A question for fans of the god myth.

[Feathers in Hair]

but how do you answer a question about your religon withought it being opinion to one person or another??

That's very true, and I don't deny it. I'm just acknowledging that any answer I give (or any answer any theist will give) will be ignored, derided or otherwise pointless because it will not lead to any better understanding.

 

[UnTheist]

Well, then at least one person knows the truth, eh? (Who's the liar now?)

I would like to know who does know the absolute truth then.

 

[Willamena]

I would like to know who does know the absolute truth then.

You do. I do. We all do. We all know the truth, which is absolute; it is relative to each of us.

 

[Sunstone]

Ok. If there's such a thing as absolute truth, then how is it known? Conditional truth can be known through science, but how is absolute truth known?

 

[UnTheist]

You do. I do. We all do. We all know the truth, which is absolute; it is relative to each of us.

That is personal truth. How can Universal/Absolute truth be known?

 

[sandy whitelinger]

Any that claim a supernatural creator or creators is responsible for "everything".

You paint with a broad stroke. Personally I don't follow a myth but a true and living god.

 

[Hema]

Ok. If there's such a thing as absolute truth, then how is it known? Conditional truth can be known through science, but how is absolute truth known?

The Absolute Truth is within each one of us. When we realize God and live in God consciousness. I know that this Absolute Truth is within you and within me.

 

[Willamena]

How many kinds of truth are there?

Truth is truth; there is only one kind and it is absolute. We can each look at it relatively by virtue of having a subjective perspective on the world, but that doesn't change its nature, any more than the nature of a mountain is changed by us looking at it from different angles.

 

[Random]

How many kinds of truth are there?

Truth is truth; there is only one kind and it is absolute. We can each look at it relatively, by virtue of having a subjective perspective on the world, but that doesn't change its nature.

Very true. It can be known: the real truth is pure and immutable.

 

[LogDog]

IMO it all depends on the process used for arriving at the "truth". Here's a graphic I posted recently that depicts the scientific process compared to that of the faithful. http://a4.vox.com/6a00c2251d306b604a00cd9713fbf44cd5-pi

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Very true. It can be known: the real truth is pure and immutable.

But, comes in as many varieties as there are perspectives. Truth is a shapeshifter: while it may have a single essense, its form is infinite and elastic.

 

[Willamena]

But, comes in as many varieties as there are perspectives. Truth is a shapeshifter: while it may have a single essense, its form is infinite and elastic.

You allocate truth to us, when it belongs to the world around us as one its symbols.

We are not truth; it is something about us (i.e. objective to us).

 

[Guitar's Cry]

You allocate truth to us, when it belongs to the world around us as one its symbols.

We are not truth; it is something about us (i.e. objective to us).

I agree.

But truth is an idea. There is no intrinsic truth to anything. It is only a perceiving being that can catagorize true and false. Everything else just is.

 

[Willamena]

I agree.

But truth is an idea. There is no intrinsic truth to anything. It is only a perceiving being that can catagorize true and false. Everything else just is.

Everything is an idea to us, including truth. As we are the ones who define things, there is truth in everything.

 

[Katzpur]

I know what my purpose on earth is and i know what i'm allowed to do and what I'm prohibited from doing. I have a solid moral system, where i don't make up my own system of whats right and wrong but i have it from the creator. I have a sense of cleanliness and modesty. I know my obligations to those less fortunate then me in both knowledge and wealth. I know what happens to my soul after it leaves my body and the questions it'll be asked, I also know the torments of the disbeliever and the tempoary punishment for the sinning believer. I know what awaits the believers in paradise.

In short there isn't an aspect in my life that isn't governed by religion, I mean EVERY aspect of my life is inspired by religion

My gosh, I'm LDS and I could have written that post -- verbatim!

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Everything is an idea to us, including truth. As we are the ones who define things, there is truth in everything.

Yes!

In fact, while I do take a dualistic perspective, I cannot say that I am completely convinced that the world as I perceive it is at all accurate. But, it is still true in the form in exists in to me (and probably beyond). My personal world is the only world I am sure of, and its truths are dominant.

As I said before, truth - an idea among all other ideas - is a shapeshifter. But I suppose that's true only if other subjective minds exists (which I assume they do).

 

[Willamena]

Yes!

In fact, while I do take a dualistic perspective, I cannot say that I am completely convinced that the world as I perceive it is at all accurate. But, it is still true in the form in exists in to me (and probably beyond). My personal world is the only world I am sure of, and its truths are dominant.

