NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

Veritables: Truth Is Not Conclusive

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One truth, accurate or not, does not a conclusion make.

Conclusions Drawn
On Vibrant Perspectives
Must Be Tempered
By Caution

Unfortunately, discovering one truth or fact – here to fore unknown – is not the end of the journey.

Truth never stands alone. One piece of truth, like digits on a hand, form only a part of the picture. A finger does not a person make, so it is difficult to draw conclusions based only on one truth or even two or three separate truths.

For example, if you found an unclaimed finger on the sidewalk and reported it to the authorities their first response would be to answer several questions, the most important one being, “who does it belong to?” You couldn’t know for sure without further investigation. It’s not an easy question to answer. More detail is needed.

Getting a finger print would help but only if the person’s print is in the system and in the case of mutilations the print might not be so clear.

If the person’s print isn’t in the system the DNA is probably missing also, so there may be no help there.

Even with a witness there is no guarantee. The value of the witness is determined by how well they knew the victim, if they knew them at all, and/or how accurately they remember what they saw. Assuming, of course, they are willing to come forward.

I think you get the point.

One truth is not an answer or a conclusion. It is nothing more than one truth. You can make up a “missing finger” story and use that to guide your search for other truths but until you have more detail you can’t draw conclusions. Your hypothesis remains unproven.

But that’s not all. [Read more…] about Veritables: Truth Is Not Conclusive

Veritables: All Truth Is God’s Truth Wherever Found

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Everything in the Bible is true but not all truth is in the Bible.

The Bible Focuses On Eternal Truth

It was many years ago but I remember the statement like it was yesterday. I was in Bible college and sitting in the class of one of my favorite teachers.

I loved his nature. He was a straight shooter, never mincing words. If he believed something was true there was no flinching. Everything was absolutely right or wrong and I identified with that mindset. I wanted a clear line demarcating all the good from the bad.

But don’t get the wrong idea. Though adamant, he was gracious. And in his usual quiet but straightforward way, he made the following remark, which made a lasting impression on me.

All the Bible is true and all truth is in the Bible

I love words, especially when used to make a point rhythmically so his remark stuck. But that wasn’t the only reason it resonated. I was emotionally in tune with this statement. It was a very bold line drawn between everything in the Bible and everything else. It was a buy-in for me.

All of that happened a very long time ago – I won’t say how long. Since then I’ve grown, matured, learned a few things, and done a lot of thinking so I’m not so sure about the accuracy of that statement anymore.

Don’t get me wrong. I still believe everything in the Bible is true but I realize now that not every truth can fit in the Bible. All the most important truths are there, the ones that influence eternity, but there isn’t enough room in any one book to include every possible truth.

Not All Types Of Truth Are Equally Important

Just a quick glance at the many kinds of truth and you realize they aren’t all equal. Each type is important, yes, but they aren’t all equal. For example:

  • Individual truth (I have blue eyes)
  • Temporary truth (It’s a sunny day)
  • Moral truth (Its wrong to gossip, lie or steal)
  • Psychological truth (people prefer short reading lines but read longer
    lines faster)
  • Medical truth (diet effects your health)
  • Mathematical truth (2 plus 2 is 4)
  • Physical truth (law of gravity)
  • Historical truth (Israel inhabited Canaan after the Exodus)
  • Eternal truth (God is love, heaven is real)

The Bible does make statements that broadly relate to each type of truth, and what it says about each issue is true, but that is very different to saying it records every truth.

  • It talks about the remarkable way each person is created – we are individually distinct – but it says nothing about my blue eyes.
  • The Bible records variations in weather patterns (Noah’s flood) but says nothing about today’s forecast.
  • The Old Testament is filled with laws that imply an understanding of medical issues but it says nothing about open-heart surgery or different blood types.
  • The Bible includes a lot of ancient history and influenced the way modern history unfolded but provides no historical details following the first century AD.

If you’re curious and would like to read further, Dr. S. I. McMillen has written a great book, None of These Diseases, which shows how Old Testament law reflected a very advanced understanding of many medical issues without actually stating every individual truth associated with each condition. The book can be purchased very inexpensively at Amazon.

