Seeking truth

“So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” -- John 18:37-38

This well-known passage from the Gospel of John focuses on the question of truth, what it is, and how do we know it to be true? For Christians truth is understood to be revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It’s interesting that, in this passage, Jesus speaks of being a witness testifying to the truth. The word for testify is “marterion” a word that we use as martyr.

Other ancient religions speak of truth or truths in different ways. Buddhism has Four Noble Truths: To live is to suffer, Suffering is caused by desire, to end suffering end desire, do this by following the Eight Fold Path. Daoism speaks of a Way that leads to truth. Hinduism teaches you can have what you want, but is what you want really what you want?

All religions search for the ultimate truth. And, interestingly, all religions recognize a deep and abiding truth in the way we treat one another. The Golden Rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

So why don’t people act that way more of the time?

Last Sunday’s Super Bowl might help us with that question. We all have our favorite team in the NFL. Our team can do no wrong in our eyes. When our team loses we are devastated. When they win we are elated. We’d never think of jumping to another team.

It’s the same with religion. Our religion is the one true religion. All others are lacking in some way. It’s a tribalism that creates separation, distrust, even hate. In it’s extreme, it can lead to violence.

So much for treating others the way you want to be treated.

I saw a picture on Facebook the other day. Two boys, probably first or second graders. One was Black, the other White. They were smiling, arms entwined, obviously good friends. And they had the same haircut. What they were proud of was the belief that, with the same haircut, the teacher would not be able to tell which one was which.

I smiled at the picture and its caption. Realizing that, over time, those boys will be exposed to other so-called truths, truths about race and color, truths that aren’t really truths at all. Tribalism. It’s the world we live in.

What gives me hope is all those who are working to break down our tribal instincts. And also my Wesleyan teaching about discerning truth. John Wesley came up with a four-fold way of discerning truth that later came to be known as the Quadrilateral. And, no, it is not a football term!

The first step is to turn to scripture. The Bible is full of stories about diversity, about acceptance, about compassion. So search the scriptures, not with a preconceived notion of what they say, but with an open heart and mind.

Second, there is tradition, thousands of years of tradition. Third is reason. God gave us a brain, so use it. Reason things out. Use common sense. And, finally, experience, in particular our personal experience of God and how God has acted in our lives. Imagine what it would be like if we sought truth in that way. Suspending our tribal instincts and, instead, acting with an openness of heart and mind.

It’s easy to do, actually. Unfortunately, it’s also easy not to do.