“and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32).
A claim is a statement that is either true or false. If the statement is neither true nor false, it is not a claim. Truth is the description of the quality of a claim. A claim is true when the statement being made matches the way things actually are.
Truth refers to a claim or group of claims in which the statements of the claim correspond to reality. In other words, the statement really does express the reality of the matter. If someone makes the claim that I am a man, and I really am a man, then the claim is true. It is true because it matches or corresponds to the way things really are. Truth is the name of a claim that matches reality.
Truth is the correspondence between a claim and reality. All other attempted definitions must assume this one. All other definitions claim that their definition corresponds to reality, and therefore is true. Which means that all other definitions are false. You can’t assume the truth of one definition to prove another.
The essence of truth is the correspondence between a claim and reality. But the evidence that there is this correspondence includes the coherence of the system of claims and whether they are pragmatically verifiable. In other words, other definitions of truth are evidence of truth and not truth itself.
We must also note that truth can be incomplete, partial, and limited. A simple statement can only point to a very limited aspect of reality. You need a group of claims to fill things out. That is why, when I use the term truth, I am usually referring to a group of claims. This group of claims represents my view of Christianity.
A belief is a claim that is accepted as true, which then becomes a rule of action. A belief system is the acceptance of a group of these claims. Religions are beliefs system. We find belief systems in every culture, every group, and every individual. It is these belief systems, whether conscious or not, that direct our thoughts, feelings, and actions. They control our businesses, our churches, our governments, our families, and our lives.
Truth, in this context, is the correspondence between a belief system and reality. The belief system that best corresponds to reality is Christianity. And the best version of Christianity is the one I will share with you here. It is not the only version. It may not ultimately be the correct one. I only claim it is the best version I have found.
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