...and that's the truth

I was thinking about truth the other day. For the sake of making sense, I'll use the example of creation/evolution. Both sides of this 'debate' have intellectual people. It would also stand to reason (and I think few would disagree) that both sides have rather 'un'-intellectual people. Let me pose this question: Is the stupid person any less right/wrong than the smart person? Clearly not. Assuming we could 'roll back the clock' and watch the beginning of the universe (assuming you don't foolishly believe that the universe is eternal), we would then be able to KNOW what really happened, and which 'side' is right and which was wrong. The 'intellect' of the various people on each side wouldn't matter, they would still be right or wrong. In similar fashion, when a team wins a game, the least talented player is still a winner, while the most talented player on the losing team is still a loser (as far as the game is concerned).
This (in my obsessively analytical mind) raises what I have come to understand as a true observation that our level of intellect REALLY DOESN'T MATTER.

Now, does this mean we should accept (using the same model) creation or evolution with uncritical and senseless abandon? Of course not. What I do believe in however is the idea of TRUTH. It exists. Dog-gone-it. The question is (as posed eloquently by the agnostic society) "can one know truth?"

I think that depends on your definition of 'know' and your definition of 'truth'. I will not go into that right now, but I have some thoughts I would like to share.

Again, using the same medium, I will make a point. My Bible in Film professor, Mark Boyer, is an extremely well-read, creative, educated, intelligent man. I, on the other hand, am not very well-read, only mildly creative, some-what edcucated, and fractionally intelligent. In class, he was exasperating about how the 3' tall human remains (recently found) are evidence for evolution (which he admitted couldn't be 'proven'). Wondering why we were talking about this in a Bible in Film class? Just take ANY class with Boyer and you'll understand. Anyway, during class he snapped, "I wonder what the creationists are going to do with this!" I entered the discussion mentioning that I wasn't the least bit surprised by this find, and drew attention to the fact that the average height (based on the still-standing saloons, old cities, etc.) of our very recent ancestors (cowboys from just a few generations back) was significantly shorter than today. He readily agreed. I continued that it certainly (in my view) doesn't take thousands of years for such changes to take place. Seeing where I was going, and undoubtedly not wanting to spark an in-class debate, he then quickly segued (did I spell that right?) into the movie.

What was my point? Good question. (if you have 'endured' this far) His later comment was quite telling of the point I want to make. "Sure, you can't prove evolution, but you have all the evidence for it." If you are at all familiar with the evo/cre debate, you will know that both sides claim that 'all' the evidence is on their side. So, since apparently intellect and opinion are useless in the pursuit of TRUTH, how can we know it?

My father has a quote from Pascal framed on his study wall...
"Truth is so obscure these days and falsehood so established, that unless one is a lover of truth, one cannnot know it." (loosely recalled as best I could)

I love truth. I love the idea of truth. I love that all humans desire to know the truth. Why is this? As with any other philosophical question, they all just simply don't make sense without God. I have doubted the existence of God at times in the past, but I am convinced that my doubt in God's existence (whether past doubts, present doubts, or future doubts) is purely a result of my misplaced faith in my own intellect. This is true for me as well as others. Family members, past friends, current friends, strangers I meet on the road of life...everybody.

I have several beliefs that I believe are true. However, I don't foolishly believe that these things are true simply because I 'figured them out'. They are just TRUE. Yes it is possible that I am wrong, and I will spend the rest of my life with my eyes and mind open to new ideas and opinions. But the TRUTH has not, cannot, and will not change.

"Maybe there's no gray and I was wrong to tell 'em so
And maybe all that I've to do was done a long time ago'
Cause there was life before my life
There was provision before my need
There was redemption before my sin
For the sake of the world
I thank the Lord
That the truth's not contingent on me"
~Derek Webb

I say these things not so that all of the web-loggers out there will say, "Wow, Dale, that's deep." If you are thinking that, then you just missed my entire point. I only hope that all of us will feel a little smaller next to such an infinite concept, that we'll feel a little more simple than such a complex idea, that we'll feel a little more helpless in such a perilous world.

Love -n- Grace

-D-