Truth Seeking
February 7th, 2007 | 
Author: Something I have been thinking about as a result of the conversations that I have had with some people lately.
- I do not know everything
- My teachers do not know everything
- The teachers of my teachers do not know everything
- The ancients do not know everything
- It is acceptable to question and doubt everything that everyone tells you about anything in order to verify it’s truth.
- Any person who agrees with the first 4 points should have no problem with you questioning them on what they teach you or what they believe.
- In fact, they should encourage you to question what they tell you.
- Anyone who does not encourage you to test and question what they and other authorities say should be approached with caution.
- Any person who prohibits doubt and questions is not interested in the truth but only their own opinions.
- A fallible person HAS to acknowledge the possibility of their own error and should seek to be examined or the fact that they are not interested in truth is only reinforced.
- Talking to such a person about truth will most certainly be a waste of time.
The above truths applied to religion’s with scripture authorities
- All books that are reported to be revelations from god come through the hands, minds and experiences of men
- Men do not know everything
- Men (and women) are shown to embellish, exaggerate, change information to suit their interests, and have faulty memories
- Authors of “revelations” from God should be doubted, questioned and critically examined just like anyone else.
- Authors of “revelations” from God should encourage doubt, questioning and critical examination of their writings.
- Anyone who does not encourage you to doubt, question, and critically examine what they and other authorities say should be approached with caution.
- Every religion HAS to acknowledge that their revelation was originally given to fallible humans and that the subsequent transmission of their scriptures is also subject to even more fallible human interaction.
- Any religion that prohibits doubt, questions and critical examination is not interested in the truth but only in it’s own opinions that are not based in truth.
- No religion possess original autographs of their revelation
- Even if they did possess such autographs, given the second and third premises above, it would in no way guarantee that they were free from error.
- Talking to such people about truth will most certainly be a waste of time.
Jeff
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Posted in Christianity
4 Responses to “Truth Seeking”
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I share the same opinion! Thank you for this great text. But don’t just test the Christianity. You should question everything with the same questions.
I agree with most of what you say. But this spirit of skepticism does not take you anywhere. You call your article “Truth Seeking”. So, what truth did you find? The truth that truth cannot be known?
11. Talking to such people about truth will most certainly be a waste of time.
Please take this comment as a positive criticism
Thank you for your comment marko. That is a good point. I don’t mean to say that you cannot know any truth. That statement itself is a truth statement. I am more trying to advocate a healthy skepticism about ultimate truth claims. What concerns me is when people act as if their “truth” claims are completely immune from scrutiny and question. That I believe is not only unhealthy but possibly very dangerous. I think that most people recognize that their “truth claims” are subject to further review and are willing to change their view of what is true if new evidence demands it. Most religious, at least of a fundamentalist nature, are not in any way open to review and criticism and will not even concede that they MIGHT be wrong.
thanks,
Jeff
Goran Duskic:
I agree that this standard of skepticism should be applied to everything and not just to religion or Christianity. it should even be applied to skepticism itself. Because we do not know everything or any skeptic philosopher does not know everything, we should take any and all claims of knowledge tentatively. I think most honest philosophers “believers” will admit that they are only interested in the truth and have no interest in believing things that are not true. Because of that, all things should be tested and evaluated and re-evaluated in light of new evidence. The person who rejects the inspection of their own viewpoint, whether they are religious or otherwise, should be approached with caution.
Jeff