Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!seismo!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: MNHCC@cunyvm.bitnet Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Bible: What is the Truth? Message-ID: Date: 6 Jun 91 03:45:41 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: City University of New York/ University Computer Center Lines: 68 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Joseph, That is a good question, although strictly speaking it should be "Where is truth"? The question "What is truth?" is widely known because Pontius Pilate said it to Jesus--although the context indicates that he was asking, "Of what importance is truth?" rather than seeking a philosophical definition of truth. The definition is that truth is a correspondence between a statement and the objective reality it purports to describe. When many beliefs contradict each other they obviously can't all be right. If God exists then atheists, who believe in the un- provable doctrine that God does not exist, are mistaken, and if God does not exist, then theists are mistaken. If Jesus was (and is) God incarnate, then Jews, Muslims, and others who deny His deity are mistaken. If he was not God incarnate, then Christians are mistaken. It is important to know which beliefs are correct. Not only is the recognition of truth recognized as a value in our culture, but it is a question of great practical importance. Many reli- gions assert that there is a life after death and that the way we will spend the next life is affected or determined by the way we live this life. If this is true, it is essential to know it now, while there is time to use the information. The question is, which position is true? One can start by look- ing at those religions that claim to be based on divine revela- tion. Then one can see what evidence each offers to support the claim. I can't speak for any other group, but Catholic apologetics starts with the Bible, especially the Gospels, and the rest of the New Testament. Although the Church believes and teaches that they are the inspired word of God, in apologetics we prescind from inspiration and look at them just as ancient documents. They tell of a man named Jesus who, among other things He taught, claimed to be God. He identified Himself with the Lord God of Israel. In various ways He showed that this claim was true. These books also show that He founded a Church to teach in His name and with His authority. This Church, as shown functioning in the Acts of the Apostles, the letters of St. Paul, etc. is essentially identical with the Catholic Church of today because they are one and the same church at different stages of its development. The official teachings of the Church are therefore guaranteed true by God. The preceding paragraph is, of course, just a bare bones outline of the Catholic claim to teach with authority. Each point could be discussed at length, and many books have been written about them. Incidentally, at the end of your posting you write of people who think that they are right and everyone else is wrong. I believe that I am right. If I didn't I would be trying to find out which teaching is right. I am right, not through any merit of my own, but entirely because of the grace of God. However, I would not say that everyone else is wrong. I would prefer to say that everyone else is right, but not completely. Others possess large parts of God's truth, but with an admixture of error. This is just a shift of emphasis from saying they are wrong, but I think it is an important one. Also I want to mention that I am talking entirely about the accuracy of beliefs. I am not claiming that I am holier than all non-Catholics. Marty Helgesen Helgesen