Šta je istina? / What is truth?

Pre gotovo dve hiljade godina, Istina je bila testirana i suđeno joj je od strane ljudi koji su bili posvećeni lažima. U stvari, Istina se suočila sa šest suđenja u toku nepunog dana, od kojih su tri bila religiozna, a tri pravna. Na kraju, malo ljudi koji su bili uključeni u ove događaje je moglo da odgovori na ovo pitanje, „Šta je istina?" Pošto je bila testirana, Istina je prvo odvedena čoveku po imenu Ana, korumpiranom bivšem Jevrejskom prvosvešteniku. Ana je prekršio brojne Jevrejske zakone tokom suđenja, uključujući održavanje suđenja u sopstvenoj kući, pokušaj da izazove samooptužbe protiv okrivljenog, i udarajući optuženog a da u to vreme ni za šta nije bio okrivljen. Posle Ane, Istina je bila odvedena do vladajućeg prvosveštenika Kajafe, koji je bio Anin zet. Pred Kajafom i Jevrejskim Sinedrionom mnogi lažni svedoci su se pojavili da govore protiv Istine, i ništa nisu mogli da dokažu, i nikakav dokaz protiv njega nisu našli. Kajafa je prekršio ni manje ni više nego sedam zakona kada je pokušao da osudi Istinu: (1) suđenje je bilo u tajnosti; (2) bilo je izvedeno tokom noći; (3) uključilo je podmićivanje; (4) optuženik nije imao nikog ko bi predstavljao odbranu za njega; (5) nije bio zadovoljen zahtev da postoje 2 do 3 svedoka; (6) koristili su kontradiktorno svedočanstvo protiv okrivljenog; (7) sproveli su smrtnu kaznu protiv okrivljenog isti dan. Sve ovo je bilo zabranjeno Jevrejskim zaoknom. Bez obzira na to, Kajafa je proglasio Istinu krivom jer je Istina tvrdila da je Bog u telu, nešto što je Kajafa nazvao svetogrđem. Kada je svanulo jutro, počelo je treće suđenje Istini, i ishod je bio da je Jevrejski Sinedrion objavio da Istina treba da umre. Međutim, Jevrejski savet nije imao legalno pravo da sprovede smrtu kaznu, tako da su morali da dovedu Istinu kod Rimskog guvernera u ono vreme, čoveka po imenu Pontije Pilat. Pontija je postavio Tiberije kao petog prefekta Judeje i služio je na tom položaju od 26. do 36. g.n.e. Namesnik je imao moć nad životom i smrću i mogao je da poništi smrtne presude Sinedriona. Dok je Istina stajala pred Pilatom, još više laži je bilo izneseno protiv njega. Njegovi neprijatelji su rekli: „Našli smo ovoga kako zavodi naš narod i protivi se plaćanju poreza caru, i za sebe govori da je Hristos, car" (Luka 23:2). Ovo je bila laž, pošto je istina svima govorila da plaćaju svoj porez (Mateja 22:21) i nikada nije govorio o sebi kao izazovu Caru. Nakon ovoga, odvio se veoma zanimljiv razgovor između Istine i Pilata. „Zatim Pilat ponovo uđe u pretorijum, pozva Isusa i reče mu: ti si car judejski? Isus odgovori: govoriš li to sam od sebe, ili ti drugi rekoše za mene? Odgovori Pilat: zar sam ja Judejin? Tvoj narod i prvosveštenici predadoše te meni; šta si učinio? Isus odgovori: moje carstvo nije od ovoga sveta; kad bi moje carstvo bilo od ovoga sveta, moji vojnici bi se borili, da ne budem predan Judejima; ovako, moje carstvo nije odavde. Na to mu reče Pilat: ipak si car? Isus odgovori: ti kažeš da sam car. Ja sam se za to rodio, i za to došao na svet, da posvedočim za istinu. Svaki — ko je od istine — sluša moj glas. Reče mu Pilat: šta je istina?" (Jovan 18:33-38). Pilatovo pitanje: „Šta je istina?" odjekivalo je tokom istorije. Da li je to bila tužna želja da zna ono što niko nije mogao da mu kaže, cinična uvreda, ili čak nervozan, nezainteresovan odgovor na Isusove reči? U postmoderom svetu koji poriče mogućnost da se sazna istina, pitanje je bitnije nego ikada ranije. Šta je istina? Predlozi za definiciju Istine Kada definišemo istinu, korisno je napomenuti šta nije istina: • Istina nije ono što jednostavno deluje. Ovo je filozofija pragmatizma – pristup tipa „cilj-sredstvo". U stvarnosti, laž može da deluje kao da „funkcioniše", ali je i dalje laž a ne istina. • Istina nije ono što je jednostavno koherentno i razumljivo. Grupa ljudi može da se sastane i stvori zaveru zasnovanu na grupi neistina, i da se slože da će reći istu lažnu priču, ali to je neće učiniti istinitom. • Istina nije nešto zbog čega se ljudi bolje osećaju. Nažalost, loše vesti mogu da budu istinite. • Istina nije ono što većina kaže da je istina. 