How Truth Becomes True
(Posted October 10, 2024)
I’m sure most of us, if not all of us, have had the experience of running into that one person who is absolutely, positively sure that their opinion on a topic is 100% correct, even if others can present evidence that it’s not. Very often it’s a family gathering where suddenly you find yourself wondering how people who share the same gene pool with you could think so differently.
So here’s the question. How does something become the truth for you? Who or what planted those seeds of experience that would become a belief for you?
Where Truth Comes From
A good number of our childhood beliefs are gifted to us by our parents and family. They are the basics for our sense of what is right and what is wrong.
It’s important to realize that some of our beliefs are core to who we are. Other beliefs change over a lifetime. We eventually leave behind our beliefs about the Easter Bunny and Santa and focus on more important questions. Who loves me? Why am I here? What constitutes a good person?
Web of Belief
All of us conduct our daily lives with a “web of belief” within us that guides what we do. However, to be very honest, that web of beliefs also tends to determine how willing we are to listen to a new information that might challenge some of those beliefs, and to respect the beliefs of others.
This Sunday we’ll hear the story of a wealthy young man who asks Jesus how he can gain eternal life. When Jesus tells him he must give over all his material possessions, it’s more than the young man can handle. He believes in his core identity as a wealthy person so much that he leaves in discouragement. Too much truth all at once.
Speaking Up for Truth Is Not Easy
Which brings me to my focus of the second Sunday where we discuss The Road to Wisdom.
We know that we’ve been given the task as followers of Jesus to speak the truth in love to all that we meet. But how do we speak up for truth in an era where there can be so much anger and harm inflicted by one person over another, just because their beliefs differ? Gone are the days when
“a simple, sober and non-emotional presentation of the facts of the matter would quickly win the day,” as Dr. Francis Collins laments in his book.
Reason and persuasion are not enough, he says. We need to start by looking at ourselves, and how we can get our own web of beliefs to permit us to listen to The Other. Direct confrontation rarely succeeds to implant truth.
This Sunday we will explore the ways that we can make the journey with others to refreshed beliefs and mutual respect. Come join us!