It was a talk given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson entitled "Truth Endures". Elder Christofferson has become a favorite apostle of mine. He reminds me of The Six Million Dollar Man in his voice inflections and the way he raises his eyebrow when he speaks. I grew up watching The Six Million Dollar Man as a kid in the 70s and Dad and I are currently watching the series at night on video. There's something comforting in an apostle with the characteristics of one of my childhood heroes.
It's a very well written and inspired talk. Well worth reading in its entirety. I'm going to post some of the things that stood out to me but you can read the entire talk here:
Truth Endures, Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, An address to Church Educational System (CES) religious educators at the CES broadcast, “An Evening with Elder D. Todd Christofferson,” held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on January 26, 2018.
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| Elder D. Todd Christofferson |
"The first thing we should understand about truth, then, is that a knowledge of truth in any significant measure requires divine assistance, either through the Light of Christ or by the aid of the Holy Ghost. Given our limited mortal capacity and resources, if we are unaided by revelation, we simply cannot achieve a comprehensive knowledge of things as they were, are, and will be, and how any one thing relates to how everything else was, is, or will be."
"I believe that most, if not all, of the truth we are able to discover comes through divine help, whether we recognize it or not."
"I turn now to the Savior’s declaration, “the truth abideth forever and ever.” In section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord declares, “All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.” I take this to mean that all truth, including the truth that governs our present sphere, exists independent and apart. It is unaffected by my preference or your opinion. It stands independent of any effort to control or change it. It cannot be lobbied or influenced in any way. It is a fixed reality."
"Now, where do we find ourselves in today’s world as we seek to teach and affirm truth, especially spiritual truth?
"In much of the world, relativist thinking has become a dominant philosophy. By relativism I mean the view that ethical or moral truths are relative, that they depend on the attitudes and feelings of those who hold them, and that no one can judge the validity of someone else’s “truth.” You hear a lot of talk these days about “my truth” and “his truth” or “her truth.”"
"I think you would agree that the philosophy of moral relativism has made great inroads in our time. “Not judging” has become an almost unchallengeable standard for conversation and behavior. But in reality, we all make judgments about what is right and wrong, and not just for ourselves, but for the people and the society around us. Laws and systems of law, even political systems, are the embodiment of moral values and perceived truths. In a pluralistic society, we may debate what values should be enshrined in laws or regulations and what is right, or wrong, or true, but in the end, on any given issue, someone’s view, or some group’s view of truth, prevails and everyone becomes bound by it.
"Moral relativism just doesn’t work if there is to be order and justice in society. Can murder be wrong for most but right for some? Is a thief entitled to keep what he steals and continue stealing because he believes robbery is right for him, especially since he grew up in an underprivileged circumstance? Or taking note of something very much in the news today, is a man entitled to sexually harass a woman because he finds it consistent with his personal sense of right and wrong?
"“Well,” one might say, “you are talking about things that are generally accepted as wrong. There are some self-existing values that inhere in human existence that are the basis for laws against murder, rape, theft, and other actions that injure people or interfere with their legitimate pursuit of happiness. These are essential and universal human rights that negate any individual right to the contrary. It is only beyond these acknowledged human rights that moral relativism applies, where each individual may define for himself or herself what is right or wrong.” But this line of reasoning makes the point that there are in fact moral absolutes, whether you call them universal human rights or something else. At least some truths and moral concepts exist apart from personal whim or preference. The only debate, really, is what they are and how far they extend. What we refer to as moral relativism is actually an ongoing debate about tolerance: What actions and differences should be tolerated in society and in human relations?"
"Our calling, and it is ever more urgent in this environment, is to teach the truth of moral concepts: what they are and how far they extend. We prize truth on any subject from any source, but eternal truth, especially as it bears on the meaning and the purpose and the conduct of life, we must obtain from God. Moral relativists generally see no role or relevance for God in this discussion and typically doubt that He even exists. It would be most inconvenient for them if He does exist, and even more so if He speaks to man. One can only think about truth as relative if God is not around.
"Pew Research recently reported that for the first time, a majority of Americans (56 percent) say it is not necessary to have religious belief to be a good person. “‘God is not a prerequisite for good values and morality,’ said Greg Smith, Pew’s associate director of research, in his post about the findings.”
"I’m sure we would agree that people who are atheists or who otherwise have no professed religion or religious belief can be, and most often are, good and upright people. But we would not agree that this happens without God. As noted earlier, whether someone likes it or not, believes it or not, or is even aware of it or not, he or she is imbued with the Light of Christ and therefore possesses a common sense of right and wrong that we sometimes call conscience. The Savior said, “I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” We also read: “And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.”"
"President Boyd K. Packer, in the article I quoted earlier, taught:
“Every man, woman, and child of every nation, creed, or color—everyone, no matter where they live or what they believe or what they do—has within them the imperishable Light of Christ. In this respect, all men are created equally. The Light of Christ in everyone is a testimony that God is no respecter of persons (see D&C 1:35). He treats everyone equally in that endowment with the Light of Christ.”"