51% u grupi može da donese pogrešan zaključak. • Istina nije nešto što je obimno. Dugačka, detaljna prezentacija i dalje može da donese pogrešan zaključak. • Istina nije definisana svojom namerom. Dobre namere i dalje mogu da budu pogrešne. • Istina nije kako znamo, istina je ono što znamo. • Istina nije jednostavno ono u šta verujemo. Laž u koju se veruje je i dalje laž. • Istina nije ono što je javno dokazano. Istina može da bude spoznata privatno (na primer, lokacija zakopanog blaga). Grčka reč za „istinu" je alētheia, što doslovno znači „otkriti", ili „ništa ne sakrivati". Njen smisao je da je istina uvek tu, uvek otvorena i dostupna da je vidimo, i da nema ništa sakriveno ili nejasno. Hebrejska reč za istinu je emeth, što znači „čvrstina", „stalnost" i „trajanje". Takva definicija implicira večnu suštinu i nešto na šta možemo da se oslonimo. Sa filozoske tačke gledišta, postoje tri jednostavna načina da se definiše istina: 1. Istina se poklapa sa stvarnošću. 2. Istina se poklapa sa svojim ciljem. 3. Istina je jednostavno reći istinu takvu kakva je. Prvo, istina se poklapa sa realnošću, ili „onim što jeste". Ona je realna. Istina je takođe je po prirodi objašnjava, poklapa se sa svojim objektom i referentom. Na primer, nastavnik koji se obraća odeljenju može da kaže: „Jedini izlaz iz ove prostorije je na desnoj strani". Za odeljenje, koje gleda pravo u nastavnika, izlaz može da bude na levoj strani, ali je apsolutno istina da su vrata, za nastavnika, sa desne strane. Istina se takođe poklapa sa svojim objektom. Može da bude apsolutna istina da je nekoj osobi potrebna određena doza leka u miligramima, ali drugoj osobi je potrebno više ili manje istog leka da bi se postigao željeni efekat. Ovo nije relativna istina, već samo primer kako istina mora da se pokalpa sa svojim objektom. Bilo bi pogrešno (i potencijalno opasno) da pacijent traži od doktora da mu da neodgovarajuću količinu određenog leka, ili reći da bi svaki lek bio dobar za tu bolest. Ukratko, istina je jednostavno reći da je nešto tako kako jeste: to je ono kako stvari zaista stoje, dok su sva druga viđenja pogrešna. Osnovni princip filozofije je da budemo u stanju da razaberemo istinu od laži, ili kao što je Toma Akvinski rekao: „Zadatak filozofa je da prepoznaje razliku". Izazovi za istinu Reči Akvinskog danas nisu mnogo popularne. Praviti razliku je izgleda izašlo iz mode u veku postmodernizma. Danas je prihvatljivo reći: „Ovo je istina", sve dok ne sledi, a „ovo je zato neistina". Ovo se posebno može videti u pitanjima vere i religije gde je svaki sistem trebalo da bude na istoj tački kada se radi o istini. Postoji nekoliko filozofija i viđenja sveta koja stavljaju na test koncept istine, a ipak, kada se svaki pomno prouči, vidi se da je kontradiktoran u svojoj prirodi. Filozofija relativizma kaže da je cela istina relativna i da ne postoji apsolutna istina. Ali moramo da postavimo pitanje: da li je ova tvrdnja „svaka istina je relativna" relativna istina ili apsolutna istina? Ako je relativna istina, onda je zaista besmislena; Kako da znamo kada i gde je primenjiva? Ako je to apsolutna istina, onda apsolutna istina postoji. Štaviše, relativisti izdaju sopstveno stanovište kada tvrde da je stanovište apsolutista pogrešno – zašto ne mogu i oni koji kažu da postoji apsolutna istina da budu u pravu? U suštini, kada relativisti kažu: „Nema istine", oni traže da im ne veruješ, i najbolje od svega je slediti njihov savet. Oni koji slede filozofiju skepticizma jednostavno sumnjaju u svu istinu. Ali da li je skeptik skeptičan nad skepticizmom; da li sumnja u svoje tvrdnje o istini? Ako je tako, zašto bismo onda obraćali pažnju na skepticizam? Ako nije, u jedno sigurno možemo da budemo sigurni (drugim rečima, apsolutna istina postoji) – u skepticizam, koji po nekoj ironiji postaje apsolutna istina u tom slučaju. Agnostik kaže da ne možeš da znaš istinu. I to mišljenje je kontradiktorno jer ipak tvrdi da zna bar jednu istinu, da ne možeš da znaš istinu. Učenici postmodernizma jednostavo tvrde da nema posebne istine. Svetac pokrovitelj postmodernizma – Fridrih Niče – ovako je opisao istinu: „Šta je istina? Pokretna vojska metafora, metonimija, i antropomrfizama... istine su iluzije.... novčići koji su izgubili svoje slike i sada su samo metal, ne više novac." Ironično je što iako postmodernisti sada drže novčiće u svojim rukama, koji su „samo metal" on potvrđuje bar jednu apsolutnu istinu, istinu da nijednoj istini nije potrebna potvrda. Kao i druga viđenja sveta, posmodernizam je kontradiktoran i ne može da se održi pod težinom sopstvenih tvrdnji. Pluralizam se razotkriva zbog zakona nekontradiktornosti, koji kaže da nešto ne može da bude i „A" i NE-A" u isto