Excerpts from
Changing Your Stripes

Social Psychologist & Personal Advisor

What is TRUTH?
 by Dr Matt Moody 

It takes wisdom . . . to recognize wisdom
The music is nothing, if the audience is deaf!

The Nature of Truth? Within each epistemology for establishing truth there resides an implication of what "the nature of truth" might be. And in most cases, truth is conceived as a property of accurately stated words, or accurately conceived ideas that characterize world realities. As word-descriptions or ideas align with reality, they are said to correspond. Hence one version of the "nature of Truth" is called the "Correspondence Theory of Truth."

But in assessing the overlap between "correct idea" and "reality," all ideas must necessarily take the form of word-symbols; thus, the correspondence between "correct statements" and "reality" IS where most all theories about "the nature of truth" end up — such is called "Propositional Truth."

Even the epistemology of Revelation tends to trap truth within the limiting confines of word-symbols. It's common for people to view "the words of the Bible" as the truth. When this notion is taken too literally, people unwittingly give priority to representations over referents; thus, ink symbols on paper are conceived as "truth" — instead of the referents, or realities, to which the symbols point.

Failure to distinguish between Representations versus Referents creates a huge problem: Books of "scripture" are printed in hundreds of languages and are subject to thousands of interpretations. To bypass the thorny problem of interpretation, we can enter into inquiries of "Truth" from an entirely different perspective and beginning with a different question: Is the aim of sacred scripture to get the idea right, or is it ultimately about getting the application right? Isn't the highest aim and intention of Holy Writ to "live" the precepts?

Moses taught that living bibilical precepts is paramount: "What doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to . . . walk in all his ways" (Deut. 10:12). Thus, the "nature of Truth" need not primarily reside in accurate words and ideas, but in "living" in alignment with the Word. This means that Truth may be conceived best as a Way of Being. This conception of truth explains why Jesus called Himself the way and "the truth."

The nature of Truth boils down to these two fundamental possibilities:

Truth as Essence:   Truth as Correct Representations; here, truth is a property of verbal and written language; hence, truth exists as essence within a metaphysical realm of immaterial Accurate Ideas.

Truth as Existence:   Truth as the Living Referent to which Correct Representations point; therefore, Truth is the living application of true principles with words bearing witness of Truth.

Correctly Conceiving Truth

Ultimately the question of truth is answered in alignment.
But what is being aligned? . . . Here are three possibilities:

1.   The accurate alignment of "Mind" with "Reality."
        This quest for truth strives to conceptually capture Reality with one's mind.

Truth is attained in the overlap between Mind and Reality; therefore, truth is assumed to exist in an abstract realm of correct and accurate Ideas. However, to examine the adequacy of those ideas, one needs to articulate them with words; which lead us to a 2nd Possibility:

2.   The accurate alignment of "Word" with "Reality."
        This quest for truth strives to descriptively capture the world with words.

Truth is attained in the overlap between Word and Reality; therefore, this type of Truth is assumed to reside in the abstract realm of symbolic representations. Truth is something that one "tells," and is a property of accurately stated words, . . . correct propositions. The efforts of Science largely revolve around empirically proving such propositions—correctly-stated words (hypotheses).

But both the accurate alignment of Mind & Reality and Word & Reality are inescapably beset with the nagging problem of perception. Happily, this 3rd Possibility entirely bypasses that problem:

3.   The sufficient alignment of one's Whole Way of Being — Ideas, Intents, Words,
        & Deeds — with the Way of Truth.

Here the alignment is not accurate, but sufficient — with Grace making up the difference. This means that human beings can express personality and creativity at the level of doings and details, but can achieve perfect harmony at the level of Motive and Emotion, with His Help. Truth is manifest in our way of being with other beings and other things (loving animals and the earth is included). Truth is something that one Lives with all Heart, Might, Mind, Strength, and Soul.

In this way, Truth when conceived correctly bypasses the inherent problems with perception and interpretation. Instead of trying to accurately conceive reality (an impossible goal), the superior aim is for humans to have harmony within reality. Further, one knows when alignment has occurred, because the Spirit of God both guides and confirms "The Way of Truth" to one's heart. The Peace that flows freely, signifies harmony. Another term for "alignment" is . . . obedience with a perfect heart.

(Changing Your Stripes, The Manual, page 8-7)

The Way of Truth is very simply conceived:

       The disciples came unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, . . . Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. (Matthew 18: 1-5)

Attaining Perfect Alignment with the Way of Truth cannot happen by applying techniques taught by a myriad of mortal salvation-salesmen — to include those preaching Pantheism and the Law of Attraction, where an impersonal Universe grants wishes like a magic genie.

Nor can Perfect Harmony be had through flawed paradigms based in evolution and atheism — to include the Medical Model of Mental Illness, a.k.a. "It's-Not-Your-Fault Psychology." Fatally flawed from its foundations, this paradigm deceptively deprives people of an essential element to attaining Harmony with Truth:

Wholly accepting Response-Ability for every
word, deed, motive, and emotion
that comes out you!

Owning Response-Ability is a vital principle of the Way of Truth, and increasing in Christlike Character. God created us to be Accountable!

* * * * * * *

"The Greatest Prize
for Life's labors isn't
in material possessions
or impressive accomplishments,
but in the progress of personal character.
You labor for your own becoming, this is your richest reward.
Who You Become is your greatest possession,
make it your Masterpiece!"
(Changing Your Stripes, The Manual, page 3-78).

The book, "Changing Your Stripes" presents principles:
for getting out of the ditch in which you've been dumped (the difficulties of which you are a victim),
and for escaping the ditch in which you've jumped (the difficulties for which you volunteer).

"Mastering a challenging situation
is ultimately a matter of
mastering yourself!"
- Matt Moody 

"Changing Your Stripes," teaches you the principles that lead to lasting change,
making you a new kind of creature capable of communicating
with calm, even as storms of contention swirl.

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Changing Your Stripes

aSocial Psychologist & Personal Advisor