What is a fact?

What is a fact?

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 often without much proof or effort..

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. Doing one’s homework is much more complicated than opening a book and answering the ‘pat’ answers to the material found therein. It requires one to be a serious scholar in understand what makes common sense and why? This would preclude anything which can be refuted 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 too 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 “Mormonism Exposed” 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. Most would rather believe a ‘lie’ ‘falsehood’ ‘rhetoric’ etc. without every seeking anything further as these pacify their behaviors and attitudes. To keep all of the Commandments of Heavenly Father – is just too unrealistic in today’s world. Thus the lie appears in the form of beguilement that you don’t have to keep them all to the letter – but here a little and there a little – and certainly none of us are killers or adulterers! For this and other reasons the people will continue to pay men/women to teach them what they want to hear and not have to change or follow a living Prophet.

Idle men/women living in the halls of institutions called schools, universities, colleges, etc. thrive on trying to explain how God (if there is one) – is pretty much like they are and will condone their behavior and after all aren’t they all ‘saved’ already? And the commandment to, “Become perfect even as the Father is perfect” finds the usual excuses of a modern definition which appear impossible to achieve! Yet the word translated into ‘perfect’ is the Greek word “Helios” which represented being complete or having completed a task or a mission. These same idle men/women seek to enhance the wisdom of men and rejecting the common sense simplicity of God and in doing so disengage facts into parts and parcels of disinformation taught as true fact(s)!

So how can we discern a real fact? To discern a factual truth is quite easy – test it! Does it make sense – really? What is the purpose the fact? How does this fact apply in your life? Is the fact just generally accepted because of peer pressure or political pressure? And if you really want to know and have done all of your own research and homework you can take it in prayer to the Father, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him,” (James 1:5). For those who don’t believe in God or feel the heavens are closed – this method will not work for obvious reasons. But if one doesn’t believe in God then what the world gives to them is all they in a sense need and would not be worried about what is truth and what is not. For all others however the above is the best and easiest method.

When one considers how easy it is to discern truth (fact) from falsehood (fiction) then why do so many prefer not to learn for themselves about something which is so very important to them? It’s not that most people are bad – or even indifferent it’s because of the confusion found within the world today. Most prefer to avoid a confrontation about anything – including their eternal salvation which is where the most important facts need to be known. They’ll accept anger, falsehoods, contention, and abuse (of others) and feel its okay – just don’t rock the boat. This is also one the biggest reason when one finds a ‘truth’ or fact – they will not make known to others. In a talk I used to give – this was called, “A fear of laughter – or abuse from another,” and another aspect is similar to the Stockholm Effect where an abused person stays in the abused relationship for a fear of change. People really only do things for two reasons; 1) to gain a benefit or 2) to avoid a loss! Sadly most will hold their course even if this lack of action infringes on their eternal salvation.

You notice I keep going to the eternal aspect of the issue of what is a fact – and the reason is this is what we’re supposed to be learning about in this mortal probation. Without this in mind or as an eternal goal any discussion on truth is irrelevant! For when only feels this life is all there is – and that all which is spoken in the Scriptures is only a good story but not to be believed literally then any ‘fact’ whether true, partially true or not will do.

We’ve each to determine whether the Scriptures are literally true – have not been altered to meet the needs of men/women and the world and whether there really is a Prophet on the earth once more today? Whether what the Savior and the Prophets have taught (long ago or today) really matters in our lives? The answers we give – one Church, one Gospel, one Baptism or that there can be many really will decide how we discern truth or fiction. For you cannot believe the Bible and the World – only one is true, not both. When men/women seek the employ of the world in their preaching, teaching and obedience there’s no longer a need for the Scriptures except to lead others to their way of thinking. When one believes the Scriptures literally almost everything presented by men/women of the world becomes nothing more than rhetorical beguilement. To reject the teachings of the Savior and the Prophets then and now – in part or in whole is to decide there’s no need to know whether something is a fact or fiction dressed to look like a fact.

A fact or truth is hard language for those looking for peer acceptance – social viability – or worldly lusts, power or wealth. There’s nothing easy about truth – and truth yesterday – should still be truth today and forever. Yet we find men/women and the world change their facts (opinions) and truth (common beliefs) as changing clothes after a rainstorm or falling in the mud. They waiver on anything finite – and accept or reject on whether it fits them for the time and season of their mortal life’s. They’ll contend abuse, belittle and otherwise turn against someone teaching a real truth or fact. Since they cannot refute the truth they simply deny it and the messenger. They did this to a 14 year old boy throughout his life – while never disproving once what he saw and heard and then did. They did this to Paul and to many others – even stoning Jeremiah when he finished his teaching to them. The only difference today is the method and the names.

What is a fact? Interesting question – what I’ve presented above would get a failing grade in almost any institution of learning in the world today – but it is the answer I would give and stand behind. A fact is a truism – eternally.




“Truism”

cji
3/1/09

Giving no quarter
stepping not back
standing firm always
knowing what I know
sharing and giving
reservations none
for truth is truth
understandable
common sense
or in other words
simply a truism!

Copyright © 2009 – cji