Incorporated into the diverse cultures and religions of the world are universal truths.
I enjoy the discovery of truths within history, culture and even fiction because they give me a glimpse of the Eternal.
WHAT IS THE NATURE OF TRUTH?
Absolute truths are independent of opinion, manipulation or persuasion. The context of these truths may become clouded but the source of those truths remains constant & pure. Let us consider an example.
The Earth is spherical in shape.(1) There are numerous ways to test that statement but whether or not it is proven does not alter the physical attributes of the Earth. Whether they are based on science or religion, opinions to the contrary are also incapable of affecting the shape of this or any planet. Not withstanding, people continue to try to distort an obvious reality. Here is a great article on this very subject.
WHAT IS TRUTH?
God is the source of pure truth and all truths tie back to Him. The prophet Spencer W. Kimball explains the truthfulness of the existence of God.
”God, our Heavenly Father—Elohim—lives. That is an absolute truth. All of the children of men on earth might be ignorant of him and his attributes and his powers, but he still lives. All the people on earth might deny him and disbelieve, but he lives in spite of them. They may have their own opinions, but he still lives, and his form, his powers, and attributes do not change according to men’s opinions. In short, opinion alone has no power in the matter of absolute truth. He still lives. And Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Almighty, the Creator, the Master of the only true way of life—the gospel of Jesus Christ. The intellectuals may rationalize him out of existence and the unbeliever may scoff, but Christ still lives and guides the destinies of his people. That is an absolute truth; there is no gainsaying.
The watchmaker in Switzerland, with materials at hand, made a watch that was found in the sand of a California desert. The people who found the watch had never been to Switzerland, nor seen the watchmaker, nor seen the watch made. The watchmaker still existed, no matter the extent of their ignorance or experience. If the watch had a tongue, it might even lie and say, “There is no watchmaker.” That would not alter the truth.
The Gods organized the earth of materials at hand, over which they had control and power. This truth is absolute.” (2)
Please read the full article from the September 1978 Ensign.
WHERE CAN WE DISCOVER TRUTH?
Our Father in Heaven has a consistent system of distributing true principles to his children. Prophets and Apostles whom God himself has prepared are the nucleus of this system. These are not self-proclaimed “prophets” with agendas of their own, but specifically appointed and duly authorized men of God. Consider what The Lord told the prophet Jeremiah about their personal relationship;
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
As intermediaries between God and man, prophets will declare the message of Jesus Christ as well as record it as scripture for the benefit of future generations. (3) The Bible and the Book of Mormon are records of spiritual truths that were transcribed by prophets.
OTHER SOURCES OF TRUTH?
Portions of God’s truth and references to him (usually through symbolism) can be found worldwide from a variety of sources including science, art and literature.
In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma informs a disbeliever of the abundance of truth that is laid out for us to discover by means outside of formal religion;
“The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." (4)
Professor J.R.R. Tolkien believed that myths are based upon a foundation of truth. The presentation of myths & stories allows the receiver to gain a specific understanding of fundamental truths that may be difficult to perceive through other means. Tolkien explains in the preface to the Simarillion;
“…After all, I believe that legends and myths are largely made of “truth”, and indeed present aspects of it that can only be received in this mode” (5).
The discovery of universal truths is enjoyable and beneficial to the soul and for this reason, the Holy Spirit is appointed to confirm the truth of all things.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,” Galations 5:22
I am constantly discovering more literal and symbolic references to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in world history and literature. It is also exciting to read about the scientific research that supports what prophets have known for centuries.
Notes
1) Not a perfect sphere, of course.
2) Spencer W. Kimball, “Absolute Truth,” Tambuli, June 1988, 19
3) 1 Ne. 13: 24 “And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fullness of the gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God.”
4) Book of Mormon, Alma 30:44
5) From a letter in 1953 to Robert Murray, a Jesuit priest, in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, 1981