Seeking Truth
“…I claim that we cannot possess the ‘truth’. At best we can believe in it. Anyone who really seeks the truth cannot and ought not to seek it under the aegis and within the confines of his own religion. If he does so, is not insincerity godfather to a matter which demands the greatest integrity? What is the purpose and goal of life after all? To believe in the ‘truth’ or to seek it?” (Erich Von Daniken)
To be a truth seeker is to understand that knowledge is not finite: “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (De 29:29)
As an explorer leaves what is known, driven by beliefs that there are places that have never been seen; as a miner seems relentless in his pursuit for a treasure he believes is only hidden waiting to be discovered; so a truth seeker is reluctant to stay long upon one set of facts or traditions, sensing that there is more that can be known.
“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up they voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.” (Pr 2:1-5)
There is the old adage about “jumping out of your skin”. Experience suggests that this is a sensation that one physically feels when trying to conform to an idea that the spirit does not accept. One may sit in seeming compliance but the strong impulses of the spirit being wrongly constrained, if heeded, will propel one to move, often in a contrary direction. The relief is instant despite fear of future reprisal or ostracism.
When one is willing to allow the leading of the Spirit, the result is like the opening of a flood gate. Once the gate is open, there is no shutting it; you are caught up and swept along in the river of revelation and truth. It is fearful making the conscious decision to leave the safety of the shore and plunge headlong into the violent current. But one soon learns that, as in all matters, when one is willing to trust the leading of the Holy Spirit, “…My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”, saith the LORD.
It is a lonely place being a truth seeker. Possessing ideas that you can barely understand yourself, sharing seems impossible. And yet, the wonder and excitement of each new revelation only fuels the mind in its desire to know more and understand. Seeking can be intoxicating.
The reality, as Mr. von Daniken suggests, is that too many Christians think the goal is to possess truth and are firmly convinced that through their various institutions of religion, by teachings and traditions of man, they have come to be the ‘possessors’ of truth. For years on end, the teachings and traditions of man have been practiced and rehearsed, repeated and recited from one generation to the next.
“Admittedly this speculation is still full of holes. I shall be told that proofs are lacking. The future will show how many of those holes can be filled in. [Chariots of the Gods] puts forward a hypothesis made up of many speculations, therefore the hypothesis must not be “true”. Yet when I compare it with the theories enabling many religions to live unassailed in the shelter of their taboos, I should like to attribute a minimal percentage of probability to my hypothesis.
“Perhaps it will do some good to say a few words about the “truth”. Anyone who believes in a religion and has never been under attack is convinced that he has the “truth”. That applies not only to Christians but also to the members of other religious communities, both large and small. Theosophists, theologists, and philosophers have reflected about their teaching, about their master and his teaching; they are convinced that they have found the “truth”. Naturally every religion has its history, its promises made by God, its covenants with God, its prophets and wise teachers who have said…Proofs of the “truth” always start from the center of one’s own religion and work outward. The result is a biased way of thinking which we are brought up to accept from childhood. Nevertheless generations lived and still do live in the conviction that they possess the “truth”.
“Somewhat more modestly, I claim that we cannot posses the “truth”. At best we can believe in it. Anyone who really seeks the truth cannot and ought not to seek it under the aegis and within the confines of his own religion. If he does so, is not insincerity godfather to a matter which demands the greatest integrity? What is the purpose and goal of life after all? To believe in the “truth” or to seek it?
“Even if Old Testament facts can be proved archaeologically in Mesopotamia, those verified facts are still no proof of the religion concerned. If ancient cities, villages, wells, and inscriptions are dug up in a particular area, the finds show that the history of the people who lived there is an actual fact. But they do not prove that the god of that people was the one and only god (and not a space traveler).
“Today excavations all over the world show that traditions tally with the facts. But would it occur to a single Christian to recognize the god of the pre-Inca culture as the genuine god as the results of excavations in Peru? Quite simply what I mean is that everything, both myth and actual experience, makes up the history of a people. No more. But even that, I claim, is quite a lot.
“So anyone who really seeks truth cannot ignore new and bold and as yet unproved points of view simply because they do not fit into his scheme of thought (or belief)…Let us just venture the frightful…We must all summon up the courage to leave the lines along which we have thought until now…begin to doubt everything that we previously accepted as correct and true…It is no longer possible to block the roads to the past with dogmas.” (Chariots of the Gods, Erich von Daniken, pp.65-67)
What if the truth of God as given and written by man originally was knowingly or unwittingly changed by future scribes and translators? There is still truth in the Bible. What if the Bible really tells us that there are multiple worlds? God is still the Creator. What if the Bible really tells us that God and His heavenly host travel across time and through space? God still watches over us. What if the Bible really tells us there was forbidden sex with human women and fallen angels creating genetic anomalies? And that God destroyed many nations and peoples in an effort to remove these genetic impurities? God still loves us. What if part of Jesus' message was a warning about these genetic anomalies for His time as well as ours: that evil has been, and is indeed, still among us? Jesus still came to be an example and died on the cross to redeem God's children. And He promised He would come again. There is a Kingdom of God. If it doesn't change the outcome...what if?
