WHAT IS TRUTH?

So many people portray things as truth when they are not.

Sometimes this is because people do not check the things they hear and sometimes they things they hear support what they want to hear.

One of the roles of a dogcollar (priest, minister, pastor, vicar - use whatever term you favour here) is to uphold truth and correct error. Now this error may be in the words we use, the attitudes and actions we exhibit, the things we pass off as truth which are not truth (by mistake or intent) and the things we support.

Over the years I have seen people vilified by individuals and groupings and this has been done by means of stating what they have claimed to be facts. Over the years I have seen many portray lies as truth and denounce truth as lies because it fits their political, social or personal agenda.

We live in a world where the ad hominem ('against the person') rules. Here we find people (by design and unwittingly) challenge and seek to bring down a person by pointing to associations, actions and personality rather than argue against the logic, ethics, thinking or desires behind their views. This subtle, insidious, art gives birth to what the weak in mind and integrity and the already biased tub thumper as 'common knowledge' which most usually is merely common ignorance and error.

Over the recent past, having criticised any member of the Conservative party, I have been engaged with by people who have asked me to vilify and condemn Jeremy Corbyn (former leader of the opposition party). When I did not criticise Corbyn - for he was not the focus of the matter at hand - I found myself portrayed as a 'left wing liberal' - and act which resulted in my accuser appearing to be worthy of the label of 'right wing fascist'.

The reality on the data contained within the category 'everybody knows' is that this knowledge is most accurately classified as error or lies.

So, I'm going to try and address some of the challenges, misunderstandings and wicked intent that I encounter here with: 'WHAT IS TRUTH?'

It's quite likely I'll get things wrong and find myself corrected - which is great because:
i.    There is dialogue,
ii.   There is knowledge imparted (both ways),
iii.  Truth is being aired (even when some won't like it).

We are all flawed, fallen and fallible and whilst with some people it is easy to know when they are lying (their speaking), other are more subtle with their lies and the influence they exert. So, I'm not expecting applause but I am expecting to learn to be able to give an honest corrective to the dishonesty of the world around me. That's what my role demands from me.

As ever, this blog exists as a scratch pad for me to do memory dumps and internally dialogue with what is within and before me.

So the scene is set - watch this space :-)