The 2020 U.S. presidential election is a polarizing topic. The violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th was terrible, and subsequently all legal challenges to the outcome ended. But even though Joe Biden has been certified as the next President, there are millions of people who will always question the truth of the results. I will not take a political side in this article, but I will use the election to make a critical point about spiritual truth. Truth is not relative – there is an absolute truth about the election and the topic of God.
Before I elaborate on this point, I need to provide clarity on a few definitions.
When it comes to the source of truth, it is valid that certain truth claims are either subjective or objective.
✔SUBJECTIVE TRUTH: Some things are true because they are dependent on a person’s mind (the subject).[1],[2] They are literally based on a person’s feeling, opinion or thinking. An example would be a person’s favorite movie.
✔OBJECTIVE TRUTH: Some things are true based on a thing (object) independent of a person’s mind, not based on human feeling, opinion or thinking.[1] An example would mathematics. One plus one equals two, regardless of a person’s opinion.
Now while truth can be based on either subjects (persons) or objects (not persons), truth is not relative, but rather absolute.
✖RELATIVE TRUTH: This is the concept that all truth is subjective, dependent on a person’s mind.[1] In other words, a claim is true if someone accepts it.[3] Consequently, each person can have their own truth.
✔ABSOLUTE TRUTH: This is the idea that truth is determined by reality, not a person accepting it.[3] This notion allows for both objective and subjective truth: one plus one equals two, is absolute truth. Also, that Jason likes the movie Courageous is also an absolute truth.
Confusion happens when people try to take the legitimate concept of subjective truth and apply it to everything, especially religion. We must not fall into the trap that all truth is subjective, which is relativism. That is a lie that does not correspond to reality.
In order to demonstrate this point, let’s consider the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. Although Joe Biden was officially certified as the winner, and the violence at the U.S. Capitol was widely condemned by Republicans and Democrats, there are many people who will always question the underlying truth of the election.
According to a Rasmussen poll, released on January 5, 2020, there are many who believe that Trump was the legitimate winner of US. Presidential election and many who believe Biden won.[4]
The specific question of the poll was: Who do you believe legitimately won the presidential election this year? According to the poll: 31% picked Trump, 59% picked Biden, 10% was not sure.
Is it possible that both sides are right? In other words, those who believe that Donald Trump won are truly correct; and those who believe that Joe Biden won are also truly correct. If truth is relative, then both claims can be true. Maybe Donald Trump and Joe Biden both won the election based on legal votes.
Any reasonable person, on either side of the political aisle, would recognize this is utterly ridiculous. It is completely irrational. Frankly, it’s impossible. There is an absolute truth about the election that is distinct from everyone’s opinion. Our preference does not determine the reality of who got the most legal votes.
As evidenced by the poll I cited, there are many people who disagree about the election results. If the truth about the election were relative to each person, no one would argue for an underlying absolute truth.
How does this pertain to spiritual truth? This same concept applies to God. People’s opinions do not determine the ultimate truth about God.
It may be popular to say that the truth about God is relative; in other words, each person can determine their own religious truth. But this is impossible. It attempts to make the leap that since some things are subject to an opinion, so is the truth about God. But this is false!
Similar to the election, the truth about God is not determined by the thinking or opinion of a person. What we prefer or hope for does not determine reality about God.
Why then do people speak as though each person can have their own truth about God? It is because we are afraid to say that certain religious viewpoints are wrong.
Should we respect people’s free-will to decide what they believe? Yes! But that doesn’t mean we should accept that everyone’s viewpoint regarding God is correct. This is logically impossible. People have beliefs that contradict, so there is no way for everyone to be correct. For more information – see Pluralism.
Considering what is at stake, it is dangerous, and frankly unloving, to continue with the notion that the truth about God is relative. This may lead to difficult conversations, but the alternative is far worse. Rather than people exploring the truth about God, relativism may give people a false of security that everyone is right about their eternal destination.
Jesus made an explicit statement regarding the topic of truth and path to heaven:
Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6 CSB)
Jesus said He is the truth, not a truth. He made an explicit statement for absolute truth. Christians are called to share their belief about God, along with reasons we have for them, in a manner of gentleness and respect. This responsibility, with a peaceful approach, is a Biblical command from 1 Peter 3:16.
The bottom line is this: Truth is not relative; certainly not as it pertains to the election and definitely not regarding the truth about God; and, as important as the election was, the eternal destination of our soul is far more important.
Summary Point
Just as there is an absolute truth about the presidential election, there is an absolute truth about God.
[1] Greg Koukl of Stand-to-Reason, gives a great podcast clarifying these definitions of truth: https://www.str.org/w/what-is-truth?inheritRedirect=true [2] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/subjective?s=t [3] J.P. Moreland, William Lane Craig, Philosophical Foundations For A Christian Worldview (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press © 2003), p.132 [4] https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/polling/almost-third-new-poll-say-trump-was-legitimate-winner-election
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