Truth Belongs To No Creed
On their way home from grandma’s funeral service one snowy January evening, nine year old Samson asked his parents whether grandma was really in heaven as the priest had stated during the church service. “I believe so,” responded his father. “But how do you know? My friend Hafiz said that we enter a place between heaven and hell when we die and are questioned by angels there to determine if we are good enough to make it to heaven.” To this his mother responded, “You should understand that people have different beliefs and it does not mean they are wrong because their beliefs are different from ours. We have our truth and Hafiz’s family have theirs.”
Until a certain point in the history of mankind, the notion that the earth was flat was incontestable. Experts disseminated this view and others with any interest on the subject went along with the flat earth theory without much examination of their own. After all, the experts must know what they are talking about.
We now know the earth is spherical but what else do we consider as fact today which in years hence we would discover to be only opinion. How much of what we legislate as right will we later discover to be wrong? In the face of ignorance, amidst all confusion, despite man’s assertions, the truth stands! It stands oblivious to man’s opinion, dispassionate and inviolable.
Regarding eternal subjects such as the great questions of life (who am I, why am I here, what happens after death) which are of paramount importance to every human being, it is not uncommon to hear the phrase “You have your Truth, I have mine.” This is said as if truth was a subjective thing, as if it could vary according to the whims and feelings of human beings. Truth, being unchangeable and eternal, is.
Five times five will always come to twenty-five. The Spanish word for the number “five” differs from the English word for “five.” But that does not change the fact that five times five will always be twenty-five. By analogy, people from different parts of the world may have their own words for certain spiritual concepts and entities. But the truth remains unchanged everywhere in the world. Otherwise, it would not be truth. Truth belongs to no creed or religion. The helpful radiations of the Creator stand unconcerned yet ever watchful. They stand unconcerned as to whether we discover the path to truth, yet they are ever watchful and reveal their light to those who humbly and earnestly seek for it with a pure heart.