Position Paper

Taylor McCabe

Mr. Lindow
British Literature
April 27th, 2015

Truth is in the eye of the beholder. This means there are many different aspects to it and
many different ways it can be interpreted. However, being that the word itself has to be
interpreted leaves people to wonder if they shall ever know the real meaning of truth. After
evaluating some different interpretations of truth, I felt that I could personally relate the most
with C.S. Lewis idea of truth.
To C.S. Lewis and to myself, religion plays a huge part in how we dissect the meaning of
truth. Christians have an advantage in the world in that regard and that is because we have the
Bible. Spoken by Jesus, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me (John 14:6 NIV). In this declaration, we are assured that Jesus is indeed the
truth that we have to hold onto. We also believe every word in the Bible to be true (Ephesians
1:13-14). Though we may doubt everything elses validity, we can hold steadfast to the Word of
God. In the NIV version of the Bible, the word truth is used 228 times to describe Gods power,
the Bible, the works of Jesus, and the commands given to Christians.
Each and every person views the world in a different way. As humans we have a God
given gift of perception. One of my favorite points of Lewis ideas of truth was his idea of the
perception of New York, The reason why your idea of New York can be truer or less true than
mine is that New York is a real place, existing quite apart from what either of us thinks. If when
each of us said 'New York' each meant merely 'the town I am imagining in my own head', how
could one of us have truer ideas than the other? There would be no question of truth or
falsehood at all (Literature Review pg. 3). In my head the idea of New York may be different
than someone elses walking on the street because they may not have stood in the streets of
Manhattan like I have. Their words and mental images may be different than my own. In such
case, which is really truth?

Part of the reason for different perceptions of truth is the media. Media is an enemy of
truth whether it be social media such as Facebook or the news or even if it is the form of a book.
One case of this would be the difference between fiction and non-fiction. According to Hoover
Library, fiction refers to literature created from the imagination (Hoover Library). According to
Google, the definition of imagination is the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or
concepts of external objects not present to the senses (Google). Many philosophers are in
agreement that truth is also defined by being present to the senses, mainly sight. Is it accurate
then that we ourselves also disfigure the meaning of truth?
This is why it is so vitally important that we as Christians hold onto the Bible for our
definition of truth. We cannot always look to the world for our answers. In fact, most of the
answers the world will give us will be skewed and manipulated. Our minds are played with and
caused to believe many things the media or people tell us. People are so desperate for truth
that in some instances they may be willing to believe just about anything. Lies are the ultimate
enemy of truth. A lie changes and impacts many things. Even something that starts out as a
small lie may cause a spark which ignites an inferno. Lies exist with the primary function to
provide false information. According to Google, the definition of false is not according with truth
or fact; incorrect (Google). The difficult part we as humans have to deal with is both discerning
truth from lies and resisting the temptation to withhold the truth from others by lying.
I believe that truth can only truly be seen by walking a life with Christ. Yes, there are
truths within this world, but perception and lies make it difficult to trust what this world has
shown us. As Christians we have a solid, reliable source of truth and that is God. We find His
words inside of His book the Bible and it is with the Bible that we ourselves discover truth and
we help to have people around the world discover the truth of God as well. Regardless of what
the world tells us, we have the ultimate truth that Jesus died for our sins so that we may live with
God in Heaven. There may be multiple interpretations of what truth is and regardless of what

each philosopher thinks we need simply to trust in God and His son Jesus who is and always
will be the truth.