“Truth” is much in the news at the moment, particularly as regards the big social media platforms; what is true and who decides that? Sometimes truth is simple to decide, where it hinges on a verifiable fact, but this is not always the case. There are “moral truths” on which we base society; thus the famous opening lines of the US constitution; “We hold these truths to be self-evident”. This immediately raises questions as to why something is “self-evident”; who decides? Most, if not all, of our self-evident truths are derived from the major world religions. In the West, the concept of human rights ultimately can be traced back to the belief that all are made in the image of God and that give us intrinsic value. As religious beliefs retreat, some are starting to realise that the foundations of our society are being left exposed. This is not an argument for the existence of God, but perhaps it does show why we seem to have evolved to need faith and the problem we have to face if that is abandoned.
Rev David Poyner