God has paid humanity a great compliment by not giving us every piece of truth and every answer to every question. Realizing that, leads us to another truth implied in the Bible but not clearly stated. The truth that God created us with an insatiable desire to understand more truth and the tools to pursue it.

It may feel disloyal to say “not every truth is in the Bible” but once you realize that every truth is God’s truth wherever you find it and that God has gifted us with the art of discovery, it begins to make a lot of sense. And remember. Finding a truth is much more rewarding than having it handed to you on a platter.

THINK!AboutIt

Money Is Inseparably Both Mundane And Spiritual

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A job is either an opportunity or a dungeon

Making And Managing Money
Is Spiritual

Everything is spiritual all the time, even very earthy things, and nothing illustrates that truth as clearly as money, otherwise known as filthy lucre. Let me explain.

When I was a kid my mother always made me wash my hands after handling money. “You never know where it has been” she would say, and over time I learned what she meant. Money is passed from one person to another (clean hands or not), kept in unhygienic places, even falls on the ground and stays in circulation anywhere from 18 months to several years. During that time it never gets washed. I never really understood how filthy money could be, however, till I moved to South Africa and discovered all the places people hid the stuff to keep it away from thieves. I won’t elaborate. You can imagine.

It isn’t difficult to make a spiritual connection here since cleanliness is next to godliness. Right?

But I also learned from an early age that money can be enticing. [Read more…] about Money Is Inseparably Both Mundane And Spiritual

Negative + Positive = Real Change

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Negative thots formulated into positive action produces outstanding results

“Improved” Is The Goal
Dealing With Negatives
Is The Process

You hear a lot these days about being positive – power of positive thinking and all – and I’m not going to say that’s wrong. Who doesn’t like positive. Good news is always better than bad, but!

A world where only positive things exist is not possible and considering negative things in the right frame of mind actually results in positive outcomes. That means that “negative” doesn’t necessarily equate to “horrible.” Consider the following:

You couldn’t have electricity if you didn’t have both positive and negative charges. Those “+” and “-” signs on every battery means the current will flow. It’s called opposing polarity and without it I couldn’t write this post. My wife couldn’t cook great rye bread. Printers wouldn’t print, cars wouldn’t start, CT scans wouldn’t scan and the lights would go off. Some of you might be able to live without my post but if I can’t write mine you can’t write yours. Negative charges support the freedom of speech and that’s a positive thing.

And the application can be broadened. Good writers become better when they make positive changes based on negative (constructive) comments. Talented athletes become superior performers when they use negative criticism to replace poor technique with better technique.

Negative is bad only:

  • When it is left unsaid.
  • When it is the only thing we hear or far outweighs the positive.
  • When it is expressed in condescending and condemning tones.
  • When we focus so much on the negative that we fail to formulate a positive action to change it.
  • When it is perceived as bad but isn’t.

Otherwise negatives are the bumps we climb on, the hard knocks we learn from, the lemons that make lemonade and so on.

By all means be positive but only in an honest realistic way. Make a point of considering your negative traits and finding ways to replace them with positive ones. What could be more positively rewarding than that?

THINK!AboutIt

What Does “Holy” Really Mean

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Marriage Is Holy
Ceremony Or Not

I don’t like the word “holy.” Just hearing it gives me the creeps but don’t read too much into that.

I know the word is in the Bible, and I really do appreciate that, but the way it is used doesn’t always agree with how it is represented in the Bible. In common use, the word has a very narrow channel of application. It doesn’t fit with everyday life. Let me explain.

The word “holy” is associated with synonyms like sacred, hallowed, revered, sanctified and consecrated. Another word distantly related is solemn. These are not commonly used words. They are religious terms and not just normal everyday religious terms. They are inner sanctum words. Institutional religion didn’t coin these words but it definitely owns them.

The ominous nature of holy – and the associated synonyms – is compounded by the way it is used. When any ceremony – another threatening word – is referred to as holy or sacred you get the idea that smiling or relaxing or enjoying the occasion is not allowed. These words are spoken only in a serious tone and accompanied only by actions that are performed rigidly, in a scripted, well arranged manner. Robotic might apply.

The following wedding video illustrates the point. Scroll to the 53rd second if you’re in a hurry: [Read more…] about What Does “Holy” Really Mean