a)
Space & Time Confusions
Relativists
might say that things are only true depending from where you
view them, e.g. “My cup is to the right of my plate”
i.e.
something is only true depending on my perspective – where I
am standing in relation to the table. i.e. it appears
relative in space according to my viewpoint.
So
you might hear someone suggesting, "Well
that may be true for you where you are with your perspective,
but it is not true for me over here with mine."
They
may also say that truth is also considered relative
to history, i.e. time. So your opponent might say that
what was true for people three hundred years ago is not true
for people today.
That
is heard as, "Well,
what was true for people in the past is not true
for us today."
NB.
Facts remain unchanged at a specific point of time
The
above illustrates confusions that arise between opinions
and fact in relation to time. The following is
about confusion that relates to specific time:
Example
1: Consider this statement: “I am age 32”
That
only applied in one year of my life. It no longer applies now.
However it was in that year absolutely true and is always
true when I refer to that year.
Example
2: Take the statement, “At 10.00am there were three
bottles of milk in my house.”
Is
that an absolute statement of truth?
If we examine my house at that time – there were four bottles
– I was mistaken, I thought there were fewer.
What
changes is not the fact of exactly how many bottles existed
in my home at 10.00am, but my opinion or view
of how many there were.
But
note also that it was at that specific time. For that specific
time it was objectively true. Six hours later it changed
and it is no longer true that there are four bottles of milk
in my home – but there still were at 10.00am!
[NB.
When we speak about truth being objective, we mean that
certain things were true regardless of how you viewed them or
thought about them.]
b)
Historical Examples
Consider
the following:
i)
Flat Earth Belief example
Years
ago many people believed that the earth was flat. Today we
know it isn't.
The
truth about the earth hasn't changed, only people's opinions,
now based on modern technology. What is not true today is
the unfounded belief of hundreds of years ago.
ii)
Demon Possession example
The
Gospels clearly show Jesus dealing with demons, spirit entities
that had taken up residence in human beings. Today those who
minister in this realm know without a shadow of doubt that
there are such personalities who speak with an entirely different
voice, give supernatural strength and dominate a person with
fear and evil. Exorcists also know that with a word of command
that individual can be released from such an entity, never
to exhibit those features ever again.
Relativists,
who are atheists, simply write off the New Testament practice
as an outdated belief without realising that the experience
is exactly the same today.
What
has changed today is that there are people, having nothing to
do with this area of activity, who now speak against it without
knowledge.
c)
Some Conclusions
What
we can conclude
from these brief considerations is:
We
should not be confused:
- by
our perspective on objective truth – the
cup and plate were there!
- between
opinions and objective truth – the earth
was always round.
- by
modern scepticism based on ignorance – Biblical
experiences do happen today as they did two thousand years
ago.
- by
changes in time and circumstances – I was
still 32 in a certain year!
- by
mistaken beliefs – there were 4 milk bottles
at 10.00am
- we
should not confuse truth and beliefs
- truth is not what the mind thinks it is, but what actually
is in reality.
d)
Putting it into Practice
At
the moment, if you are new to this way of thinking, you may
not have noticed how it crops up in everyday conversations or
media discussions.
Be
on the alert in the future and watch for these ways of thinking
and be clear in your mind what is going on.
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