The Difference Between Perception and Absolute Truth

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Written by Jimmie Burroughs Email to a friend

Your perception may tell you that the image to your left is some species of a monkey, but that would be wrong. That is a picture of a rare flower.

Only truth and untruth are pure reality; all else is a perception of truth and can vary and exist in many shades. Scientific facts are only a scientist’s perception of what may be true at a given time. It may be truth or it could be a shade of truth that misses the mark of being absolute truth. That is why the half mile of science books in the Louvre Museum, in Paris France, are no longer relevant. What once was considered to be a scientific fact no longer measures up to new knowledge?  Perception is an important facet of truth, but it is directed more to learning about what absolute truth is as you shall see further in the article.

During the time of Christopher Columbus, the scientific perception of the world was that it was flat; therefore, it was possible to sail right off the edge. However, Columbus did not accept the scientific perception of his day. Columbus said in his personal memoirs that he was led by the Spirit of God. He apparently put more confidence in the Bible than he did science. No doubt he knew that verse of scripture “He sitteth on the circle of the earth,” -Isaiah 40:22. The word translated circle means globe, not a flat geometrical circle.

Growing up, Columbus was said to sit on the dock and watch approaching ships; he observed that he could only see the tops of the masts at first, and then more and more of the ship as it drew closer. He came to the conclusion from this observation, along with the Biblical account, that the earth must be round. His perception would become the reality of absolute truth when he actually sailed around the world to discover the western hemisphere.

How much or how little do we know today of absolute truth? We know it is absolutely true that water freezes at 32 degrees, but not all water; ocean water freezes at around 28 degrees. We know it is absolutely true that the body needs oxygen, food and water to survive, and of course we know many other things to be factual. But, for example, do we know with absolute certainty where man came from? We have two perceptions (theories). It is either that a higher intelligence that we call God created man, or man just happened due to random selection over billions of years through a process of evolution. Since neither of the two theories can be proven, because, in fact, no one was there to witness the creation nor has evolution been observed, either must be accepted by faith.

We must determine which we consider to be absolute truth, whether it is in the idea that there really is a God who is far beyond our understanding, who created something as complex as human life, or is evolution the absolute truth which contends that everything came from nothing. There is no disputing the fact that either way it takes a lot of faith. So what is best; just blindly to believe what we have been taught or told by others, as the people of Columbus’s day believed the earth was flat because it was the scientific perception of the day? Or should we, like Columbus, do some thinking on our own and come to a conclusion as to what we personally perceive to be absolute truth based on the evidence that we have? We know that there are only two realities, either truth or untruth:, so it is either intelligent design or creation by random selection (evolution). It can’t be both; one is true, and the other is false.

Before we can make such a decision, we must have knowledge, knowledge of evolution and knowledge of intelligent design. Remember, perception is learning and not necessarily absolute truth; however, our perception is important to coming to the truth. What is your present perception of God? Can you answer all the questions about God? Where did God come from? How can God have always existed? How could God possibly speak things into existence? The truth is that no one can answer any of those three questions with certainty. Does that mean that God does not exist? Just because we don’t have complete knowledge on any subject, does not mean it is untrue. We do have some knowledge of God from his word, the Bible, and from his creation all about us. From the knowledge we have, we must determine if it is adequate to believe there is a God.

The same holds true for evolution. Can you answer the question as to how anything can come out of nothing? Can you answer the question as to how something as complex as the human body could just happen accidentally by random selection? Or can you answer why the universe is governed by absolute laws that do not change or vary while evolution is based on continual change without any governing laws? When you have the knowledge of the evolution theory, you realize that it too must be accepted by faith and a lot of it.

What we do know is that knowledge and truth are so vast that it is impossible for any one person to have more that a tiny fraction of it. If you study the Bible, you could have more knowledge and truth about God than the most brilliant scientist who does not study the Bible and who believes it’s untrue.

It is your individual responsibility to come to an understanding of the difference in perception and absolute truth. Evolution is a perception held by some; intelligent design is a perception held by others. And since we do not know the absolute truth, it comes down to what we know to be true as to which we will trust. You must decide for yourself, but as for me there is no contest; faith in God makes so much more sense, but then I speak for myself.

Many today have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as absolute truth; therefore, nothing really matters. These would also believe evolution since it has no specific design or purpose. If you ask someone who believes there is no absolute truth, if they can they be absolutely sure what they believe is true. Their answer can only be no; otherwise they contradict themselves.

Much of what people believe today is only a perception and not based on absolute truth. Much of our beliefs are those that are passed down to us by our ancestors. There are religious denominations, for example, that base their theological beliefs on what one man determined was the truth scores of years ago, even if it does not equate with what the Bible teaches.

Groups sometimes determine what is to be considered absolute truth, and it can turn out to something as radical as a terrorist’s organization whose purpose it is to kill as many innocent people as possible. Or a group likes the Nazi White Supremacists who operate out of racial hate. The sad part is that people who participate in such organizations are not thinking independently but allowing someone else to think for them and dictate what truth is or isn’t.

Conclusion

Sometimes it is necessary to depend on what others have discovered to be absolute truth. If you need surgery, you have to trust the surgical team to know the absolute truth concerning the procedure. On the other hand, it is poor judgment always to accept at face value everything that is said and taught by others. Ignorance always is gullible, but wisdom and knowledge are king when it comes to determine the difference between perception and absolute truth.

About the author: Jimmie Burroughs is a motivational speaker and author who’s been involved in teaching Christian Personal Development for more than 30 years. He is a dedicated believer in Jesus Christ and considers helping others his calling in life. His websites contains over 600 articles on preparing yourself for success and better living through personal development.

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