Truth or usefulness

[sandandfoam]

Which guides you?

 

[Madhuri]

I seek truth. I follow what seems to be truth.

 

[dust1n]

I seek truth - I use lies.

 

[England my lionheart]

Truth guides me but only if its verified as being true

 

[Kathryn]

Truth ends up being the most useful when all the chips are down.

 

[Thief]

The op needs expansion.
Many things are useful....including lies and deception.
Perhaps this topic is hedging toward the moral issue....
Would you lie to get done what needs to be to done?

 

[Just_me_Mike]

Answering this question most certainly makes you a liar. It assumes humans are capable of accurately answering the question, as if they have a choice in the matter.

I would suspect the best answer would be somewhere in between, because we are emotional creatures, and when emotion is part of it, logic and truth sometimes take a backseat.

The question aims to (not purposefully I am sure) to dehumanize us.

 

[Erebus]

I guess it's a bit of both. If something is useful I see no reason not to embrace it even if it isn't true, however It can also be incredibly useful to know what is or isn't true.

 

[Thief]

So if lying is useful.........
I might lie to you to save your soul?
Should you be grateful if I succeed...that you gain your spiritual life?
even though I lied to you.

And would your spiritual life be what you wanted? knowing it was acquired by a means less than truthful?

Would you prefer to die for truth? or live out your lie?

 

[Erebus]

So if lying is useful.........
I might lie to you to save your soul?
Should you be grateful if I succeed...that you gain your spiritual life?
even though I lied to you.

And would your spiritual life be what you wanted? knowing it was acquired by a means less than truthful?

Would you prefer to die for truth? or live out your lie?

Lying can be incredibly useful, it depends how it's used.

Oh yes and feel free to lie to me in order to save my soul if you wish, but I might not believe you

 

[Thief]

Lying can be incredibly useful, it depends how it's used.

Oh yes and feel free to lie to me in order to save my soul if you wish, but I might not believe you

But if you fail to believe...would you not die?
How can you bring yourself to follow me, if you do not believe what I say?

If you discover the deception, would you then consider why I lied to you?

 

[Erebus]

But if you fail to believe...would you not die?
How can you bring yourself to follow me, if you do not believe what I say?

If you discover the deception, would you then consider why I lied to you?

Bear in mind that I would consider Christianity to be deception (I assume you're Christian?). I've tried it, it didn't work out and now I've found gods that suit me more. It's not about failing to believe, instead it's about being disillusioned.

 

[Thief]

Bear in mind that I would consider Christianity to be deception (I assume you're Christian?). I've tried it, it didn't work out and now I've found gods that suit me more. It's not about failing to believe, instead it's about being disillusioned.

I don't call myself Christian...anymore.
But it's because the level of skill exceeds my own.
I don't walk on water.
I don't raise the dead.
Storms remain over my head...even though I would ask them to leave.

And if I could, I would change water to cognac.

In the mean time...Have your gods lied to you?
Say to me...your truth.

 

[Erebus]

I don't call myself Christian...anymore.
But it's because the level of skill exceeds my own.
I don't walk on water.
I don't raise the dead.
Storms remain over my head...even though I would ask them to leave.

And if I could, I would change water to cognac.

In the mean time...Have your gods lied to you?
Say to me...your truth.

Fair enough, that seems reasonable

I don't want to derail this thread by going into my own beliefs, so I'll provide a link for you.
http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/theological-concepts/92983-random-beliefs-shyanekh.html
If you want to discuss my beliefs I'm more than happy to do it either on that thread or via PM, but this isn't the thread to do it in

 

[Thief]

Agreed...
To make a list of what each one might believe would take some lengthy typing.

How about manipulating the op...just a bit?
Should truth be abandoned at the obvious point of practicality?
After all...if you can't apply it...is it not worthless?

On the other hand.
Some people might contend that truth for the sake of morality is all that does matter....even to the point of a sword?

 

[Erebus]

How about manipulating the op...just a bit?
Should truth be abandoned at the obvious point of practicality?
After all...if you can't apply it...is it not worthless?

Now that's an interesting point, if the truth has no real application then in my opinion it would indeed be largely worthless.
An example of this is space travel. Sure we may now know that the Earth orbits the sun and that there are no aliens on the dark side of the moon, but what does this achieve really? We have discovered certain truths, but in my opinion the time and resources put into discovering them would have been far better used elsewhere. Truths like these are ultimately a luxury IMO, good to know, but not particularly valuable.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Sometimes what is useful is the most relevant truth. Sometimes what is truthful is the most useful.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I will answer the question from my perspective. I don't believe the truth is necessarily the same to everybody, because we all view things a different way, including this so-called truth. That being said, I can claim to have the truth as I see it. Others would see it differently then me. As for usefulness, you'd have to define what you mean by usefulness.

 

[linwood]

Which guides you?

Depends on the situation.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Depends on the situation.

The ideal joining of truth and usefulness.