As I said before, truth - an idea among all other ideas - is a shapeshifter. But I suppose that's true only if other subjective minds exists (which I assume they do).

Let me put your mind at rest about the doubt you expressed: the world as you perceive it is entirely accurately the world, because "the world" is things as you perceive them. Go you!

Anything more than that we cannot know, and therefore it doesnt count --it doesn't count in "truth", it doesn't count in "objectivity", it doesn't even count in "the universe". The "anything more" part is numinous (the unknowable).

Truth has only one shape. Our perception doesn't alter that. It is vitally necessary to distinguish between truth and what we (our conscious selves) possess, which is opinion.

 

[autonomous1one1]

The Absolute Truth is within each one of us. When we realize God and live in God consciousness. I know that this Absolute Truth is within you and within me.

Great statement, Hema. I am not sure that you and I fit within the scope of the OP with that myth stuff but, keeping in mind your post, my answer to the question-
How do you feel your life on earth has been made more complete through your religious belief?
-is 'by reunion with my Self from which love, eternal life, and much more flows.'

Incidentally, there is a thread by Sunstone on Absolute Truth: Fact or Fiction that is pertinent to your posts here. - http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45794

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Let me put your mind at rest about the doubt you expressed: the world as you perceive it is entirely accurately the world, because "the world" is things as you perceive them. Go you!

Yea!

Though, I cannot ignore the evidence that says that the world as I perceive it is the same as how others perceive it. In other words, I cannot ignore the possibility that there is an objective world that every perceiving being is creating their own subjective world in.

My own view is accurate, because it is forged from my experiences. And that is all I know.

Anything more than that we cannot know, and therefore it doesnt count --it doesn't count in "truth", it doesn't count in "objectivity", it doesn't even count in "the universe". The "anything more" part is numinous (the unknowable).

Unless I personally make knowing the unknowable important. That means that the unknowable does count because it is a necessary part of my universe.

Truth has only one shape. Our perception doesn't alter that. It is vitally necessary to distinguish between truth and what we possess, which is opinion.

Good point.

But opinion is still a part of truth. Holistically, everything is true because we accept it as such. Our fallacies are true because they exist as they are: false.

Truth shapeshifts, but that doesn't change what it is, just how we perceive it. Love meant something so much different when I was younger. But it is still the same to me. It just shifted its shape.

 

[Willamena]

Though, I cannot ignore the evidence that says that the world as I perceive it is the same as how others perceive it. In other words, I cannot ignore the possibility that there is an objective world that every perceiving being is creating their own subjective world in.

My own view is accurate, because it is forged from my experiences. And that is all I know.

The world as you perceive plus the world as others perceive it is the world as we perceive it, still subjective. "The world" in general is the sum total of all that we, together, can know; objective. Our individual bits are just as true as the bigger picture --the only thing that changes is the size of the picture (from 12" to 48" bigscreen).

The truth aslo is not changed by the size of the picture. We each "take" a snapshot of the world and what's there is true (unless it's a deliberate lie), and if we like we can look at someone else's photo and add it to our photo and smile wisely. Sure, we can't claim their photo as ours, but we can give it an assessment of reasonable doubt.

The photos are not a separate world, they are simply one person's take on the world. "The objective world" is "the world as we perceive it" together.

Unless I personally make knowing the unknowable important. That means that the unknowable does count because it is a necessary part of my universe.

We cannot know the unknowable --that's why it's unknowable. It is what is beyond our senses and our machines. (Unless I've read your words wrong, in which case I'm sorry.)

We can make it significant. We can assign meaning to it, give it a symbol and elevate that symbol to the level of a "thing" in our world. Then it very much counts ... but not as truth, only as truly a symbol (not as god, only as the image of God).

Good point.

But opinion is still a part of truth. Holistically, everything is true because we accept it as such. Our fallacies are true because they exist as they are: false.

Truth shapeshifts, but that doesn't change what it is, just how we perceive it. Love meant something so much different when I was younger. But it is still the same to me. It just shifted its shape.

I'll have to think on "our acceptance" as a part of "what is true;" that doesn't ring true for me at all. Truth is simply there: in the identity we give to things; in the symbols that stand in place of their meaning; and in our recounting of those symbols to the best of our ability.

I don't believe that anything has a "false" existence.