when every knee will bow before Jesus and confess his Lordship (Romans 3:23; Hebrews 9:27; John 3:16; I John 2:2; I Timothy 2:3-6; Philippians 2:9-11).
If the account of Jesus Christ is not based on real events or facts, the person who believes it is a fool no matter how it makes him feel or how much help he claims to get from it. His beliefs are based on imagination not on verifiable facts and reality. C. S. Lewis presented the dilemma this way, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” This is true because of the facts about Christianity.
It seems reasonable that some religious claims should be considered objectively true and others false. God either exists or He doesn’t. It is irrational to say that God exists if it makes you feel good or helps you to believe in him. Christianity teaches that God has revealed himself at a certain time in history through Jesus of Nazareth. Is this true or false? The Bible is either trustworthy to guide us into truth about God or it isn’t. Stating matters dramatically, one teacher said, “I don’t want to know what it means to you; I want to know what it means if you were dead.” Is there a meaning beyond individual feeling or opinion? To distinguish true from the false, one must ask, “Do these claims correspond with reality and facts independent of anyone’s opinions about them?” Religious claims are mostly claims about reality.
Such claims must be investigated to learn if they are objectively true.
Some people wrongly suppose that this approach to religious truth might lead to dangerous forms of intolerance. But this fear is based on a widespread misunderstanding of the virtue of tolerance. If I conclude that another person’s religious affirmations are false, tolerance requires me to respect her right to hold to them. Tolerance only becomes a virtue where there is strong disagreement and respect for those with whom you disagree.
Steve Cornell Senior pastor Millersville Bible Church Millersville, PA 17551 717-872-4260
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I do not know any case where truth is personal opinion.
There is truth and there is opinion.
The confusion that most people have today is not being able to tell the two apart.
Your article would have a greater impact if you would make it clear that truth and opinion are forever separate from each other. Click here to reply to this post
True
Posted On: 06/19/08 10:03:09 AM
Age 47, MO
Indeed, but some people think subjective truth is indeed objective truth. (Mostly because of pride and arrogance.) So, how red was that apple anyway? It's kinda like the word "love," We can come at it from different perspectives and argue the point that feelings are love, acts are love, and only that which is found in Christ is love. Yet, the truth or love we know is only that which has been revealed to us. There are many truth's I don't yet know and much love, the depth of which I have yet to experience. Real truth is only found in Christ since He is the creator of all, and real love is only found in the depths of suffering. Through suffering Christ knew and demonstrated TRUE love, thus breaking the bonds of sin. John Click here to reply to this post
TRUE FAITH IS HUMBLE NOT ARROGANT
Posted On: 06/10/08 10:36:33 PM
Age 64, OH
Hebrews 11: 1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.- One reason there is so much intolerance and disrespect is the misunderstanding of this scripture. They see the word SURE and think they have to be SURE or POSITIVE they are right to have faith. But look closer and see that a man can not be sure of what he does not see. The being sure is not in us who have the faith. The SURE is in the One and Only true God who we put our trust in. IF we trust in The Lord Jesus, then He is a SURE thing to trust in. If God tells me to speak to this mountain and I will move it, then I can not be sure that God spoke to me, can I. I can only believe that God has spoke to me. But if I ask God to help me to believe if He is the One who spoke. Then He is able to make me feel sure for that moment. But how sure I feel has no bearing on the issue. For if I do not speak then nothing will happen. BUT if I do speak to the mountain, it does not matter if I doubt it or not, for if I speak God has said he will move the mountain. It is a SURE thing that IF I speak to the mountain God will move it. The SURE IS IN GOD not IN the believer. But this counterfeit faith that says the believer is sure, is not faith at all but assumption. It is not faith but it is arrogance and confessing falsely. So men think they have faith by saying they are SURE they are right about some doctrine and it is not faith but lack of humility and arrogance. Jesus is not well served by this lack of humility. We show our faith not by being sure in our feelings but in the action we take. That is why James says to show his faith he will show you his works. James also says, 17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.- True faith is humble and considerate to others, not arrogant and sure they are right. Lou Click here to reply to this post
