January 7, 2021
Truth.
It’s a big word. It has massive connotations, yet it’s often misunderstood.
These days, so many people speak in terms of what they believe. In a way, I get this. In today’s era of misinformation, social media, and mixed signals in super fast communication, sometimes all we can do is work with what we believe because uncovering the truth would either take too long, be too difficult, or is downright impossible.
But is living your life based on what you believe the best way?
You’ll be way better off seeking the Truth and bringing your life into alignment with Truth rather than building your life around what you believe.
So first of all, what is Truth?
The definition of Truth is quite simple:
That which is.
That’s it. The Truth is that which is.
Since Truth is that which is, there is really no room for belief when it comes to Truth. Truth does not care about your or my beliefs.
For example, if I step off my roof, I’ll fall and hit the ground. I can believe with all my conviction that I will fly or float, but the Truth (that which is) doesn’t care about my beliefs. I’ll fall regardless of what I believe.
Here’s another example:
The Truth (that which is) is that 2+2=4. We all know the Truth of this statement and you can never prove otherwise. You can believe all day that 2+2=5 but it will literally never matter that you believe that. Only the Truth matters.
With these examples, Truth is simple and self-evident.
Things get complicated when the Truth is difficult to discern.
Here’s an example of Truth being difficult to discern:
The actual authors of the Biblical manuscripts—at some point during your faith deconstruction, you probably researched the true authors of the books of the Bible. Frustratingly, after decades of the best scholarship, experts still admit that in some cases, they don’t know. The facts and proof have seemingly been lost to time and history. In this instance, the Truth (that which is) is difficult to discern.
It’s important to remember that even when the Truth is difficult to discern, that doesn’t mean the Truth (that which is) does not exist. Something is.
In the case of the authors of the Biblical manuscripts, someone did, at some point, write those manuscripts. The author certainly knew the Truth of authorship. Perhaps some close associates and scribes also knew. But due to numerous factors, today we don’t.
When Truth (that which is) is difficult to discern, that’s when belief comes into play.
When Biblical scholars admit that it’s difficult to know the Truth of who authored some of the Biblical manuscripts, they still have their beliefs which they base on other evidence and factors. These beliefs can vary between scholars even though they all agree that they cannot know the Truth (that which is).
When belief intersects with Truth that is difficult to discern, things can get dicey.
Truth that is difficult to discern is not impossible to discern. It may take some time, research, difficult conversations, or new evidence that has not yet been discovered, but it can be known eventually.
There is so much information in today’s world that a lot of Truth can be difficult to discern, even when it shouldn’t be. That still doesn’t mean it’s impossible to discern. It may take more time and careful research to discern the Truth, but the Truth can still be uncovered and known.
However, I’ve noticed that it’s not so much information overload that prevents people from taking the time to discover the Truth. Rather, it’s the unfortunate fact that the Truth (that which is) can sometimes be unpleasant.
- The Truth can be something we don’t want to accept on an emotional level.
- The Truth can be something that requires us to take difficult action.
- The Truth can be something that implies we need to do things differently than we’ve always done them.
The biggest and most obvious example of this that all Deconverted Men can relate to was when they learned the Truth (that which is) about God—he does not exist.
When you were in the fold of religion, you thought your religious dogma and doctrines were the Truth. They were actually your beliefs—incorrect beliefs. Your deconstruction began when you had the initial sense that perhaps you weren’t operating with the Truth, and you decided to seek it out. That Truth was hard to swallow, but there can be no doubt that you are better off being aware of the Truth.
Many people fall back on their incorrect beliefs rather than clawing their way to the Truth. They are afraid of what they might discover. Despite this, it is always better to put in the time necessary to discover the Truth and then bring your life into alignment with Truth as much as possible—much like you did when you deconstructed your faith and began living your life in a different way without God and church.
The Truth doesn’t just stop with religion. There is Truth (that which is) in all topics and subjects that exist in the world and universe—politics, culture, science, health, relationships, spirituality, finances, and government—as just a few examples.
In all things, always seek Truth (that which is). Do so even if the Truth is difficult to discern or unpleasant. Do so even if you have to set aside beliefs you’ve held for a long time.
When you make decisions and conduct your life in alignment with the Truth—pleasant or unpleasant; easy or difficult to discern—you are better positioning yourself to have a happy, free, and positive life.