"Oh Say, What is Truth?"

Have you ever heard the term "Truth is relevant" or "Truth is what you make of it?" Personally, I've always been somewhat puzzled at this concept. 


The dictionary on my computer define true as "in accordance with fact or reality." Aren't all these things - truth, fact, and reality - constant and solid by nature? 


Granted, how we interpret these realities is open to interpretation. Allow me to quote from my first post:


By very definition, truth is not relative. A so-called "relative truth" is merely a personal observation. Take for example the familiar picture of the old/young woman. While opinions of what is seen may vary, truth - or facts - still remain: there are certain dark markings arranged in specific ways in relation to each other. (Credit for this is due to Stephen R. Covey in his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.) But how we view those facts, or truths, is where the fun starts.

We are all unique individuals, and therefore will have differing views of what we see, hear, and so forth. It is only natural for us to pass on what we learn, even if we're not even that sure about it, thus information, or misinformation, spreads like wildfire.


So, let's break it down. There are three main categories here that govern our living that may also be difficult to distinguish. They are Doctrines/Principles, Policies/Procedures, and Applications/Culture.


Doctrines and Principles are unchanging, and are synonymous with truth. As stated in Doctrine and Covenants 93:24, "And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come." Constant and independent, truth in its actual definition, is not up for debate. This doctrine is the the building material for how things work. In gospel terms it can also be called "the law." This foundation cannot be altered, no matter what we do. It's been said, "One cannot break the law: One can only break himself against the law."


Though these doctrines never change, times do. People change. Circumstances change.  Besides the doctrines themselves, the only other thing that is inevitable in life is change. Because of this we sometimes see doctrines carried out in various ways. Let's take the Word of Wisdom as an example. The policy for our day is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 89 and outlines basic guidelines of what to take into our body and what not to. It shows us how the Lord would have us carry out the principle, which is that our bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost and need to be taken care of.


One way we know that this set of guidelines is a policy and not a principle is to see if it has changed. Indeed it has. This same doctrine was taught in another way during the time of Moses, and was known as the Levitical Law. Once times and circumstances changed, it was necessary to alter it (Acts 10:9-15). And again in this dispensation we find it changed around for our own circumstances. And yet the doctrine itself has never changed. Now, just because these procedures are subject to change, it does not diminish their importance or validity at all. We still need to follow them.

Now, the way in which we apply these doctrines and policies is another matter entirely. Sticking with the Word of Wisdom example, how many times have we heard the argument over caffeine? Or different types of tea? There is a lot of disagreement on the subject. And disagreement itself is not a bad thing - in fact it can be a very good thing as long as we remember what these things are based on. 


Problems emerge when we start focussing on the applications and culture of things instead of the revealed procedures or, most important, the doctrines behind them. What good is it if the deacons are lined up correctly before returning the sacrament trays to the altar if we partake of it without reverence and adoration? What good is it if we're so worried about finishing an assignment but totally skip over the whole learning part? What good is it sending your child to time out for hitting when he's never understood the principles of patience, kindness, and self-control?


Any great athletic or musical or artistic coach will tell you that it's the fundamentals that will make the difference. As President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said,

"True doctrine, understood, changes attitude and behavior [applications]."

We're all trying to get back home. Parents are desperately trying to teach their children the ways of truth and light. We're mortal. We mess up. Our children are mortal. They mess up. How do we go about correcting ourselves or our children? Our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ have provided the perfect example. 

"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from 

the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature." 

-President Ezra Taft Benson