The rock n’ roll band 311 has a song with lyrics that say “what if the truth is that there is no truth?” Basically this is the theory or belief of the relativist.
It is the belief that all truth is relative to the individual. There is no right way for everyone and each must decide for himself right and wrong. There is no absolute truth.
The consequences of a person with this belief is that there moral compass can point in any direction. One day it’s good to steal and the next day it is’nt. The other problem is what I consider to be ‘right’ might clash with what you consider to be ‘right’ and then they void each other out. Relativism says there is no right or wrong and “its only wrong if you get caught”. Relativism says that there is no law and no reward nor should there be any punishment for performing in a certain way, there would be no God because Life would have no meaning. Even natural laws or science would not be. There would be no purpose or reason to do anything.
The greatest argument against relativism is in its own philosophy – an ironic contradiction that literally kills itself. A relativist says “There is no absolute truth”. Well then obviously there would be at least one truth, and if there is one how do you know there are not more.
A simple and beautiful scripture from 2 Nephi chapter 2 illuminates this erroneous idea:
13 And if ye shall say there is ano law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not bthere is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.
The 311 song lyric continues “The only thing I can prove is there is no proof”. Ahh well, that is another subject for perhaps my next post.
