Truth

However you were brought up, you have been inculcated with stories and beliefs, many originating before the dawn of science and literacy.  This programming is powerful. But, perhaps you had doubts or questions that you either never fully resolved or in some cases let slide without knowing all the facts and counterarguments? To resolve this dilemma you will follow one of 2 paths:

Either discovering "truth" wherever it leads OR looking for evidence to support your beliefs."  Bart Erhman

"One of the great challenges in this world is knowing enough about a subject to think you are right, but not enough to know you are wrong!"  (more here)

"The true lover of knowledge naturally strives for truth, and is not content with common opinion, but soars with undimmed and unweary passion til he grasps the essential nature of things" Plato, The Republic 

In a search for objective truth, it is vital, to embody the principle of "heeding the guidance of reason, the results of science and not succumbing to the idolatries of the mind and spirit." Humanist Principle

So how to find and communicate objective truth?  A good starting point is Neil DeGrasse Tyson's approach to Scientific Thinking and Communication. 

Some question whether the scientific method can accommodate existentialism and spirituality and the "righteousness" they may connote.  Science is a method to reveal the truth.  It is NOT a belief. It is instructive to remember theologian Clarence Skinner's 1947 admonition, "Righteousness must be founded on truth. It must square with reality.  It must harmonize with what we know of the universe...."  The same challenge was offered 150 years earlier by theologian Joseph Priestly who advised, "Let us examine everything with the greatest freedom, without any regard to consequences, which, though we cannot distinctly see, we may assure ourselves will be such as we shall have abundant cause to rejoice in...Distrust all those who require you to abandon [reason], wherever religion is concerned."  Remember Galileo's response when asked to recant his belief that the earth revolved around the sun, "I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use"  Following these guidelines will differentiate truth from superstition, fallacy, irrationality, and ego. For more thoughts read my "God Question" page

Some question whether the scientific method can ensure "good."  I would offer this as a "red herring"  As Clarence Skinner opined in 1947 when commenting on the horrors of WW II, "[Scientific] truth must be righteous. It must serve the good and not the evil. It must seek the Kingdom of Ends. It must serve the moral law." "Embracing Science & Religion 

Beware Your Biases

"When people defend their worldview, they are not defending reason, or God, or an abstract system; they are defending their own fragile sense of security and self-respect." from "The Myth of Certainty"

The key then is being open to discerning "reality." The dilemma posed is that research has shown that one's "reality" is shaped by one's beliefs. Hidden Brain  To escape this paradox, reality must trump belief. So if you choose to discover truth wherever it leads, you must remain acutely aware of the biases your beliefs created and must be open to changing your beliefs in the face of reason and sufficient evidence.  Ask the question, "Is it true of just what I want to believe?"

Obstacles to changing your beliefs to align with objective truth (i.e., reality)  are personal experiences (propensity to see patterns), childhood programming and wounds, attachments (people, tribes & things), ego, fear of death, insecurity, laziness. 

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