vreme Popularno viđenje je pluralizam, koje tvrdi da su sve istine podjednako validne. Naravno, to je nemoguće. Da li dve tvrdnje mogu – jedna koja kaže da je žena sada trudna a druga da nije trudna – obe da budu istinite u isto vreme? Pluralizam se raspada kod zakona nekontradiktornosti, koji kaže da nešto ne može da bude i „A" i „Ne-A" u isto vreme, i u istom smislu. Kao što se jedan filozof našalio, svako ko veruje da zakon nekontradiktornosti nije istinit (i time, pluralizam istinit), trebalo bi da bude bijen i paljen sve dok ne prizna da biti bijen i paljen nije isto što i ne biti bijen i paljen. Takođe, pluralizam tvrdi da je istinit i da je sve što mu je suprotno neistina, što je tvrdnja koja negira svoje temeljna načela. Duh koji stoji iza pluralizma je širokogrudi stav tolerancije. Međutim, pluralizam meša ideju da svi imaju podjednaku vrednost sa tim da je svaka istina podjednako validna. Da pojednostavimo, svi su podjednaki ali nije isto i sa tvrdnjama o istini. Pluralizam ne uspeva da razume razliku između mišljenja i istine, razliku koju Mortimer Adler zapaža: „Pluralizam je poželjan i podnošljiv samo u onim oblastima koje su stvar ukusa a ne stvar istine." Odbojna priroda Istine Kada se ismeva koncept istine, to je obično iz jednog ili više narednih razloga: Jedna od osnovnih žalbi protiv bilo koga ko tvrdi da ima apsolutnu istinu u pitanjima vere i religije je da je takvo stanovište „uskogrudo". Međutim, kritičar ne razume da je po prirodi istina uska. Da li je uskogrud nastavnik koji veruje da je 2+2 samo 4? Druga zamerka za istinu je da je arogantna u svojim tvrdnjama da ne neko u pravu a neko nije. Međutim, vraćajući se na prethodni primer matematike, da li je arogantno da on insistira da postoji samo jedan pravi odgovor na atitmetičke probleme? Da li je arogantno da bravar tvrdi da će samo jedan ključ otvoriti zaključana vrata? Treća zamerka protiv onih koji veruju u apsolutnu istinu u pitanjima vere i religije je da takva pozicija isključuje ljude, ne suprotno. Ali takva zamerka ne uspeva da razume da istina u svojoj prirodi, isključuje suprotno. Svi drugi odgovori osim da je 2+2=4, isključuju realnost. Još jedan protest protiv ideje da neko zna istinu je da je to uvredljivo i da pravi razdore. Kritičari tvrde da je nabitnija iskrenost. Problem sa ovim stavom je da je istina imuna na iskrenost, verovanje i želju. Nije bitno koliko iskreno neko veruje, pogrešan ključ neće otvoriti vrata, ključ i dalje neće ući i vrata se neće otvoriti. Istina takođe nema veze sa iskrenošću. Neko ko uzme flašu otrova i iskreno veruje da je u njoj limunada iskusiće strašne efekte otrova. Konačno, istina je otporna na želju. Osoba može da snažno želi da u kolima još uvek ima benzina, ali ako merač kaže da je rezervoar prazan, kola neće moći dalje, tada nijedna želja na ovom svetu neće moći da čudotvorno pokrene kola. Neki će priznati da postoji apsolutna istina, ali takve tvrdnje su validne samo u oblasti nauke, nikako u pitanjima vere i religije. Ovo je filozofija koju zovemo logički pozitivizam, koju su popularisali filozofi kao što je Dejvid Hjum, i A.Dž.Ajer. U suštini, takvi ljudi tvrde da istinite tvrdnje moraju da budu ili (1) tautologije (na primer, sve neženje su neoženjeni) ili empirijski dokazivi (tj. da mogu da se testiraju putem nauke). Za logičkog pozitivistu, sav govor o isitini je glupost. Oni koji se drže tvrdnje da samo nauka ta koja može da daje izjave o istini ne prepoznaje da ima mnogo domena istine gde je nauka nemoćna. Na primer: • Nauka ne može da dokaže matematičke discipline i logiku jer ih pretpostavlja. • Nauka ne može da dokaže metafizičke istine kao što su – ne postoje drugi umovi osim mog. • Nauka nije u stanju da omogući istinu u oblastima morala i etike. Ne možeš da koristiš nauku, na primer, da bi dokazao da su Nacisti bili zli. • Nauka ne može da tvrdi istine o estetici, kao što je lepota izlaska sunca. • Konačno, kada bilo ko tvrdi da je samo „nauka izvor objektivne istine", upravo je doneo filozofsku tvrdnju – koju nauka ne može da testira. Ima i onih koji tvrde da se apsolutna istina ne može primeniti u oblasti moralnosti. Ipak, odovor na pitanje: „Da li je moralno mučiti i ubiti nevino dete?" je apsoutno i univerzalno: Ne. Ili, da bude ličnije, oni koji prihvate relativnu istinu po pitanju morala uvek izgleda da žele da im je bračni drug apsolutno veran. Zašto je bitna istina Zašto je toliko bitno da razumemo i