truth
In terms of the law, truth is the ultimate object. Establishing the truth is necessary before any other measures can be taken to mete out justice. Truth is the standard by which circumstances and human beings are judged. The dictionary definitions include "conformity to knowledge, fact, actuality or logic" and "fidelity to an original or standard". In order for the truth itself to be established, actions and/or cirumstances must be compared against something unchanging. Is there absolute truth? In a healthy and functioning society, the acceptance of a standard of behavior is necessary. Deviation from the standard requires consequences. This presumes that human beings do not automatically do what is healthy and right for themselves or the rest of society.
In fact, human beings are the only creatures on the earth that can deny, twist, fabricate, scorn and disregard the truth. In terms of circumstances proveable by outside means beyond human observation (video cameras, physical evidence, undeniable results of an action) the truth is still reached by human reasoning and deduction. What makes this so utterly complicated is that humans themselves are not truthful beings. After my son's case was presented and sentence was declared, I still found myself questioning so many things about the whole situation I felt the judge was given an absolutely impossible task. Yet it was necessary for him to make a judgement based on testimony he had heard and read. In life we must make the same judgements continually about ourselves and other human beings or we are foolish.
The standard for human behavior was set up by God, and our example is the God-Man who declared Himself to be the living truth. His life is observable to us today through the scriptures. Absolute truth lives in those words and in that example. Those of us who choose to be His followers have large sandals to fill and it is not always easy to do. We also have the obligation and responsibility to keep ourselves and others accountable and be constant seekers of the truth to live rightly. It takes reading, listening, observing and comparing actions, words and thoughts to our standard. The scriptures say doing this yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness in our lives. The scriptures also say that against such there is no law.
In fact, human beings are the only creatures on the earth that can deny, twist, fabricate, scorn and disregard the truth. In terms of circumstances proveable by outside means beyond human observation (video cameras, physical evidence, undeniable results of an action) the truth is still reached by human reasoning and deduction. What makes this so utterly complicated is that humans themselves are not truthful beings. After my son's case was presented and sentence was declared, I still found myself questioning so many things about the whole situation I felt the judge was given an absolutely impossible task. Yet it was necessary for him to make a judgement based on testimony he had heard and read. In life we must make the same judgements continually about ourselves and other human beings or we are foolish.
The standard for human behavior was set up by God, and our example is the God-Man who declared Himself to be the living truth. His life is observable to us today through the scriptures. Absolute truth lives in those words and in that example. Those of us who choose to be His followers have large sandals to fill and it is not always easy to do. We also have the obligation and responsibility to keep ourselves and others accountable and be constant seekers of the truth to live rightly. It takes reading, listening, observing and comparing actions, words and thoughts to our standard. The scriptures say doing this yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness in our lives. The scriptures also say that against such there is no law.
posted by Sue O. (aka Joannie, SS) at 4:41 AM
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