Apologetics Lesson 2: Truth

What Is The Best Flavor Of Ice Cream?

[[Moose Tracks Image]]

Subjective TruthTrue because of how a person feels

Subjective Truth

❖ About the person making the claim - the subject.!❖ Expresses something only true for that person.!❖ Each individual decides right and wrong.

RelativismThe view that all truth claims are relative to the person

Objective TruthTruth grounded in an object

Objective Truth

❖ Corresponds With Reality!❖ Matches Its Object!❖ Not about feeling/preferences

Objective Truth

True for all people, in all places, at all times to whom the claim

applies.

Objective Examples

❖ Gravity pulls objects together.!❖ I am male.!❖ Barack Obama is the President of the USA.

Objective Vs. Subjective

❖ Either True or False.❖ Can be wrong.❖ About things.❖ True for everyone.

Objective Truth Subjective Truth❖ Neither True or False.

❖ Can’t be wrong.

❖ About feelings.❖ True for me.

Objective Categories

❖ Historical Events!❖ Math & Empirical Sciences!

!

❖ Ethics and Morals!❖ Religions

“Moral/Ethical Claims Are Subjective”

❖ Atheism/Materialism says that only material things exist.!❖ Therefore, Morality doesn’t really exist!❖ It’s something we make up.

“Moral/Ethical Claims Are Subjective”

❖ No Responsibility! !❖ Rom 1 says that people “exchange the truth of God for a

lie”. !❖ People want to live how that want to live, without an

absolute authority.

“Moral/Ethical Claims Are Subjective”

❖ “Something can be true for you, but not necessarily for me.”!❖ This is an example of the “Self-Refuting Idea”!

❖ It applies to itself, & contradicts itself, so it must be false.!❖ Reply: “What if that isn’t true for me?”

Christianity Isn’t Based On A PreferenceIt Is Based On Historical Fact

Either Jesus Lived A Perfect Live, Was Crucified, And Resurrected

Or He Wasn’t.

Common Claims❖ “There is no truth.”!❖ “You can’t know truth.”!❖ “You shouldn’t judge.”!❖ “All truth is relative.”!❖ “Only science can give us truth.”!❖ ”You shouldn’t force your morality on people.”

The Law of Non-Contradiction

The Law of Non-Contradiction

A thing cannot be what it is, and what it is not, at the same time

and in the same way.

There is no Truth.Is that True?

Claim:Claim:Response:

If There’s No Truth, Then No Book Written By An Atheist Can Be True Either!

You can’t know truth.How do you know that?

Claim:Response:

You shouldn’t judge.That seems like a judgement.

Claim:Response:

All truth is relative.That’s not true for me...

Claim:Response:

Only science can give us truth.

Is that a scientific truth?

OR

What lab experiment was done to conclude that?

Claim:Response:

You shouldn’t force your morality on people.

Is that your moral view? [Yes] Then, why are you forcing it on me?

Claim:

Response:

Faith Vs. Reason

Faith Vs. Reason

❖ Atheists claim that their views are scientific, unbiased, and rational.!

❖ They claim that religious views are prejudiced and based on blind faith.

Faith Vs. Reason

❖ The naturalist’s basic assumption is that there is no God.!❖ That is not a scientific assumption.!❖ That is a religious assumption.

Faith Vs. Reason❖ “We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity

of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism.” - Richard Lewontin American evolutionary biologist

Faith Vs. Reason❖ “Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than

mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion--a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. I am an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian, but I must admit in this one complaint. . . the literalists [i.e., creationists] are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion.” - Michael Ruse

Professor of history and philosophy and author of many books on Darwin.

Faith Vs. Reason

Faith Vs. Reason

Faith Reason&

Faith

Faith

❖ Biblical Usage:!❖ Trust, exhibited after becoming convinced by evidence.!

❖ Believing because of, not in spite of.!❖ Faith & facts are both necessary.

Faith

❖ Instead of the word, “Faith”, use:!❖ “Trust”!❖ “Conviction”!

❖ “Active trust in what you have good reason to believe is true.” - Greg Koukl

Faith

❖ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up, take your stretcher, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” – he said to the paralytic – “I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.” - Mark 2:9-11 (NET)

Faith

❖ [Pete makes a case, then:] “...Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ…

Faith

❖ Now when they heard this, they were acutely distressed and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles,“What should we do, brothers?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” - Acts 2:36-38 (NET)!

❖ "Repent", Used 32 times in the NT!

Faith & Reason

❖ Reason: Jesus died on the cross.!❖ Faith: Jesus’ death provides for forgiveness of sin.

Blind Faith

❖ Some say that the more we know, the less we will have to take on faith...!

❖ Hopefully we find the bones of Jesus!

How Do We Determine If Something Is True?

Three Tests

How Do We know if Something is True?

❖ The Test Of Reason!❖ The Test Of Experience!❖ The Test Of Practice

How Do We know if Something is True?

❖ The Test Of Reason:!❖ The Law Of Non-contradiction!❖ Examples:!

❖ “The skeptic says that it is impossible to know anything.”

A thing cannot be what it is, and what it is not, at

the same time and in the same way.

How Do We know if Something is True?❖ The Test Of Experience:!

❖ Does The Explanation Match The Facts Of Our Observation?!

❖ Examples:!❖ There aren’t many Flat Earth Society members left...!❖ Christian Science.

How Do We know if Something is True?

❖ The Test Of Experience:!❖ Cautions:!

❖ “God told me____”!❖ Don’t reply on experience when presenting the gospel.!❖ Experience can help you know, but not show.

How Do We know if Something is True?

❖ The Test Of Experience:!❖ Experience and observation can be helpful in pointing to

an absolute, but we should not base beliefs solely on it.

How Do We know if Something is True?❖ The Test Of Practice:!

❖ Does It Work?!❖ Or, Do You Have To Borrow From Other World Views?!❖ Examples:!

❖ How should a person from each world view react to having their iPhone stolen?

Why Should We Understand Truth?

For The Sake Of The Gospel!

When your philosophical system does not have God as its foundation, it will fail to explain reality.