To be a truth seeker is to understand that knowledge is not finite: “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (De 29:29)
As an explorer leaves what is known, driven by beliefs that there are places that have never been seen; as a miner seems relentless in his pursuit for a treasure he believes is only hidden waiting to be discovered; so a truth seeker is reluctant to stay long upon one set of facts or traditions, sensing that there is more that can be known.
“My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up they voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.” (Pr 2:1-5)
There is the old adage about “jumping out of your skin”. Experience suggests that this is a sensation that one physically feels when trying to conform to an idea that the spirit does not accept. One may sit in seeming compliance but the strong impulses of the spirit being wrongly constrained, if heeded, will propel one to move, often in a contrary direction. The relief is instant despite fear of future reprisal or ostracism.
When one is willing to allow the leading of the Spirit, the result is like the opening of a flood gate. Once the gate is open, there is no shutting it; you are caught up and swept along in the river of revelation and truth. It is fearful making the conscious decision to leave the safety of the shore and plunge headlong into the violent current. But one soon learns that, as in all matters, when one is willing to trust the leading of the Holy Spirit, “…My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”, saith the LORD.
It is a lonely place being a truth seeker. Possessing ideas that you can barely understand yourself, sharing seems impossible. And yet, the wonder and excitement of each new revelation only fuels the mind in its desire to know more and understand. Seeking can be intoxicating.
The reality, as Mr. von Daniken suggests, is that too many Christians think the goal is to possess truth and are firmly convinced that through their various institutions of religion, by teachings and traditions of man, they have come to be the ‘possessors’ of truth. For years on end, the teachings and traditions of man have been practiced and rehearsed, repeated and recited from one generation to the next.
“Admittedly this speculation is still full of holes. I shall be told that proofs are lacking. The future will show how many of those holes can be filled in. [Chariots of the Gods] puts forward a hypothesis made up of many speculations, therefore the hypothesis must not be “true”. Yet when I compare it with the theories enabling many religions to live unassailed in the shelter of their taboos, I should like to attribute a minimal percentage of probability to my hypothesis.
“Perhaps it will do some good to say a few words about the “truth”. Anyone who believes in a religion and has never been under attack is convinced that he has the “truth”. That applies not only to Christians but also to the members of other religious communities, both large and small. Theosophists, theologists, and philosophers have reflected about their teaching, about their master and his teaching; they are convinced that they have found the “truth”. Naturally every religion has its history, its promises made by God, its covenants with God, its prophets and wise teachers who have said…Proofs of the “truth” always start from the center of one’s own religion and work outward. The result is a biased way of thinking which we are brought up to accept from childhood. Nevertheless generations lived and still do live in the conviction that they possess the “truth”.
“Somewhat more modestly, I claim that we cannot posses the “truth”. At best we can believe in it. Anyone who really seeks the truth cannot and ought not to seek it under the aegis and within the confines of his own religion. If he does so, is not insincerity godfather to a matter which demands the greatest integrity? What is the purpose and goal of life after all? To believe in the “truth” or to seek it?
“Even if Old Testament facts can be proved archaeologically in Mesopotamia, those verified facts are still no proof of the religion concerned. If ancient cities, villages, wells, and inscriptions are dug up in a particular area, the finds show that the history of the people who lived there is an actual fact. But they do not prove that the god of that people was the one and only god (and not a space traveler).
“Today excavations all over the world show that traditions tally with the facts. But would it occur to a single Christian to recognize the god of the pre-Inca culture as the genuine god as the results of excavations in Peru? Quite simply what I mean is that everything, both myth and actual experience, makes up the history of a people. No more. But even that, I claim, is quite a lot.
“So anyone who really seeks truth cannot ignore new and bold and as yet unproved points of view simply because they do not fit into his scheme of thought (or belief)…Let us just venture the frightful…We must all summon up the courage to leave the lines along which we have thought until now…begin to doubt everything that we previously accepted as correct and true…It is no longer possible to block the roads to the past with dogmas.” (Chariots of the Gods, Erich von Daniken, pp.65-67)
What if the truth of God as given and written by man originally was knowingly or unwittingly changed by future scribes and translators? There is still truth in the Bible. What if the Bible really tells us that there are multiple worlds? God is still the Creator. What if the Bible really tells us that God and His heavenly host travel across time and through space? God still watches over us. What if the Bible really tells us there was forbidden sex with human women and fallen angels creating genetic anomalies? And that God destroyed many nations and peoples in an effort to remove these genetic impurities? God still loves us. What if part of Jesus' message was a warning about these genetic anomalies for His time as well as ours: that evil has been, and is indeed, still among us? Jesus still came to be an example and died on the cross to redeem God's children. And He promised He would come again. There is a Kingdom of God. If it doesn't change the outcome...what if?
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