Should religion be focused on finding the truth?

[Desert Snake]

Should religion make it a goal to seek "the one truth", by means of a set method all followers should use?

Yes, why wouldn't it...

 

[Desert Snake]

Something I noticed is that many religious leaders and strong religious believers seem focused on concepts such as "the one truth", "enlightenment" and "undefiled wisdom". While freedom is offered by a method that allows us to discover such concepts, it seems that more often than not the methods are incomplete, extreme or sometimes even impossible. While seeking higher truth and wisdom seems very exciting and rewarding, it usually comes with great sacrifice and obedience from the devotee.

Should we be concerned about the truth? Is there even such a thing that exists? Can we actually be sure we can find it?

Religions offer ideas about they consider to be the truth. If you disagree, then don't follow the religion. If you don't think that there is truth, then religion is merely a side subject of your premise.

 

[gnostic]

I think Homer Simpson has already found the single "universal truth" -

Duff Beer! ​

 

[gnostic]

Oh! Oh!

Coming in 2nd place, is "Donuts!"

 

[Brickjectivity]

Something I noticed is that many religious leaders and strong religious believers seem focused on concepts such as "the one truth",

Cults will focus on propping up arguments that substitute for good religion. Instead of focusing on getting things done and believing that its worthwhile to take action they will instead pursue some endless thing that you can never attain. 'The truth' is an example of something which you can sort of approach but never quite master, but the cult leader will always pretend that they have achieved a level of mastery. Sometimes the ideal of Truth is something they'll latch onto, but its any old thing that you can never attain. For example Scientology sends you on an endless quest to attain a state they call 'Clear', not 'Truth'; but the function is the same. The function of any such endless quest is to direct the energies of the cult membership.

"enlightenment"

Enlightenment is not enlightenment. Don't get lost in the terminology. A buddhist may use this term very differently from a cult leader. A cult leader will have you chasing your tail forever seeking an imagined quantity, and they may call it 'Enlightenment' or 'Purity' or any number of things. When a Buddhist talks about enlightenment they're usually talking about something practical (unless you've run into a cult). What is the use of an un-useful enlightenment?

and "undefiled wisdom"

I have not heard this term, but its probably has both a cult use and a practical meaning to somebody who is not in a cult.

Should we be concerned about the truth? Is there even such a thing that exists? Can we actually be sure we can find it?

Stay away from cults. That's a truth.

 

[Ponder This]

If things really do have the "one truth" as the ultimate source, shouldn't we all know it by now?

All knowledge is ephemeral. Knowledge is constantly being forgotten and it is only through constant diligence that knowledge gets preserved from one generation to the next. When the next generation arrives, they will ask all the same questions, except for a few, adding some of their own, and arrive at their own conclusions. Whatever truth you think you have attained is a drop in the ocean of consciousness, insignificant at best, irrelevant at worst. Often people look at the past and say, "They were stupid, and we are smarter today." But it's a convenient lie.

I think Homer Simpson has already found the single "universal truth" -

Duff Beer! ​

aka The Holy Spirit!

 

[Grandliseur]

Something I noticed is that many religious leaders and strong religious believers seem focused on concepts such as "the one truth", "enlightenment" and "undefiled wisdom". While freedom is offered by a method that allows us to discover such concepts, it seems that more often than not the methods are incomplete, extreme or sometimes even impossible. While seeking higher truth and wisdom seems very exciting and rewarding, it usually comes with great sacrifice and obedience from the devotee.

Should we be concerned about the truth? Is there even such a thing that exists? Can we actually be sure we can find it?

While there are churches who use the word 'truth' about their church beliefs, no church is searching for it. It is more about membership and status quo.

When you join a church, many churches wants this person to be re-baptized even if s/he already has been baptized. This tells you that it isn't about being baptized into Christ, but into a church; such baptisms have no worth unless the person who is baptized thinks it is into Christ and lives it that way.

If a person who studies the Bible by themselves comes upon an obvious truth that their church has missed, it will be impossible for them to get their church to change.

 

[Looncall]

Something I noticed is that many religious leaders and strong religious believers seem focused on concepts such as "the one truth", "enlightenment" and "undefiled wisdom". While freedom is offered by a method that allows us to discover such concepts, it seems that more often than not the methods are incomplete, extreme or sometimes even impossible. While seeking higher truth and wisdom seems very exciting and rewarding, it usually comes with great sacrifice and obedience from the devotee.

Should we be concerned about the truth? Is there even such a thing that exists? Can we actually be sure we can find it?

As far as their own pronouncements go, religions have no means of discerning truth (see my signature). The notion is irrelevant anyway, as religions are just elaborate con games.

 

[Sea_shell]

Should religion make it a goal to seek "the one truth", by means of a set method all followers should use?

A 'set method' is like a framework for others to hold on to, it gives them a way to relate to the ideas put forth. Too much manipulation and control in that.

