{"id":8488,"date":"2016-08-31T05:42:18","date_gmt":"2016-08-31T09:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=8488"},"modified":"2016-08-31T05:41:12","modified_gmt":"2016-08-31T09:41:12","slug":"hypocrisy-believing-no-truth-truth-believe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/hypocrisy-believing-no-truth-truth-believe.html","title":{"rendered":"Hypocrisy? Believing in No Truth is a Truth You Believe"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2235\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2012\/04\/425877_cross.jpg\" alt=\"425877_cross\" width=\"300\" height=\"224\" \/>TRUTH\u00a0is controversial these days. It is variously slammed, considered a dirty word, or is the source of intolerance.\u00a0Some say\u00a0it doesn&#8217;t exist. My profession says there is no truth that can be known; that all reality is constructed. Put simply, no one occupies the corner on truth. Whatever works for you is your reality.<\/p>\n<p>This ambiguity is very appealing and\u00a0something many\u00a0<em>want <\/em>to hear. It feeds our appetites and tickles our ears. For example, the message, \u201cSatisfy your sexual urges\u201d is much more appealing than, \u201cDo not covet.\u201d But as my mom used to say, \u201cThat doesn\u2019t make it right!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I admit, rejecting truth\u00a0is a tempting way to live because <em>you<\/em> get to set the rules. It appeals to that independence in all of us; our desire to take control of our life and live it on our own terms. It allows us to be god&#8211;to set our own standards. But there is a problem with this line of thought &#8211; God\u00a0has a different idea. And when He speaks, I listen. I realize you may not.<\/p>\n<p>He spoke loud and clear though the Bible and through His Son, Jesus Christ. Specifically He said, \u201cI am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me\u201d (John 14:6). You may think, that\u2019s pretty narrow, intolerant of other&#8217; views and rings of spiritual superiority:\u00a0<em>You <\/em>are truth, and no one gets to you except through <em>Jesus<\/em>? That is offensive, a micro aggression, and doesn&#8217;t create a safe space!<\/p>\n<p>As politically incorrect as this statement appears, that\u2019s what He said. And because it doesn\u2019t fit our postmodern view doesn&#8217;t mean it isn&#8217;t true. And, because it offends (Jesus said it would) doesn&#8217;t mean it isn&#8217;t true. And, because it is convicting, doesn&#8217;t mean it isn&#8217;t true&#8211;actually, it most likely supports that it is true because the lack of truth is not convicting.<\/p>\n<p>When you believe that God is our\u00a0Creator and defines\u00a0reality through His Word (Bible), there aren&#8217;t multiple ways to God. You don&#8217;t get to define life on your own terms. You actually choose to believe that life, the way God defines it, leads to flourishing and eternal peace. Or you can reject this. But according to God, it\u00a0\u00a0will lead to separation from Him eternally. So the stakes are high. You can be offended by this Gospel, reject it and live as you choose, but you risk eternity. If you are wrong and there is truth, what then?<\/p>\n<p>Our choice is to\u00a0accept His truth or create our own. This is what Adam and Eve faced. They chose their own version of reality influenced by the only cultural voice at the time&#8211;yes, Dana Carvey,\u00a0Satan. His message was to define life on your own terms. You don&#8217;t have to listen to God. Do your own thing&#8211;eat, enjoy! And they did, and it didn&#8217;t turn out well.<\/p>\n<p>When you believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and Life, it does narrows your thinking. Yet, it is possible to be\u00a0respectful and be tolerant of others who don&#8217;t believe. The two are not mutually exclusive as the culture would tell you they are. In fact, this narrow belief that Jesus is the Way, brings compassion and care for others.<\/p>\n<p>Actually, it is hypocritical of those who\u00a0believe there is no truth, to believe that the Gospel is wrong. That position assumes your\u00a0belief is true. And believing in no truth is a truth you believe.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TRUTH\u00a0is controversial these days. It is variously slammed, considered a dirty word, or is the source of intolerance.\u00a0Some say\u00a0it doesn&#8217;t exist. My profession says there is no truth that can be known; that all reality is constructed. Put simply, no one occupies the corner on truth. Whatever works for you is your reality. This ambiguity&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[916],"tags":[763,1101,441,3590,2816],"class_list":["post-8488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-god-relationship","tag-belief","tag-god-relationship-2","tag-intolerance","tag-relativism","tag-truth"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Hypocrisy? Believing in No Truth is a Truth You Believe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/hypocrisy-believing-no-truth-truth-believe.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hypocrisy? Believing in No Truth is a Truth You Believe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"TRUTH\u00a0is controversial these days. It is variously slammed, considered a dirty word, or is the source of intolerance.\u00a0Some say\u00a0it doesn&#8217;t exist. My profession says there is no truth that can be known; that all reality is constructed. Put simply, no one occupies the corner on truth. Whatever works for you is your reality. This ambiguity&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/hypocrisy-believing-no-truth-truth-believe.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doing Life Together\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-08-31T09:42:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-08-31T09:41:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/files\/2012\/04\/425877_cross.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Mintle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drlindamintle\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hypocrisy? Believing in No Truth is a Truth You Believe","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2016\/08\/hypocrisy-believing-no-truth-truth-believe.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hypocrisy? Believing in No Truth is a Truth You Believe","og_description":"TRUTH\u00a0is controversial these days. It is variously slammed, considered a dirty word, or is the source of intolerance.\u00a0Some say\u00a0it doesn&#8217;t exist. My profession says there is no truth that can be known; that all reality is constructed. Put simply, no one occupies the corner on truth. Whatever works for you is your reality. 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Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. 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