Absolute Truth

[OhimeSama]

My father is a brilliant debater and, unfortunately, a die-hard fundie. When I was younger he used to take me for walks outside and talk about god and the nature of god, etc.
One thing he said stuck with me and, because all I've ever heard was his side of the debate, I'd really love to hear what you would say in response.

His question was this: does there exist absolute truth? Is truth absolute? If yes, where does it come from? If no, is your answer true absolutely?

Writing it down seems to make it make less sense somehow...eh. Thoughts?

[Minimalist]

does there exist absolute truth?

Wait. Let me guess. He assumes that his version of "god" is absolute truth, right?

I've yet to meet a true believer who doesn't believe their own bullshit.

[OhimeSama]

Well, yes, I guess he thinks that without God there can be no moral and truthful absolutes.

[Whateverist]

http://youtu.be/5j2F4VcBmeo

Seriously. I'd say the "truth" is simply the accurate correspondence between what you say and reality. We probably all get it right some of the time. If you can say shit, eventually you're going to get something right .. even Christians.

"Absolute" truth? Are some truths truer than other truths? No. There is just the way things are and statements that get it right are truth. That's it. The whole enchilada.

[Minimalist]

So he isn't a brilliant debater he's just a garden variety fundie who sticks to his mythology in spite of all evidence to the contrary.

We get a lot of those around here. They are a dime a dozen.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

@ Ohimesama

Never confuse winning or losing an argument with being right or wrong necessarily.

Your dad sounds like a dogmatic dickhead who will be unswayed by anything as novel as proof or reason. We have a few like that here.

IF you insist on arguing with your dad challenge his most basic claims:

"There is a god": Prove it..

"Nothing comes from nothing" : Who/what made God? To claim God is the exception is a logical fallacy called 'special pleading'

Refuse to accept the Bible as an authority.IE "the bible says" is irrelevant to the argument.


My late father was a rabid Irish Catholic. He was also a bully;he would shout down/ridicule/abuse anyone [in the family] who disagreed with him about anything. I learned very young not to bother with the prick. IF your dad is anything like that,I strongly suggest not to bother.

[Cinjin]

god damnit, once again I'm pissed at myself for reading a philosophy thread.

Philosophy is such a fucking useless endeavor.

The same question can be defined and redefined a dozen different ways and the answer is always some arrogant blowhard's masturbatory ramblings. An answer, by the way, that can be easily contradicted on anyone's whim because most often the question is some existential bull shit that doesn't mean anything in the first fucking place. The whole exercise gets lost in pseudo-intellectual drivel that solves no problems, aids no persons, and often only leads weak-minded people to feel meaningless and go out and find some angry/loving god to validate their shitty lives.


You want to know what absolute truth is? You're going to die. THAT is an absolute truth. Do you really want to spend your time contemplating this stupid horse shit?




/rant

[Anomalocaris]

My father is a brilliant debater and, unfortunately, a die-hard fundie. When I was younger he used to take me for walks outside and talk about god and the nature of god, etc.
One thing he said stuck with me and, because all I've ever heard was his side of the debate, I'd really love to hear what you would say in response.

His question was this: does there exist absolute truth? Is truth absolute? If yes, where does it come from? If no, is your answer true absolutely?

Writing it down seems to make it make less sense somehow...eh. Thoughts?

Please define what constitutes "truth". Without a clear definition of what it is, there is no point to elaborate upon whether it exists or is absolute.

BTW, how do you know he is a brilliant debater if all you hear is his side?

[Kayenneh]

Well, yes, I guess he thinks that without God there can be no moral and truthful absolutes.

When it comes to absolutes, the only thing I can think of is mathematics. 1+1 is indeed 2 and nothing else, but as we know, christians have an odd way of counting, making 1+1+1 equal 1.. But where did it come from? Well, from humans of course, because mathematics is after all merely a tool for us to express the world as we see it. What else came from humans? Why, the riddiculous concept of religion, of course.
As for morals coming from a higher power, that's just absurd. It is something to be found in our DNA, nurtured by the society we live in, thus the different points of view. Morals are after all based upon opinion, though there will always be those who think that their opinions are a little bit better, just because they have an imaginary friend.

[OhimeSama]

@Chuck
I personally don't have a good written definition for what truth is, or at least a definition that doesn't use some derivative of the word truth.

My father would say that truth is whatever God says.

And I know my father is a brilliant debater because I've watched him debate people on other topics. Nowhere did I say that he was simply a brilliant religious debater. One can debate well and still be wrong about religion.