“What is a Fact?” cji 2/4/09

“What is a Fact?” cji 2/4/09

There are at least three kinds of facts: 1) a real fact which is both truth and proven; 2) a rhetorical fact where everyone seems happy with the presentation and won’t ask any questions; and 3) something with out any relationship to 1 and 2! Yes this is a wise crack type answer to be sure – but it would be my guess that a fact is what someone wants to believe to be true – without reservation and without often much proof.

What is a fact? Pondering this when doing research I’ve often wondered who’s done their homework and how much effort was put forth in their presentation. A fact should be a discernable piece of information related to the subject at hand with several references and no disputable credibility.

This would preclude anything which can be reputed and not hold up under close inspection of one or many needing to use the information without prejudice. Most non-facts don’t really make much sense when applied to a situation of real life. Too many are so busy creating facts that they feel the numbers will override the truth.

Hitler did this in his ranting and raving in repetitious manner to get many to believe his lies as facts. Many believed him because they wanted to believe him – for in doing so there was a supposed gain in the future (or present) for them. Some would consider not being shot as a gain. This would be true in many 3rd world countries where to believe the majority is to live and anything else is death or worse than death. The majority being those in power and nothing else then mattered. It could be said it was very easy to believe St. Augustine as the alternative was to be put to death for believing in the early Christian beliefs as taught by the Savior, his Apostles and the Prophets.

Many use written texts as being factual because; they were published, others reference them, and it just must be true (why would the author lie). In actuality many authors and publishers have gotten slack or have a stick to burn when writing and publishing. In 1834 a book was published entitled, “Mormonism Exposed” which was as virulent book as has been published against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Joseph Smith, Jr. This book and another 1500-4000 like it are still in publication even though the entire original has been discovered to be untrue and based on hatred rather than facts. One could argue that the authors believed what they wrote but even this has been disproved. Yet even today ‘scholars’ quote from these books to discredit the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However any person with a minimal amount of common sense can see through the lies and observe for themselves what is truth and what is a lie.

This issue of common sense brings up a critical point of accepting a lie as a fact – for many will not use common sense and almost all of the critics (the worst being those who’ve apostates from the Church) justify and resolve on their decisions without wanting to know the truth. Contention and hatred are the tools of those who seek to dismiss anything based on hearsay, lies or conjecture. When one has been filled with bad information and has come to believe that they couldn’t have been lied to – then no longer will they hear or care about any ‘real facts’ which will or could help them understand.

As an example I’ve a very good friend who’s deeply involved in his/her church – which teaches multiple sermons about my church and that I’m going straight to hell and I’m riding a bobsled in the process. When one of his/her granddaughters said this was what she was taught – in Sunday School – she was reminded that one should not and could not judge another for what awaited them in eternity. How many like this young girl heard the same lesson and has no one to correct her or to help her understand beyond the preacher? Sadly as in this example and many others history is replete with prejudice and hatred preached by decent men and women to their ‘flocks’ without anyone questioning or doing their own research on the subject.

Facts are what can convict a person of a crime – if they’re there – and the evidence is good and proven to be true. Yet many innocent people go to jail or prison because someone doctored the facts and the evidence. Even some who’re guilty beyond a reasonable doubt may be let free because of the corruptness of the processes, the attorneys or the judges. Our modern day politicians are living proof of this slanting of the facts and laws (which they help write) till we’ve all been lied to and told it’s the truth.

Sometimes a fact becomes a fact by ignorance of those presenting the information. Something is presented and no one takes the time to see if it’s really true or not. An example would be, ‘that the only good snake is a dead snake.’ This is taking all snakes everywhere and declaring them to be bad! This just isn’t true – but you’ll find a lot of people today who would disagree and declare unequivocally that there’s no good snake. One may not like snakes (I don’t) but they know that the snake serves a purpose in nature of this world.

One should be able to test a fact to find for them self if the information they’ve been given is true or not. (When referring to ‘one’ in this instance I’m referring to a person above the age of accountability and able to research out the fact.) There are both tangible and intangible facts – and both can be discerned – if one is willing to put aside prejudice and hatred or any other impediment to finding the correct answer. Let’s understand that one researching on their own is not easy – and in some cases it’s time consuming. However in critical matters one should not just have to rely on another for their person or being.

Facts additionally are drawn from our experiences – good or bad – biased or unbiased – yet we owe to ourselves to be objective in observation and when something doesn’t feel right it most likely isn’t. This requires one must still have the ability to feel and not be beyond feeling. If one does a review of the scriptures they’ll find references to people who’ve become ‘past feeling’ as is found in 1 Nephi Chapter 17 verse 45:
“1 Nephi 17:45: Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.”
And Ephesians Chapter 4 verse 19: “Eph. 4: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

Thus in each life one has to decide for themselves to accept the word of another on things of vital importance to themselves and their families – or to do their homework and learn for themselves! One cannot stop when they ascertain that they need to look no farther especially if their sources are repetitive or circular – facts cannot be proven by this type of research. One must fully look keeping an open mind in all things – of value, virtue and worth. This excludes most of the ‘things’ of the world as the deception and selling by TV, movies, Madison Ave. and anyone trying to beguile another into supporting their lifestyle will never prove to be an actual fact – beyond the belief system of the beguiler.

Lying and deceit have so convoluted the truth and altered the facts that many have given up – and in joining the world seek no more after truthful facts. What they have given them by the world is sufficient for them. In reality ‘facts’ are the tools of men to the convincing of another to hate one and contend with another – or to be considered ‘strange’ and unwelcome into their world.

Heavenly Father doesn’t use facts (although there’s more than enough to support him) as men to prove of his truth or that of his Son – he speaks to his children and they hear his voice – simple stuff really. Yet many prefer the books like the one referenced above – without merit except to the worldly and without truth except to the prejudices of its readers and supporters.

A child understands a fact – the stove is hot – if I touch it I’ll be burned – my mother taught me this and I’ll believe my mother and not be tempted. How many have mothers (or fathers) who teach them correct principles and love them enough to help them to discern truth from a lie – a fact from a non-fact? This is the dilemma of answering the question, “what is a fact’ and more importantly to understand why it is or isn’t.

(Added reading might be found: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/hel/7)