 

[Aupmanyav]

While seeking higher truth and wisdom seems very exciting and rewarding, it usually comes with great sacrifice and obedience from the devotee.

Should we be concerned about the truth? Is there even such a thing that exists? Can we actually be sure we can find it?

It is totally your choice if you want to abandon truth. No sacrifice or obedience is required. What is required is the use of brain. Yes, there is one truth and it is possible to reach it.

As far as their own pronouncements go, religions have no means of discerning truth (see my signature).

Saw it, however, you can use the information provided by laboratories of various sciences. Include this information in your search. Usually people do not do that. They keep religion and science separate.

 

[PureX]

Most religions, when understood and practiced correctly, encourage and enable the 'pursuit of truth'.

Unfortunately, they are not that often understood or practiced correctly. And the ongoing perversion of them tends to overshadow their legitimacy. Also, they are not a necessity in the pursuit of truth. One can pursue truth without the aid of a religion. So that the relationship between religion and the pursuit of truth is often lost on a lot of people. People that could have benefited greatly from a proper engagement with religion, had they been able to recognize it's true intent.

 

[Hawkins]

Something I noticed is that many religious leaders and strong religious believers seem focused on concepts such as "the one truth", "enlightenment" and "undefiled wisdom". While freedom is offered by a method that allows us to discover such concepts, it seems that more often than not the methods are incomplete, extreme or sometimes even impossible. While seeking higher truth and wisdom seems very exciting and rewarding, it usually comes with great sacrifice and obedience from the devotee.

Should we be concerned about the truth? Is there even such a thing that exists? Can we actually be sure we can find it?

All religions are tied to the same question out of an unknown to humans. That is, what could possibly happen after death. The belief of secular people is "nothing happens". The belief of religious people is "something happens". Both are faith based.

Other than this, Christianity is about how we trust the claims of those direct eye-witnesses as it's the only way to get to the truth (shall it be a truth)!

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Most religions, when understood and practiced correctly, encourage and enable the 'pursuit of truth'.

Unfortunately, they are not that often understood or practiced correctly. And the ongoing perversion of them tends to overshadow their legitimacy. Also, they are not a necessity in the pursuit of truth. One can pursue truth without the aid of a religion. So that the relationship between religion and the pursuit of truth is often lost on a lot of people. People that could have benefited greatly from a proper engagement with religion, had they been able to recognize it's true intent.

IMO, it's pretty presumptuous of you to tell people of other religions that they're doing their religion wrong.

 

[Jumi]

All religions are tied to the same question out of an unknown to humans. That is, what could possibly happen after death.

Not all of them, no.

 

[Hawkins]

Not all of them, no.

Then you can ignore them, as they don't concern your life!

 

[Twilight Hue]

Something I noticed is that many religious leaders and strong religious believers seem focused on concepts such as "the one truth", "enlightenment" and "undefiled wisdom". While freedom is offered by a method that allows us to discover such concepts, it seems that more often than not the methods are incomplete, extreme or sometimes even impossible. While seeking higher truth and wisdom seems very exciting and rewarding, it usually comes with great sacrifice and obedience from the devotee.

Should we be concerned about the truth? Is there even such a thing that exists? Can we actually be sure we can find it?

Even if the truth per se was found, death kind of stands in the way of making such a discovery permanent.

 

[idav]

Something I noticed is that many religious leaders and strong religious believers seem focused on concepts such as "the one truth", "enlightenment" and "undefiled wisdom". While freedom is offered by a method that allows us to discover such concepts, it seems that more often than not the methods are incomplete, extreme or sometimes even impossible. While seeking higher truth and wisdom seems very exciting and rewarding, it usually comes with great sacrifice and obedience from the devotee.

Should we be concerned about the truth? Is there even such a thing that exists? Can we actually be sure we can find it?

That is a yes to the OP question. If everyone was always focused on finding the truth instead of the belief that they already found it, we'd have a different kind of world.

 

[PureX]

IMO, it's pretty presumptuous of you to tell people of other religions that they're doing their religion wrong.

Why? Do you think I can't tell when someone is doing religion wrong? Do you think we should be hiding this fact from them, or from others, when we see it?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Why? Do you think I can't tell when someone is doing religion wrong? Do you think we should be hiding this fact from them, or from others, when we see it?

In order to "tell when someone is doing religion wrong," you have to impose your subjective opinion of what that other person's religion ought to be doing onto it.

The best you could legitimately say is "if you're trying to achieve (insert goal) with your religion, you aren't likely to succeed the way you're doing things," while being open to the possibility that they'll say "but (insert goal) isn't the goal of my religion."

It's presumptuous and chauvinistic to presume that you know better than someone else of some other religion what the purpose and goals of their religion are.

 

[Jumi]

Then you can ignore them, as they don't concern your life!

Life after death isn't that interesting, why should lack of speculation on it be a criteria for ignoring something?