Facts and TRUTH
An essential ingredient of arriving at TRUTH is facts but is, as Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “The truth is more important than the facts”? This quote emphasizes the deeper understanding and meaning behind reality. Wright believed in seeking truths that resonate beyond surface-level data, inspiring us to look for authenticity in all we do. Authenticity is something we seek, a personality that is bred within us, the very act of being true to one's own personality, spirit, or character.
The real question is can we arrive at TRUTH without facts? Nobel peace prize winner Maria Ressa believes, “A world without facts means a world without truth.” She points out that when some of the largest purveyors of so-called news prioritize lies and deception, laced with anger and hate, and spreads it faster and further those facts, journalism becomes activism. We must, she believes, “that we are fighting for facts” and must keep the North Star of TRUTH in front of us.
The challenge is that people confuse facts and TRUTH. Here is an interesting commentary I found in a forum called StackExchange. It goes…” What are the facts and what is the truth? As I ask this know; I purely ask this from a social point of view. As in conversations with others. It's a random thought and kinda funny when I started thinking about it…
What's a fact? Something believed and proven right. What's the Truth? Something believed to be what is right. Why is it a fact can be the truth but the truth isn't always the fact? But on the same notion...the facts can be changed with the Truth? The fact of the matter is...I believe it is the truth.”
This is the argument of philosophy. Is TRUTH relevant?
Absolute Truth is ...Universally valid and unchanging, grounded in an all-powerful, all-knowing, uncaused first cause, Discovered through systematic inquiry and empirical evidence, and Objective and independent of human perception.
Relative Truth is ... Varies based on individual beliefs and cultural contexts, Subject to personal interpretations and cultural biases, Constructed based on personal opinions and social agreements, and Subjective and influenced by personal experiences.
Throw in, for good measure ‘Moral Truth’ or concepts such as Relativism, Subjectivism, and a long list of other so-called explanations of TRUTH. My approach is that there is only OneTRUTH, the TRUTH of God. Often referred to as ‘Apologetics’ and it plays a crucial role in preserving and defending the Gospel and the existence of TRUTH, especially in a society increasingly embracing relativism and subjectivism. I call my approach OneTRUTH Leadership, and it seeks TRUTH as a way of making better decisions, solving problems, and addressing needs.
Relativism and subjectivism are prevalent philosophical perspectives today, regarding truth as socially and culturally constructed, rendering it subjective in nature. Under this view, there are no universal truths, and truths become contingent upon individual interpretation or collective agreement. While this approach aims to promote equality and tolerance, it inherently denies the existence of objective truth while simultaneously asserting its own relative truth. Hence, defending truth becomes imperative to counterbalance the pitfalls of relativism and protect the Gospel. Put in other terms, would you want to have truth based upon ‘individual interpretation or collective agreement?’
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I welcome your input, comments, and ideas for new topics in 2025. Please help me grow interest in this important topic of TRUTH by sharing articles with others in your connections or to your feed. Bob Price – PPMG & OneTRUTH Leadership