More Than A Carpenter Chp. 1
Greetings All, I loved our discussion last Thursday…hope you also found it stimulating. Amy asked if I could post some of the questions we discussed on our first night of study, so we could continue to ponder them…..Great idea, Amy!
What is truth? How can we know what we believe is true?
Can something be true for me, but not true for someone else? If so, is it Truth? If something is Truth, does it, by definition, exclude all other “truth” from being real Truth?
Are there competing truth…or levels of truth? Can there be “universal truth” that applies to everyone?
Can our preference not necessarily be the Truth, or fact or even based on fact? Must a Truth find basis in fact–or at least be verified in factual reality? If something is fact, and carries with it truth or claim of being truth, am I free to let my experience (subjective experience) dictate what is truth? Or…am I obligated to conform my experience to the Truth (the reality)? Can I say, “But, this is true for me, despite the real truth, which has been verified by fact.” ?
When does something become Truth? When I believe it? or whether I believe it or not? If Truth is linked to reality or fact…then how do I search out the truth (or facts)? What presuppositions do I bring to the task…?
We must be able, as we investigate and seek for the truth, to keep an open mind, that is, not let our presuppositions disqualify factual information, which otherwise, but for our presuppositions, appears to be true. And, we must remain flexible in our understanding of the facts, to let them speak for themselves, and if necessary, to adjust and shift our presuppositions to conform to the facts. This begs the questiong if at some point we can come to an “ultimate truth.” Should we come to a verifiably overarching or universal truth, which in itself excludes all other claims of truth as false, we are then faced with a major question…
Looking forward to seeing everyone this Thursday….XOX, Curt
