Is Truth Relative?

2004-10-15

Truth about reality is knowable

In today’s society people believe that truth is relative. In other words, “whatever is true for you might not be true for me.” First, we must prove that truth is not relative, but absolute and can be known.

Truth is that which corresponds to its object. Truth corresponds to reality and matches its object (Geisler 4-6). If I show you the table that is in this picture:

A picture of an ordinary table.

and say, this is a table, it is true, because it is a table.

We can undeniably know reality. If you say, “We cannot know reality,” it is a self-defeating statement: The opposite of that statement claims in itself that it is a statement about reality. If you say, “We cannot know reality,” then does your statement reflect reality, or no?

Again, you could say, “truth is relative.” But I would say to you, is your statement “truth is relative” a relative statement? It is a self-defeating statement! You cannot say with authority that “truth is relative” because that statement by your own word would also have to be relative.

Consider this conversation Ken Ham had with an atheist (Ham 138):

At one seminar, a young man came up to me and said, “I’m an atheist. As an atheist I don’t believe in any absolutes. In fact, we can’t even be sure of reality. To be honest I can’t even prove I’m here.”

“In that case, why are you even asking me any questions?” I replied.

“Good point” said this young man.

“What point?” I stated.

“Maybe I should go home” he said.

“Maybe it’s not there,” I retorted.

“Good point” he replied.

“What point?” I exclaimed.

He smiled and said, “I’ll think about it.”

The opposite of true is false

The law of non-contradiction can be defined as follows: “A statement cannot be true and not true at the same time and in the same respect” (from McKenzie’s Why Christianity).

Here is Geisler’s argument (Geisler 8):

Geisler demonstrates this be quoting the philosopher Avicenna: “Anyone who denies the law of non-contradiction should be beaten and burned until he admits that to be beaten is not the same as not to be beaten, and to be burned is not the same as not to be burned.”

Again, we have another self-defeating statement: “The opposite of true is not false.” Consider the alternative, “the opposite of true is true.” Likewise, Christianity, the other religions, and other worldviews all teach a lot of conflicting things.

There are several different views of God: Theism (God created all), Pantheism (God is all), and Atheism (there is no God at all).

Means of salvation (or enlightenment, or whatever) is obtained by very different, but exclusive ways, according to different religions. Christianity, according to the Bible, says that all people are sinners, and can only go to heaven if they trust in Jesus Christ alone, the perfect Son of God who died for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day (John 3:16; 14:6). Another religious teaching states that one must believe in the last day, and that one’s good deeds, such as prayer and paying alms, must outweigh one’s bad deeds. Yet another teaches that one must end suffering by ending desire, to attain a condition of emptiness. Who is right? Only one can be true, for they are all different teachings! I will defend the case for Christianity. First, before I can demonstrate that Biblical Christianity is true, I must demonstrate the existence of the Creator God. Refer to the essay entitled The Existence of God the Creator for a demonstration of the existence of the living God.

If you are still not convinced that Truth is absolute, refer to The Truth is Relative Story.

References

Geisler, Norman L. Twelve Points That Show Christianity Is True, a PowerPoint presentation. April 2003.

Ham, Ken. Creation Evangelism for the New Millennium. Green Forest, Master Books, 1998.

McKenzie, Rolaant L. Why Christianity? Available on the web at http://www.gospeloutreach.net/whychristianity.html.