//The below was written and sat in my drafts for maybe 5 years or more.//
I have something to say, but I am not sure how to start. Well, how about this -
The truth is very important to me. This may seem obvious, over simplistic, or even ridiculous to each, depending. So, what do I mean; to what am I referring. The truth can mean all kinds of things to different people and in different situations. Some, only view the truth as a list of facts. "The facts ma'am, just the facts." For some, the truth is what they say it is, sometimes without regard for the facts. Still others, view the truth as some philosophical collision of all the perceptions of individual notions piled into some unattainable mashup or that each individual perception is somehow the Truth though they contradict each other. But, what is the truth, really. Or more directly, how do I define the truth as it will be used here.
The term truth shall be used here in two specific ways.
One, to describe a set of facts that are true. Facts can, of course, be misapplied, irrelevant or misrepresented, but those are all secondary human interactions with the facts. Facts can be true, not true or false. True means that the fact can be proven and/or substantiated. Not true, is a category of fact that cannot be proven or substantiated. While it may have some evidence to support it, it can either not be corroborated or the supposed confirmations come from sources that cannot be confirmed and/or trusted. Finally, facts that are false can be proven to be so. They have evidence, that shows the true fact or specifically disproving the fact being tested. False facts can be fabricated, mislabeled accidental, etc.
The other way that the truth will be defined and used here will be as a single undeniable, unalterable, entity of its own. It is separate from fact, in that, this truth, though always true, does not depend on facts and evidence. This is the truth beyond reason. It is true, no matter what the facts say. God's word is truth.
I will attempt to separate the two by using lower case on fact truth and upper case on God Truth. However, you can use context clues to help.with clarity as well.
It is similar to a Law of physics. These laws are not defined arbitrarily. (Not like overused and misapplied theories). No, laws of physics are so well documented and tested that they are still true even when an event or object appears to be breaking one of the laws.
Same thing with God's Word. His Word does not change or need to be questioned even when there is an event, object or individual that seems to be working contrary to God's Word.
Our perception of a situation does not change the Truth of that situation. Quantum physics suggests that our perception or measurement of an object or event could or does alter the specifics of that object or event, meaning that our perception could,possibly, alter the facts of a situation. We can not alter the Truth.
In Romans 1:25, "changed the truth of God into a lie..." This is in relation to how we interact with truth. When we reinterpret, change, perceive differently than what God intended, we have not changed the Truth, but rather we have exchanged it for a lie.
With the deep importance of the work being based on Truth, it is necessary for us to put great effort into making sure that our information is true. If we attempt to convey Truth utilizing facts that are false, we are undermining that Truth. It can be altered in the perception and exchanged for a lie, or the false fact could be a stumbling block that turns one away from the faith altogether. If we are involved in such deceptive actions, the weight of responsibility falls on our heads.
Living in a society where anything True seems difficult to find and even the concept is disrupted with a belief that sometime people even want to be lied to, the necessity of the truth becomes even more import when conveying the Truth.
It may take me awhile to make this post make sense to myself, and even longer before I feel comfortable letting it be out there in the world.
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