What Is Truth?, I

What is Truth? In Two Parts — Part I

By J. H. Paul, Professor of Natural Science, University of Utah

How Truth is Acquired To understand truth, three steps are necessary. Every student knows that truth about material things and all the knowledge that is taught in colleges, is gained in three ways: I. We first read or hear what those who know the subject say of it. This makes us acquainted with an outline of the facts or with the theory of the subject we are learning. II. — Then we must do something ourselves we must gain individual experience of the things we are studying. To do this we go to the sources of knowledge. We perform experiments in science, or make first-hand study in law, history, economics, or medicine. This gives us a grip upon our subject that mere reading or hearing or theory cannot give, and prepares us for the next and most important result; that is, the application of knowledge to bring about results of our own. III. The third step, then, is to put our knowledge to its application for some practical purpose, as when we use chemistry to manufacture sugar from beets or to extract metals from their ores. And this last step is much more difficult, and much more important also than either of the others. "Oh, say what is truth?" sang John Jaques, in a sort of triumphant ecstasy. "What is truth?" inquired Pontius Pilate, in dejection and doubt. To this all-important question, an answer in three parts is proposed: I. How we know the truth; that is, how we learn it and makye certain that it is not a delusion. II. How truth appears to change with time and circumstance; that is, the relation of truth to time, development, and progress. III. — What truth is in and of itself the truth that changeth not, even though differently manifested under changed conditions; the absolute truth — "the sum of existence, the last and the first, eternal, unchanged, evermore." First, then, as to how we learn truth.

422 IMPROVEMENT ERA « The Great Illusion One of the most remarkable fallacies of our day is the

widespread belief that in the highest forces of knowledge— steps are unnecessary. JNo the truth of heaven— these three one questions that common truth, if it is to be learned at all, continuous and careful labor, using these must be acquired by three steps or stages of growth in knowing. Yet many persons act as if they supposed that the solution of the most moment- welfare ous of all questions— that which relates to our future in time that ends not— our relationship to Deity and the things we must do to be saved— may be learned incidentally, without preparation or special effort, without any real co-operation with others, and especially without taking the three steps that the colleges now almost universally insist upon for their students. It is partly to refute this fallacy that this article is offered. I undertake to prove the following three propositions:

How We Learn Religious Truth I. We gain theoretical acquaintance with God when we read accounts that tell of his dealings with people other thatn ourselves, as in Bible study, in Church history, in listening to} the testimony of others. It is good, of course, to read and to listen; but the result is theory if we stop there. II. We gain personal acquaintance with God by direct communion with him- as in repentance and the exercise of faith, by prayer and good works. These experiences give us a much firmer knowledge than can be gained theoretically. In personal communion with the Most High, we know when we have the truth. And just as the experiment in science clinches the truth for which the student is laboring* so these tests react upon the convictions of men, and give certainty. When man thus seeks and finds God, he seems to converse or commune with his Creator; and the sense of things unseen drifts in upon him with such a feeling of reality, that even the solid earthj may grow phantom-like by comparison. When prayer is rewarded, or when the answer of a good conscience toward God is experienced, there is a feeling of satisfaction that makes one sure of his ground. We can therefore say that man knows God by experience, or experiment, just as a student may learn from an experiment in the laboratory. III. The third and most important step is co-operation with God. This consists in the application of what we know — of him and of his will, to the practical affairs of life to our own conduct and character and to our dealings with our fel-< — — low-men. This is the real object the goal of man's search

a

WHAT IS TRUTH? 423

for God. Co-operation with him, that is, to aid in bringing about his purpose, imparts directly the greatest and finest value of religious truth. In this step we put into practice what we have learned in theory or gained in experience. For unless we co-operate with him, our knowledge, no matter how true it may be, remains barren. And co-operation with him means that we take our part in the work which he has in hand. His work is the salvation of mankind. His method is simple. It begins by building up faith in his Son and in the plan of salvation which he has revealed. i

Why All Must Work In this grand scheme, every one has his work to do — work that perhaps he was, in a sense, "predestined" to do — task that no one else can perform for him, a labor that no other human being can accomplish. Though this is for each an individual labor, no one can do his work by himself. "No man liveth unto himself." He must do team work with his fellows. Pope says: "Each is a part of one stupendous whole, whose body nature is, and God the soul." No member of the priesthood can do his work fully or properly, if he tries to operate apart from his quorum. It is all very well to say that we believe in God; the devils also believe, and tremble. Nay, more, the devils know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ, for on one occasion they cried out to him saying: "We know thee, who thou art." The thing the' devils seem to fall short in is this last stage — of the knowledge — of truth they do not co-operate with God, but oppose hisl work and try to frustrate his purposes. So that, if we fail or neglect to co-operate, it may be that we are not so far removed from the estate of demons as we may fancy. Thus, Luke tells us that the Lord said: "Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings and doeth them, I will show you to whom he Ssj like: He is like a man which built a house and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock; and when the flood arose the stream beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it; for it was founded on a rock. But he that heareth and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great."

Truth Has Three Dimensions

We have seen that in the process of learning truth, there are three steps to be taken. It is further demonstrable that in