Truth: Subjective and Absolute

I always used to think that the reality of Truth had to be objective. If it wasn't objective, or objectively realized, then it's not really Truth. If there is Absolute Truth, which as a Christian, I believe is God, then that Truth must be able to be reached objectively, and that's what we must strive for. I've always been taught in this paradigm of modern thinking.

But as I've learned and grown more, and have been reading up on postmodernism, I have come to understand t that Absolute Truth and objective truth are not the same thing. Absolute truth refers to the fullness of reality, which, I think we can safely say, we humans are far too dumb to grasp. Objective and subjective distinctions refer to our perceptions of truth--objective meaning that our search and knowledge is unaffected by our own opinions or biases, and subjective meaning that our knowledge is affected by those things.

The question that has recently come to my mind is, Can we really know any truth objectively? Everyone sees reality from a different angle. This means that all of our perceptions of the world are subjective to our perspective. If I am looking at a cup in front of me, I only see that cup from one angle. Actually, we must go further in this act of observation. My eyes see the cup, the image is sent to my brain which then interprets the image. My interpretation of that image is affected by many things: my education, my experience, my background. And even though this all happens within a split second, it is still an interpretation. Anyways, onward. I can't know the full reality of the cup that I see in front of me. I can't, by myself, grasp the fullness of the truth of that cup. My interpretation, combined with my experience with previous cups and general knowledge about cups, leads me to think that I've got this cup all figured out. But in that moment of observing, I am forced to subjectively interpret what I'm seeing.

As a quick aside, I think this illustrates one of the great importances of community (and diversity within community!): because we all see things from different angles and perceptions, we must try to help each other to know the different angles of the reality of something in order to grasp as much of the fullness of reality that we can.

If we as Christians believe our Lord when he said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6), we must acknowledge (which I don't think any of us will have a problem doing) that Jesus, the eternal Logos, is the embodiment of the reality of Truth. He is the Absolute, in terms of what we might know as the reality of Truth. There is no reality apart from, or greater than, Him. If we believe that Jesus alone is the fullness of Truth, then we have to say that someone can't know the fullness of Truth apart from knowing (or having a relationship with) Jesus. If this Truth is something that you can only come to know through a personal experience, then that is subjective. Therefore, Truth, as we know (think intimately knowing here) it, is subjective based on our own perspectives and relationships with that Truth.

But even Christians, who we can say know more fully the Truth through knowing Jesus, can't know the fullness of Truth, because, frankly, it is far beyond us. God is a mystery that cannot be subjected to our rationally thinking minds. And, as we're always perceiving reality through our subjective lenses, we will never know the fullness of Truth until we come into God's Kingdom. "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

When I brought this topic up in conversation with a friend, they said to me, "So, you don't believe in absolute Truth then?" No, that's not what this means at all. I believe in absolute Truth, which is the fullness of reality. But our perceptions and perspectives of the world do not equate to the fullness of reality, because we are so limited. We can only know reality through our interpretations. And those of us blessed to know the salvation of God through Jesus are blessed to know Truth itself in our Lord.

This postmodernism stuff is really resonating with me, and at the same time challenging me to rethink what I know. I would encourage all of you to do the same.

Peace.

Ash Wednesday and Lent reflections

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you

In thought, word, and deed,

By what we have done,

And by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart;

We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.

We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

Have mercy on us and forgive us;

That we may delight in your will,

And walk in your ways,

To the glory of your Name.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen. 

(BCP)

Whatever thing I have denied my selfish desires, Christ denied more to condescend in human likeness and perfect humility.

Whatever temptation I have had to overcome, Christ overcame more on my behalf that he might present a perfect substitute for me before God.

Whatever pain I have endured—whether physical or emotional—in denying the longings of my body and mind, Christ endured more under the just wrath of God on the cross in my place.

Whatever loneliness I feel (imagine: the pathetic loneliness of one who is a temple of the Holy Spirit and a child of God), Christ felt more when the Father turned his back on him because of my sin.

Christ has made a way. He has given me his Spirit. Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe.

So grow up. Be a man. After all, "you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin" (Heb. 12:4).                                         

via

The season of Lent has begun to mean a lot more to me in the past several years. I grew up in a tradition that practiced it, but never really taught me about what it was really for. I just knew that you were supposed to give something up for 40 days before Easter. But now I realize the real significance behind dying to myself in this way. In denying myself certain things, in fasting, in dwelling on the awareness of my own sin, I prepare my heart for the new life of the Resurrection that I live through again at Easter. Lent, as well as the other seasons of the liturgical year, is Christians around the world living through the story of salvation once again. Not that we don't live out our salvation every day. But this is the time for us to set aside especially to focus on the salvation story in our lives and the Lord's work in this world for redemption. Lent is a time for acknowledging our own weaknesses and sins, in light of the knowledge of a God Who is far too holy to allow sin in His presence. It is a time of repentance, for us to turn away from our own desires and from the world's temptations in order to turn back to God. 

This year for Lent I'm giving up Facebook once again. Though not something bad in itself, I spend way too much time on it on any given day, time that could be much better spend in the Word and in prayer. So I would encourage you to take some action as well. Give up something. It doesn't have to be like trying to kick a bad habit, but our fasting from these things is a reminder that it is not our desires that matter--it is about what God is calling us to, which is His new life.