prihvatimo koncept apsolutne istine u svim oblastima života (uključujući i religiju)? Jednostavno zato što život ima posledice kada nismo u pravu. Dati nekom pogrešnu količinu lekova može da ih ubije; menadžer za investicije koji donese pogrešne odluke može da dovede jednu porodicu do siromaštva; ako se ukrcate na pogrešan avion nećete otići gde ste želeli; i borba sa nevernim bračnim partnerom može da završi uništenjem porodice i potencijalno, bolešću. Kao što hrišćanski apologeta Ravi Zekerajas kaže: „Činjenica je da je istina bitna – pogotovo kada si ti onaj koji trpi posledice laži." I ovo nije nigde bitnije nego u oblasti vere i religije. Večnost je strašno dugo vreme da bismo dozvolili sebi da ne budemo u pravu. Bog i Istina Tokom Isusovih šest suđenja, kontrast između istine (pravednosti) i laži (nepravednosti) je bila bez greške. Tamo je stajao Isus, Istina, koga su osudili oni čije je svako delo bilo uvaljano u laži. Jevrejske vođe su prerkšile govoro svaki zakon koji je napravljen da zaštiti optuženog od pogrešne osude. Žarko su radili da otkriju bilo koje svedočanstvo koje bi okrivilo Isusa, tako da su se u svojoj nemoći okrenuli pogrešnim dolazima koje su izneli lažovi. Međutim, ni to nije moglo da im pomogne da dosegnu svoj cilj. Tako da su prekršili drugi zakon i prisilili Isusa da bude okrivljen. Kada se jednom našao pred Pilatom, Jevrejske vođe su ponovo lagale. Optužili su Isusa za svetogrđe, ali pošto su znali da neće biti dovoljno da nagovore Pilata da ubije Isusa, oni su tvrdili da se Isus suprotstavljao Caru i da je kršio Rimski zakon ohrabrujući mase da ne plaćaju porez. Pilat je brzo primetio njihovu površnu prevaru, i nikada nije ni pomenuo optužbu. Isusu Pravedniku, sudili su nepravednici. Tužna činjenica je da ovi drugi proganjaju Prvog. Zato je Kain ubio Avelja. Veza između istine i pravednosti je ista kao između laži i pravednosti kao što su pokazali brojni primeri u Novom zavetu. • I zato im Bog šalje zabludnu delatnost — da poveruju laži da budu osuđeni svi koji ne poverovaše istini, nego se opredeliše za nepravdu. (2 Solunjanima 2:9-12, naglasak dodat). • „Gnev Božiji pak otkriva se sa neba na svaku bezbožnost i nepravednost ljudi, koji nepravednošću zadržavaju istinu" (Rimljanima 1:18, dodat naglasak). • „koji će svakome uzvratiti po njegovim delima; onima koji u istrajnosti čine dobro i traže slavu, čast i nepropadljivost, daće večni život, a onima što prkose i ostaju nepokorni istini, a zlu poslušni, gnev i ljutnju" (Rimljanima 2:6-8). Dodat naglasak). • „ljubav... ne ponaša se nepristojno, ne traži svoje, ne ljuti se, ne uračunava zlo, ne raduje se nepravdi, ali se raduje sa istinom (1 Korinćanima 13:5-6, dodat naglasak). Zaključak Pitanje koje je Pontije Pilat postavio pre mnogo vekova trebalo bi preinačiti da bi bilo u potpunosti ispravno. Namesnikova primedba: „ Šta je istina?" previđa činjenicu da mnogo toga može da ima istinu, ali samo jedno može biti cela istina. Istina mora da potekne odnekle. Jasna je činjenica da je Pilat gledao direktno na Poreklo Isine tog ranog jutra pre dve hiljade godina. Nedugo pre nego što je bio uhapšen i doveden kod namesnika, Isus je rekao ovu jednostavnu tvrdnju: „Ja sam istina" (Jovan 14:6), koja je bila zaista neverovatna. Kako bi običan čovek mogao da bude istina? Ne bi to mogao da bude, osim ako nije bio običan čovek, a to je ono što je tvrdio da jeste. Činjenjica je da je Isusova tvrdnja bila potvrđena kada je ustao iz mrtvih (Rimljanima 1:4). Postoji priča o čoveku koji je živeo u Parizu i koga je došao da poseti čovek sa sela. Da bi mu pokazao koliko je veličanstven Pariz, odveo ga je u Luvr da vidi velika umetnička dela a onda na koncert u kraljevsku simfonijsku dvoranu da čuje veliku simfoniju koju je izvodio orkestar. Na kraju dana, posetilac sa sela je komentarisao da mu se nisu posebno svideli ni umetnička dela ni muzika, na šta je domaćin odvratio: „Nisu oni na suđenju, ti si". Pilat i Jevrejske vođe su mislili da su oni sudili Hristu, a u stvari, oni su bili ti kojima je suđeno. Štaviše, onaj koga su osudili će u stvari biti Sudija jednog dana, kao i za sve koji potiskuju istinu u nepravednosti. Pilat očigledno nikada nije spoznao istinu. Euzebije, istoričar i episkop Cezareje, beleži činjenicu da je Pilat na kraju izvršio samoubistvo negde tokom vradavine cara Kaligule, što je jadan kraj i podsetnik za svakoga ko ignoriše istinu – to dovodi do neželjenih posledica.

