You don't have a monopoly on truth.

[an anarchist]

Do you accept the fact that you do not have a monopoly on truth?

Do you accept the truth that your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, could be wrong?

In Christian church, I was taught that "lack of faith" aka a healthy dose of skepticism, was absolutely terrible and you needed to fix it. You were to have unshakable faith, and know that you have a monopoly on truth, as a Bible wielding Christian.

Most Christians I know in my life believe they have a monopoly on truth. I wonder if it is the same for the folk on this site, regardless of religion.

Only agnostics acknowledge the fact that they don't have the facts. Am I wrong?

 

[Secret Chief]

You may be.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I find the thread title itself to be the epitome of irony.

 

[an anarchist]

I find the thread title itself to be the epitome of irony.

Indeed, the OP does not have a monopoly on truth either.

 

[JustGeorge]

I just woke up. I don't yet understand my beliefs, but I would like to play Monopoly(but I don't want to be the banker).

 

[Trailblazer]

Do you accept the fact that you do not have a monopoly on truth?

Do you accept the truth that your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, could be wrong?

• My beliefs are factually correct
• I could be wrong

I could not pick either of these poll choices because:

Religious beliefs are not factual since facts require proof and there is no proof that religious beliefs are true.
That does not mean they are not true, only that they cannot be proven true.

"I could be wrong" is just a trap to get people to admit that their religion might not be true. (Been there, done that).
It is not about whether "I" am right or wrong, it is about whether the religion is true or false.

A better poll choice would be "The religion I believe in might not be true." Still, that is a trap set to get people to admit they might be wrong.
I am not stepping into that trap since I am 100% sure that my religion is a true religion from God, but I am also 100% sure that other religions came from God. That doesn't mean any religion is picture perfect since whenever humans get involved they take what was revealed by God and change it. So there are always going to be "issues" with religions whether people want to admit it or not. It is all a matter of the degree to which the religion has been tampered with by man.

 

[an anarchist]

• My beliefs are factually correct
• I could be wrong

I could not pick either of these poll choices because:

Religious beliefs are not factual since facts require proof and there is no proof that religious beliefs are true.
That does not mean they are not true, only that they cannot be proven true.

"I could be wrong" is just a trap to get people to admit that their religion might not be true. (Been there, done that).
It is not about whether "I" am right or wrong, it is about whether the religion is true or false.

A better poll choice would be "The religion I believe in might not be true." Still, that is a trap set to get people to admit they might be wrong.
I am not stepping into that trap since I am 100% sure that my religion is a true religion from God, but I am also 100% sure that other religions came from God. That doesn't mean any religion is picture perfect since whenever humans get involved they take what was revealed by God and change it. So there are always going to be "issues" with religions whether people want to admit it or not. It is all a matter of the degree to which the religion has been tampered with by man.

If there was an "interesting" frubal i would have given that to you instead of the creative.

I'll respond in depth later

 

[Daemon Sophic]

Do you accept the fact that you do not have a monopoly on truth?

Do you accept the truth that your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, could be wrong?

In Christian church, I was taught that "lack of faith" aka a healthy dose of skepticism, was absolutely terrible and you needed to fix it. You were to have unshakable faith, and know that you have a monopoly on truth, as a Bible wielding Christian.

Most Christians I know in my life believe they have a monopoly on truth. I wonder if it is the same for the folk on this site, regardless of religion.

Only agnostics acknowledge the fact that they don't have the facts. Am I wrong?

Since I am one of those agnostics that you mention, my "beliefs" simply change and conform to the facts/truth as we learn them.
What we currently know may be disproven one day......until then, we should always question, and strive to learn more.

 

[sun rise]

Only agnostics acknowledge the fact that they don't have the facts. Am I wrong?

There are exceptions. Here's a couple of examples from Judaism.

"Beware of any system which discourages questioning. Anyone who stifles questions is afraid that it could uncover the falseness of the beliefs." - Rabbi Noach Weinberg

"You don't learn by having faith. You learn by questioning, by challenging, by re-examining everything you've ever believed.

And yet, all this is a matter of faith
—the faith that there is a truth to be found.

It is another paradox: To truly question, you must truly have faith." - Rabbi Tzvi Freeman

 

[osgart]

I'm agnostic about many things, spiritual about few things, and religious about few things, and absolutely sure of few things.

Everything is with pencil and eraser so to speak.

My personal definition of truth is that which is according to virtue. I don't believe humans are ever completely virtuous, including me.

As far as truth that means in accordance with reality and existence, I think no one has a monopoly on that. Every human being has levels of much ignorance. Ignorance is not something that just goes away with all the answers forthcoming; that's not realistic. Ignorance is the default human condition. Only when acknowledging ignorance can a person begin to learn.

Having all the answers is not a reality based attitude. Scientists are at the forefront of knowledge by far because the process is meant to account for ignorance and embrace it in a path of humility and discovery. Science forces people to be humble because it is self correcting. Yet to me ultimate existence is a profound mystery that extends beyond the scope of science and methodological naturalism.

In short humans are at their most honest and best when they recognize their ignorance and move toward putting forth the effort to learn and discover.

There's no guarantees that most knowledge will become more than justified true belief. It's probably best to find out what works and is most effective for living life productively as a main focus. On the other side of that equation is the fact that genuine wisdom is far greater than knowledge, and the two are necessary to live a quality life. Can't have one without the other.

Humanity is very fortunate to have such a progressive, and productive history despite all the waste, destruction, brutality, savagery, and stupidity that abounds in it. History tells us how to stop making the same catastrophes, and screw ups over and over again. All humans have to do is ask the right questions of it. Then we'll be on a path toward truth.

Perhaps with A.I. humanity can evolve beyond our own faults and limits. Also there's a treasure in religion amidst all it's catastrophic faults, and erroneous claims to truth. Can't quite put my finger on it though.

