The Light of Truth

Having seen friends making different choices in their beliefs, and wanting to understand where truth is, I have spent a long time trying to piece together what I have found. I think we fist need a common definition of "truth," so let's call it the laws of nature, those things that are universal, that don't change from person to person. I think that it is probably clear to everyone who would read this that not all information is based on truth. People, in general, wether intentionally or not, have biases which color what they say and do. I believe that this is primarily because of our limited perspective. As far as I can tell, it is impossible to escape one's own perspective -- though there are those that do a much better job than others at understanding different perspectives.

And coming to understand the truth with only a limited perspective is like the story of the three blind men that encounter an elephant and each think it to be something completely different: one holding the tail thinks it is like a rope, one holding it's trunk thinks it is like a snake, while the third, holding it's leg thinks it is like a tree. With so much of life like this example, it is no wonder that it seems that common sense isn't all that common. In fact, I can see why it is so difficult for people coming from different backgrounds to understand and appreciate those differences. Having read "Team of Rivals," I am very impressed with Abraham Lincoln's ability to have done so well.

I came across this article, Faith, Reason, Knowledge, and Truth, and realized how sad it is that there are so many that tend to turn away from "faith". I think a good deal of this has to do with a misunderstanding of faith, and what faith is. I don't think that this article did good job of reconciling faith with knowledge, and helping one to understand the value of faith. I think it does a good job of explaining why people tend to turn away from faith, and the kinds of impressions people might have of faith. For example, I think that some people think of faith as a way to explain things that they don't understand, or at least think that is how others use faith.

For me it is easier to come to an understanding of faith by learning about what I call the "light of Christ." In LDS, or Mormon, theology the "light of Christ" is given to all people to recognize truth. That "Ah ha!" moment when you finally understand something, that moment when it's like a light is turned on in your mind and things become clear and falls into place -- that is part of what I call the "light of Christ." It's also frequently called inspiration, and whether you believe in my religion or not, whether you believe it comes for God or not, or even if you believe in God or not, it's a universal means of recognizing truth. Those people that learn to recognize that gut feeling of truth and follow it, like Einstein, Galileo, and others can help the world to see those truths. While without it, we can easily get lost in our own logic and lead ourselves to believe the world is flat, or the Earth is the center of the universe, ...

So from this perspective, faith is important because it shows how one can revolutionize the world, because it allows one to see and recognize truth long before they can prove it. According to Joseph Smith, faith is the principle of action in all intelligent beings. If people didn't believe that whatever action they were taking was going to lead to certain results that they desired then they wouldn't act in that way. From this perspective then, it is good to have faith, for example, in the scientific method. By using this method and others it is easier to sort out what forms of faith are just delusional beliefs in things that aren't true from those types of faith that lead to success.

Understanding how to put ones ego aside to recognize the differences between it and the "light of truth," or inspiration, is goal and path that I hope we don't lose sight of. I hope that as we gain more knowledge, that this knowledge is well founded in wisdom, so that we continue to grow and learn. Let us not discount the power of faith in anything that we do.