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Almost two thousand years ago, Truth was put on trial and judged by people who were devoted to lies. In fact, Truth faced six trials in less than one full day, three of which were religious, and three that were legal. In the end, few people involved in those events could answer the question, “What is truth?” After being arrested, the Truth was first led to a man named Annas, a corrupt former high priest of the Jews. Annas broke numerous Jewish laws during the trial, including holding the trial in his house, trying to induce self-accusations against the defendant, and striking the defendant, who had been convicted of nothing at the time. After Annas, the Truth was led to the reigning high priest, Caiaphas, who happened to be Annas’s son-in-law. Before Caiaphas and the Jewish Sanhedrin, many false witnesses came forward to speak against the Truth, yet nothing could be proved and no evidence of wrongdoing could be found. Caiaphas broke no fewer than seven laws while trying to convict the Truth: (1) the trial was held in secret; (2) it was carried out at night; (3) it involved bribery; (4) the defendant had no one present to make a defense for Him; (5) the requirement of 2-3 witnesses could not be met; (6) they used self-incriminating testimony against the defendant; (7) they carried out the death penalty against the defendant the same day. All these actions were prohibited by Jewish law. Regardless, Caiaphas declared the Truth guilty because the Truth claimed to be God in the flesh, something Caiaphas called blasphemy. When morning came, the third trial of the Truth took place, with the result that the Jewish Sanhedrin pronounced the Truth should die. However, the Jewish council had no legal right to carry out the death penalty, so they were forced to bring the Truth to the Roman governor at the time, a man named Pontius Pilate. Pilate was appointed by Tiberius as the fifth prefect of Judea and served in that capacity A.D. 26 to 36. The procurator had power of life and death and could reverse capital sentences passed by the Sanhedrin. As the Truth stood before Pilate, more lies were brought against Him. His enemies said, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King” (Luke 23:2). This was a lie, as the Truth had told everyone to pay their taxes (Matthew 22:21) and never spoke of Himself as a challenge to Caesar. After this, a very interesting conversation between the Truth and Pilate took place. “Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?’ Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?’ Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’ Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’” (John 18:33–38). Pilate’s question, “What is truth?” has reverberated down through history. Was it a melancholy desire to know what no one else could tell him, a cynical insult, or perhaps an irritated, indifferent reply to Jesus’ words? In a postmodern world that denies that truth can be known, the question is more important than ever to answer. What is truth? A Proposed Definition of Truth In defining truth, it is first helpful to note what truth is not:    • Truth is not simply whatever works. This is the philosophy of pragmatism—an ends-vs.-means-type approach. In reality, lies can appear to “work,” but they are still lies and not the truth.    • Truth is not simply what is coherent or understandable. A group of people can get together and form a conspiracy based on a set of falsehoods where they all agree to tell the same false story, but it does not make their presentation true.    • Truth is not what makes people feel good. Unfortunately, bad news can be true.    • Truth is not what the majority says is true. Fifty-one percent of a group can reach a wrong conclusion.    • Truth is not what is comprehensive. A lengthy, detailed presentation can still result in a false conclusion.    • Truth is not defined by what is intended. Good intentions can still be wrong.    • Truth is not how we know; truth is what we know.    • Truth is not simply what is believed. A lie believed is still a lie.    • Truth is not what is publicly proved. A truth can be privately known (for example, the location of buried treasure). The Greek word for “truth” is aletheia, which literally means to “un-hide” or “hiding nothing.” It conveys the thought that truth is always there, always open and available for all to see, with nothing being hidden or obscured. The Hebrew word for “truth” is emeth, which means “firmness,” “constancy” and “duration.” Such a definition implies an everlasting substance and something that can be relied upon. From a philosophical perspective, there are three simple ways to define truth:    1. Truth is that which corresponds to reality.    2. Truth is that which matches its object.    3. Truth is simply telling it like it is. First, truth corresponds to reality or “what is.” It is real. Truth is also correspondent in nature. In other words, it matches its object and is known by its referent. For example, a teacher facing a class may say, “Now the only exit to this room is on the right.” For the class that may be facing the teacher, the exit door may be on their left, but it’s absolutely true that the door, for the professor, is on the right. Truth also matches its object. It may be absolutely true that a certain person may need so many milligrams of a certain medication, but another person may need more or less of the same medication to produce the desired effect. This is not relative truth, but just an example of how truth must match its object. It would be wrong (and potentially dangerous) for a patient to request that their doctor give them an inappropriate amount of a particular medication, or to say that any medicine for their specific ailment will do. In short, truth is simply telling it like it is; it is the way things really are, and any other viewpoint is wrong. A foundational principle of philosophy is being able to discern between truth and error, or as Thomas Aquinas observed, "It is the task of the philosopher to make distinctions." Challenges to Truth Aquinas’ words are not very popular today. Making distinctions seems to be out of fashion in a postmodern era of relativism. It is acceptable today to say, “This is true,” as long as it is not followed by, “and therefore that is false.” This is especially observable in matters of faith and religion where every belief system is supposed to be on equal footing where truth is concerned. There are a number of philosophies and worldviews that challenge the concept of truth, yet, when each is critically examined it turns out to be self-defeating in nature. The philosophy of relativism says that all truth is relative and that there is no such thing as absolute truth. But one has to ask: is the claim “all truth is relative” a relative truth or an absolute truth? If it is a relative truth, then it really is meaningless; how do we know when and where it applies? If it is an absolute truth, then absolute truth exists. Moreover, the relativist betrays his own position when he states that the position of the absolutist is wrong—why can’t those who say absolute truth exists be correct too? In essence, when the relativist says, “There is no truth,” he is asking you not to believe him, and the best thing to do is follow his advice. Those who follow the philosophy of skepticism simply doubt all truth. But is the skeptic skeptical of skepticism; does he doubt his own truth claim? If so, then why pay attention to skepticism? If not, then we can be sure of at least one thing (in other words, absolute truth exists)—skepticism, which, ironically, becomes absolute truth in that case. The agnostic says you can’t know the truth. Yet the mindset is self-defeating because it claims to know at least one truth: that you can’t know truth. The disciples of postmodernism simply affirm no particular truth. The patron saint of postmodernism—Frederick Nietzsche—described truth like this: “What then is truth? A mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms … truths are illusions … coins which have lost their pictures and now matter only as metal, no longer as coins.” Ironically, although the postmodernist holds coins in his hand that are now “mere metal,” he affirms at least one absolute truth: the truth that no truth should be affirmed. Like the other worldviews, postmodernism is self-defeating and cannot stand up under its own claim. A popular worldview is pluralism, which says that all truth claims are equally valid. Of course, this is impossible. Can two claims—one that says a woman is now pregnant and another that says she is not now pregnant—both be true at the same time? Pluralism unravels at the feet of the law of non-contradiction, which says that something cannot be both “A” and “Non-A” at