Truth vs. Tolerance

 

                Truth is a funny thing. It causes a person to question his former beliefs. Truth disturbs the inner convictions that we think are set in concrete, and it breaks all the rules that were formerly not even questioned. The word ‘truth’ comes from the Middle English treuthe, which is cognate with the Old Norse word, tryggth, or faith. It essentially means ‘a fact that has been verified’, or ‘conformity to reality or actuality’.
                 The phrase ‘relative truth’ is defined as ‘a belief that truth is based upon the views of the
individual’. Simply put, what one person believes is wrong, may be right in another’s eyes. Abortion may be considered as murder in the Christian Church, but from America’s point of view, it is the right of the mother to make the final decision. Therefore, if I believe that God is creation, rather than God is the creator, you must not only leave me to believe what I want, but accept my belief as reasonable as yours is.
                Despite the relativism in our culture today, absolute truth is understandable, believable, and reasonable. There are facts to back up the claims that are demanded by absolute truth. An absolute
truth is evidenced by the fact that if you jumped off a cliff, you would be subjected to the law of gravity, and eventually crash into the earth. Mere faith that you would fly cannot change the laws of creation.

                Truth is not reliant on what we think or feel; truth is truth, whether we like it or not. If a person is told that the Twin Towers were hit by an airplane, and he does not believe him, that does not make the truth at all untrue. Rather, it shows that while faith is necessary to believe, it is not necessary for things to happen. In that case, no good can come of the belief that ‘truth is relative’.

                Although truth does not need faith to act, faith needs a certain amount of truth for anything to be believed in. If evolution need scientific evidence to prove that it exists, then creationism must have facts to show that it is correct. Contrary to popular opinion, all religions are not the same. Even in
Christianity, there are many different denominations, and everyone thinks that they are right.
                All religions have drastic differences, some believe in one God, and others believe in many.
There are beliefs that are based upon works and those that are based upon faith. Nonetheless, all of
these cannot be the same, because none of them agree on everything. They cannot be true because
they teach opposites.
               Therefore, since all religions cannot be true, it is impossible for us to agree with the new
definition of tolerance, the idea that all beliefs are true. Invariably, someone’s drastically different belief pattern will disrupt the pattern of ‘tranquility’ that will supposedly be enforced by this standard. We are to respect what others believe is true, but to kindly explain the truth to them. Francis Bacon once said, ‘Small amounts of philosophy lead to atheism, but larger amounts bring us back to God.’ After all, if you defend your own faith, and politely question those that believe in ‘tolerance’, you may one day save them from eternal punishment.