Truth is that the most important thing a person can do is improve the human condition. Every bit helps. And there's really nothing better to do of all the things a person can do.

 

[Trailblazer]

I just woke up. I don't yet understand my beliefs,

When I first wake up I don't understand anything. I just move around like a robot trying to get the chores done.

I always feel terrible when I wake up but I go right to doing the morning chores, and I feel better after they are done and I take a shower and get some coffee. It takes me well over an hour just to do the chores I have to do every day when I get up, putting dishes away, doing litter boxes and feeding and watering the cats and outdoor birds and animals.

 

[JustGeorge]

When I first wake up I don't understand anything. I just move around like a robot trying to get the chores done.

I always feel terrible when I wake up but I go right to doing the morning chores, and I feel better after they are done and I take a shower and get some coffee. It takes me well over an hour just to do the chores I have to do every day when I get up, putting dishes away, doing litter boxes and feeding and watering the cats and outdoor birds and animals.

That's how Sam is, though he doesn't necessarily do chores. He jumps right out of bed, and changes his clothes, brushes his hair, and goes to the store to get a drink.

I roll out of bed, stumble down the stairs, curse a bit, and get on RF.

 

[Trailblazer]

I roll out of bed, stumble down the stairs, curse a bit, and get on RF.

I do not even consider getting on RF until all the chores are done. By then I have a little more thinking capacity.

 

[Unfettered]

Do you accept the fact that you do not have a monopoly on truth?

Yes.

Do you accept the truth that your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, could be wrong?

Beliefs, yes. Faith, no. Knowledge, no.

In Christian church, I was taught that "lack of faith" aka a healthy dose of skepticism, was absolutely terrible and you needed to fix it. You were to have unshakable faith, and know that you have a monopoly on truth, as a Bible wielding Christian.

Most Christians I know in my life believe they have a monopoly on truth. I wonder if it is the same for the folk on this site, regardless of religion.

Only agnostics acknowledge the fact that they don't have the facts. Am I wrong?

No one has all the facts. No one has all the truth. All of us "see through a glass, darkly." Some more than others, though.

 

[an anarchist]

No one has all the facts. No one has all the truth. All of us "see through a glass, darkly."

Yes I am agreeing with what you are say-

Some more than others, though.

Wait hold up. Would you by chance, say that, I dunno, Christians such as yourself see a bit more clearly through the glass than idk an atheist or Satanist? That's the implication I got from that last line. Am I wrong?

 

[mangalavara]

Do you accept the truth that your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, could be wrong?

The standard Western view, it seems, is that one’s religious beliefs are either true and in alignment with reality, or they are false and not in alignment with reality. This is dichotomous thinking. My view is that Truth masquerades as myth. Myth is in alignment with reality in some details, and it is not in alignment with reality in some details. Regardless of the veracity and otherwise of myth, myth can give one a connection with Truth if one ‘participates’ in myth through religious practice. This view naturally results in a pluralistic outlook on religion rather than an exclusivist outlook where one believes that one has a monopoly on truth.

 

[sun rise]

The standard Western view, it seems, is that one’s religious beliefs are either true and in alignment with reality, or they are false and not in alignment with reality. This is dichotomous thinking. My view is that Truth masquerades as myth. Myth is in alignment with reality in some details, and it is not in alignment with reality in some details. Regardless of the veracity and otherwise of myth, myth can give one a connection with Truth if one ‘participates’ in myth through religious practice. This view naturally results in a pluralistic outlook on religion rather than an exclusivist outlook where one believes that one has a monopoly on truth.

Some in the west and middle East echo that:

Rumi said How many paths are there to God? There are as many paths to God as there are souls on the Earth.

“Aren’t all religions equally true? No, all religions are equally false. The relationship of religion to truth is like that of a menu to a meal. The menu describes the meal as best it can. It points to something beyond itself. As long as we use the menu as a guide we do it honor. When we mistake the menu for the meal, we do it and ourselves a grave injustice.” - Rabbi Rami Shapiro who also said

“To me, religions are like languages: no language is true or false; all languages are of human origin; each language reflects and shapes the civilization that speaks it; there are things you can say in one language that you cannot say as well in another; and the more languages you learn, the more nuanced your understanding of life. Judaism is my mother tongue yet in matters of the spirit I strive to be multilingual. In the end, however, the deepest language of the soul is silence.”

 

[Unfettered]

Wait hold up. Would you by chance, say that, I dunno, Christians such as yourself see a bit more clearly through the glass than idk an atheist or Satanist?

My comment wasn't intended to be a challenge. It's just my understanding. If I had wanted to compare, I'd have been more specific. But I don't want to compare.

 

[ChristineM]

Do you accept the fact that you do not have a monopoly on truth?

Do you accept the truth that your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, could be wrong?

In Christian church, I was taught that "lack of faith" aka a healthy dose of skepticism, was absolutely terrible and you needed to fix it. You were to have unshakable faith, and know that you have a monopoly on truth, as a Bible wielding Christian.

Most Christians I know in my life believe they have a monopoly on truth. I wonder if it is the same for the folk on this site, regardless of religion.

From the title

I understand truth to be...

that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.​

There is another definition which, to me, muddies the thruth but so many people use it...

a belief that is accepted as true​

This i cannot accept, belief (unless shown as factual) can be wrong and therefore not truth.

Only agnostics acknowledge the fact that they don't have the facts. Am I wrong?

Yes you are wrong. Just about any atheist will say, show me falsifiable evidence and i will consider it and adjust my thinking if required.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Beliefs, yes. Faith, no. Knowledge, no.

I found this interesting. Can you please explain to me the difference between 'belief' and 'faith' as you see it?