the same time and in the same sense. As one philosopher quipped, anyone who believes that the law of non-contradiction is not true (and, by default, pluralism is true) should be beaten and burned until they admit that to be beaten and burned is not the same thing as to not be beaten and burned. Also, note that pluralism says that it is true and anything opposed to it is false, which is a claim that denies its own foundational tenet. The spirit behind pluralism is an open-armed attitude of tolerance. However, pluralism confuses the idea of everyone having equal value with every truth claim being equally valid. More simply, all people may be equal, but not all truth claims are. Pluralism fails to understand the difference between opinion and truth, a distinction Mortimer Adler notes: “Pluralism is desirable and tolerable only in those areas that are matters of taste rather than matters of truth.” The Offensive Nature of Truth When the concept of truth is maligned, it is usually for one or more of the following reasons: One common complaint against anyone claiming to have absolute truth in matters of faith and religion is that such a stance is “narrow-minded.” However, the critic fails to understand that, by nature, truth is narrow. Is a math teacher narrow-minded for holding to the belief that 2 + 2 only equals 4? Another objection to truth is that it is arrogant to claim that someone is right and another person is wrong. However, returning to the above example with mathematics, is it arrogant for a math teacher to insist on only one right answer to an arithmetic problem? Or is it arrogant for a locksmith to state that only one key will open a locked door? A third charge against those holding to absolute truth in matters of faith and religion is that such a position excludes people, rather than being inclusive. But such a complaint fails to understand that truth, by nature, excludes its opposite. All answers other than 4 are excluded from the reality of what 2 + 2 truly equals. Yet another protest against truth is that it is offensive and divisive to claim one has the truth. Instead, the critic argues, all that matters is sincerity. The problem with this position is that truth is immune to sincerity, belief, and desire. It doesn’t matter how much one sincerely believes a wrong key will fit a door; the key still won’t go in and the lock won’t be opened. Truth is also unaffected by sincerity. Someone who picks up a bottle of poison and sincerely believes it is lemonade will still suffer the unfortunate effects of the poison. Finally, truth is impervious to desire. A person may strongly desire that their car has not run out of gas, but if the gauge says the tank is empty and the car will not run any farther, then no desire in the world will miraculously cause the car to keep going. Some will admit that absolute truth exists, but then claim such a stance is only valid in the area of science and not in matters of faith and religion. This is a philosophy called logical positivism, which was popularized by philosophers such as David Hume and A. J. Ayer. In essence, such people state that truth claims must either be (1) tautologies (for example, all bachelors are unmarried men) or (2) empirically verifiable (that is, testable via science). To the logical positivist, all talk about God is nonsense. Those who hold to the notion that only science can make truth claims fail to recognize is that there are many realms of truth where science is impotent. For example:    • Science cannot prove the disciplines of mathematics and logic because it presupposes them.    • Science cannot prove metaphysical truths such as, minds other than my own do exist.    • Science is unable to provide truth in the areas of morals and ethics. You cannot use science, for example, to prove the Nazis were evil.    • Science is incapable of stating truths about aesthetic positions such as the beauty of a sunrise.    • Lastly, when anyone makes the statement “science is the only source of objective truth,” they have just made a philosophical claim—which cannot be tested by science. And there are those who say that absolute truth does not apply in the area of morality. Yet the response to the question, “Is it moral to torture and murder an innocent child?” is absolute and universal: No. Or, to make it more personal, those who espouse relative truth concerning morals always seem to want their spouse to be absolutely faithful to them. Why Truth Is Important Why is it so important to understand and embrace the concept of absolute truth in all areas of life (including faith and religion)? Simply because life has consequences for being wrong. Giving someone the wrong amount of a medication can kill them; having an investment manager make the wrong monetary decisions can impoverish a family; boarding the wrong plane will take you where you do not wish to go; and dealing with an unfaithful marriage partner can result in the destruction of a family and, potentially, disease. As Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias puts it, “The fact is, the truth matters—especially when you’re on the receiving end of a lie.” And nowhere is this more important than in the area of faith and religion. Eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong. God and Truth During the six trials of Jesus, the contrast between the truth (righteousness) and lies (unrighteousness) was unmistakable. There stood Jesus, the Truth, being judged by those whose every action was bathed in lies. The Jewish leaders broke nearly every law designed to protect a defendant from wrongful conviction. They fervently worked to find any testimony that would incriminate Jesus, and in their frustration, they turned to false evidence brought forward by liars. But even that could not help them reach their goal. So they broke another law and forced Jesus to implicate Himself. Once in front of Pilate, the Jewish leaders lied again. They convicted Jesus of blasphemy, but since they knew that wouldn’t be enough to coax Pilate to kill Jesus, they claimed Jesus was challenging Caesar and was breaking Roman law by encouraging the crowds to not pay taxes. Pilate quickly detected their superficial deception, and he never even addressed the charge. Jesus the Righteous was being judged by the unrighteous. The sad fact is that the latter always persecutes the former. It’s why Cain killed Abel. The link between truth and righteousness and between falsehood and unrighteousness is demonstrated by a number of examples in the New Testament:    • For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11–12, emphasis added).    • “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18, emphasis added).    • “who will render to each person according to his deeds; to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation” (Romans 2:6–8, emphasis added).    • “[love] does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:5–6, emphasis added). What Is Truth? - Conclusion The question Pontius Pilate asked centuries ago needs to be rephrased in order to be completely accurate. The Roman governor’s remark “What is truth?” overlooks the fact that many things can have truth, but only one thing can actually be the Truth. Truth must originate from somewhere. The stark reality is that Pilate was looking directly at the Origin of all Truth on that early morning almost two thousand years ago. Not long before being arrested and brought to the governor, Jesus had made the simple statement “I am the truth” (John 14:6), which was a rather incredible statement. How could a mere man be the truth? He couldn’t be, unless He was more than a man, which is actually what He claimed to be. The fact is, Jesus’ claim was validated when He rose from the dead (Romans 1:4). There’s a story about a man who lived in Paris who had a stranger from the country come see him. Wanting to show the stranger the magnificence of Paris, he took him to the Louvre to see the great art and then to a concert at a majestic symphony hall to hear a great symphony orchestra play. At the end of the day, the stranger from the country commented that he didn’t particularly like either the art or the music. To which his host replied, “They aren’t on trial, you are.” Pilate and the Jewish leaders thought they were judging Christ, when, in reality, they were the ones being judged. Moreover, the One they convicted will actually serve as their Judge one day, as He will for all who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Pilate evidently never came to a knowledge of the truth. Eusebius, the historian and Bishop of Caesarea, records the fact that Pilate ultimately committed suicide sometime during the reign of the emperor Caligula—a sad ending and a reminder for everyone that ignoring the truth always leads to undesired consequences.