Why Relativism Is Simply Inadequate
We live in a culture where there are endless options in virtually every arena of life - people expect there to be a similar array of options in the spiritual arena as well. Relativism holds that each person decides for themselves what is true; truth is subjective and relative to the individual. According to this view one person can say, “There is a God”, and her best friend could say, “There is no God”, and both statements would be true, as long as they accurately express the sincere beliefs of the two individuals stating them. But is this acceptable?
Relativism can work when it comes to matters of preference (e.g. “Liverpool FC is the best team in Europe” as opposed to “Barcelona FC is the best team in Europe”). However, to claim that all truth is relative is wholly inadequate and collapses as a framework for understanding life - and religion.
Just think about it: we live our lives relying on the belief that objective truth exists. If a crime takes place, for example, the police will attempt to gather evidence and then reconstruct how events really took place as best as possible (i.e. they won’t simply allow the alleged perpetrator to make up the truth for himself).
In reality, not all truth is relative. At college I once jokingly took the phone of a relativist friend who was claiming each person decides the truth for himself. When he protested I said, “It’s true for me that this is now my phone”. Of course, he quickly presented objective reasons as to why I was wrong.
Subjective truth may work in certain areas of life where there can be different opinions, tastes, or preferences, but it cannot be extended to statements of fact, including the question of God’s existence and nature. Just as 2+2 is either 4 or not, either God exists or He doesn’t.
Truth has an objective existence and a universal application; it is not merely a matter of preference or interpretation. Truth is about what corresponds to reality and, as such, remains independent of our opinions. In fact, no matter how deeply held our beliefs may be, they do not affect reality. Even if the majority accept it, a lie is always a lie; even if only the minority accept it, a truth is always a truth. Truth is not a matter of subjective feeling, majority vote, or cultural trends. The statement "the world is flat" was wrong even when the vast majority thought it to be flat.
A true statement is one that corresponds to an actual state of affairs. This is why relativism fails as a framework for interpreting religion. This is also why, when coupled with the positive evidence in its favour, Christianity cannot be dismissed as just another option on the menu. Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is “the way, the truth and the life” - either He was right or He was wrong. I believe we must reclaim the message in our pulpits and gospel proclamation that this world is full of both true and false ideas, and that we as humans carry the rational and moral responsibility to identify and uphold what is true.
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