"Moral relativism does real harm as it acts to diminish conscience. If acknowledged and followed, conscience will lead to ever greater light and truth. But ignoring or suppressing conscience obviously leads one away from light and truth and into denial, error, and regret. Pretending there is no fixed, objective truth is nothing more than an attempt to evade responsibility and accountability. This is not a recipe for happiness."
"What Alma described to his son Corianton as “remorse of conscience” is real, and Budziszewski points out that attempts to suppress conscience or relieve the remorse, short of repentance, do not succeed in the end. We see it in people pretending that what they know to be wrong is not wrong. They may intentionally repeat a sin again and again in an attempt to drown out the voice of conscience. Some may pursue perpetual distraction by immersing themselves in social media, video games, or constant music in their ears to avoid any quiet moment when conscience might speak. We see it in rationalizations to which there seems to be no end, either in number or creativity."
"Beyond pretending, distracting, and rationalizing, people may try to get others to participate in the guilty act as a way of justifying themselves. They “don’t sin privately; they recruit.” We could say that Satan is the master recruiter, “for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.” Most troubling are those who insist that “society must be transformed so that it no longer stands in awful judgment. So it is that they change the laws, infiltrate the schools, and create intrusive social-welfare bureaucracies.” Well did Isaiah warn, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
Thus, Budziszewski concludes, it is our efforts to suppress the powerful forces of conscience and rationalize guilt that propels society ever deeper into the moral abyss. I would add it also accounts for the anger that increasingly erupts in any attempted discussion that implicates societal standards and norms."
"Attempts to repress conscience are not only futile, but if people understood things in their true light, no one would ever want to try. I mentioned near the beginning what Lehi taught about trying to escape punishment and misery by denying the reality of sin— “if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall … say there is no sin.” If we could erase the law, or truth, as those fighting against conscience are trying to do, we could indeed get rid of guilt or punishment, or misery. But remember, as Lehi cautioned, without the law there would be no upside to our existence either. We would erase the possibility of righteousness and happiness. We would erase creation and existence. Obviously, the idea of erasing or eliminating truth is nonsense, but there is a way to eliminate misery while preserving the opportunity for happiness. It is called the doctrine or gospel of Christ—faith in Christ, repentance, and baptism, both of water and of the Spirit.
"We must help our students, in the Savior’s term, “do truth,”—that is, wholeheartedly embrace the Light of Christ that is in them and welcome the added light and truth that come through the Holy Ghost. Resisting, rationalizing, and pretending will not do. Only repentance and obedience to truth can deliver the “authenticity” many covet. Only repentance and obedience to truth can preserve and enlarge our happiness and freedom."
"John records the Savior’s powerful promise “to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Knowing and following the truth most assuredly does make us free—first, free from the bondage of ignorance and sin, and then free to pursue every good thing until we receive the Father’s kingdom and all that He can give. Knowing that Jesus is Himself “the way, the truth, and the life,” the most significant meaning of the truth making us free is that by His grace, He frees us from death and hell.
"The Lord declared, “Light and truth forsake that evil one [ending the bondage of sin]. … [But] that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.”"
"There really are only two options. One is to pursue truth by heeding the words of Christ—“He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.” The other is to be taken in by the adversary and attempt the impossible—to find happiness in his fictions. One cannot succeed in life here or hereafter by ignoring the reality of truth, but some, actually a lot of people, try it—it just looks so much easier than repenting. But only repentance and obedience to the truth of God free us from a fantasy world that is destined to fail, “and great [shall be] the fall of it.”
"The core truths, the central realities of our existence, that we must teach and re-teach with pure conviction and all the power God gives us are these:
- God, our Heavenly Father, lives, the only true and living God.
- Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God.
- Jesus Christ came to earth to redeem His people; He suffered and died to atone for their sins.
- He rose again from the dead, bringing to pass the Resurrection.
- All will stand before Him to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works."
Truth Endures, Elder D. Todd Christofferson Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, An address to Church Educational System (CES) religious educators at the CES broadcast, “An Evening with Elder D. Todd Christofferson,” held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on January 26, 2018. (Emphasis added)
Well said Elder Christofferson. I would encourage you to read the entire talk by clicking the link above. There are stories and quotes from others which I didn't include.
Truth is absolute. There is no "your truth" or "my truth" or "his truth" or "her truth". There is just simply truth. Truth comes from God. Whether you like or believe certain truths or not is irrelevant. You cannot change truth. It really is that simple.
That's my two cents.
That is really good stuff. Truth. :)
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense about the "remorse of conscience" and how people attempt to suppress conscience or relieve remorse by perpetual distraction with social media, video games, or constant music. That is TRUE. Trying to avoid any quiet moment when the conscience might speak.
Thanks for taking the time to post this. Thanks for the link. I'll have to check it out.