A question to All New Age believers

I must first say to all New Age followers that I understand the attraction of this way. To become more spiritual in the hope of advancing yourself, attaining higher consciousness, and promoting peace and love are all commendable aspects of the New Age religion.

I used to be a New Ager so I speak from experience. The higher awareness that we all seek is desirable because it will reveal the Truth about the way things are. To journey within to find the truth, or to say the truth is within you, implies that you do not create your own truth. If you create your own truth why do you have to look anywhere for it?

Basically I moved on from the New Age when I realised that there is in fact an Ultimate Truth that does not depend on individual human opinion or experience. I can demonstrate this with the following situation -

Andy believes he evolved from monkeys and that God is non-existent, while Bob believes he was created as a seperate species by God. Now if we all create our own truth both Andy and Bob are correct. Do you think that because Andy believes he evolved from monkeys he did actually evolve from monkeys, and that because Bob believes he was created by God that he actually was created by God? Or do you think that they both exist due to the same truth, whether it be creation or evolution (or something entirely different)? Andy's beliefs will seem true to him, and Bob's beliefs will seem true to him, but just because a belief seems true to you does not mean it is actually True.

Hopefully you will agree that actual human origin is independent from mere human opinion/belief about our origins. This agreement is your first step towards the path of Ultimate Truth, the only path along which there are real gains for you effort. A higher awareness will not set you free or enlighten you, only the Ultimate Truth can set you free.

Ask yourself - "Do I really create my own truth, or does an Ultimate Truth exist that is True regardless of whether I believe it or not?".

Thanks for your time. Friendly discussion is welcomed.

Much love for all. Much love for the Truth.

 

heyyyy..... i just replied to this in the new age forum! dagnabit.

 

humans did not evolve from monkeys as so many people claim...it is a common ancestor...geez


sorry, i don't like it when people get evolution wrong

 

Either way the point is still the same, but thanks for your correction.

 

As far as your litle scenario, sure they are both right, there is the possibility either way, and possibility is all. There is no ultimate truth.

 

how do you know?



edit: your profile says you're agnostic. ?

 

not only how do you know, but do you mean to say that there is no explanation to: where you came from, what good & evil is and where they come from, what time is, what this experience you're experiencing now is...... et cetera?
to me, saying "there is no explanation" is absurd.

 

It makes absolutely no sense though. The loss of the belief in ultimate truth is so sad. Ultimate Truth has not gone anywhere, its just human belief in it that has disappeared. Do you truly believe that there is no truth? I can't understand how. Does submersion in water make you wet?

 

perhaps he means there is no way for us to come to knowledge of ultimate truth. i cannot comprehend that there is no ultimate truth - and i don't mean god or any mysterious hocus-pocus Ultimate Truth crap; i mean, simply the answer to all these questions like, what am i? where did i come from? etc. i may not ever know the answer, but that doesn't mean the answer is not.

 

Maybe the answer lies within the questioner.

Maybe the answer cannot be expressed in word or thought.

 

The only thing that I have ever been able to find within is a state of deep peace and feeling of connectedness with all that is. While this is a amazing state to be in it is not truth or an answer; it is more of a state that removes the questions about life. Once that state is achieved what is left to do but go on living in that state? Are no truthful answers required?

 

Can you remain with it? Live it anew each moment, beyond time?
Perhaps the answer does not lie in words, which are thoughts.
Can thought, which is partial, state Truth, which is total, infinite, the objectivity?

Maybe the direct perception of 'what is' . . .
Is this not possible?

Let the mind be still and listen to the silence of the universe,
And then explore the silence as something alive, dynamic and full of teachings that words can only begin to describe.
When the mind is listening - this is what I mean by that silence.

To flow in the river of infinity, with no beginning or end . . . Oh, so we do, but oh, do we know? Do we see?
Each a ripple of eternity . . .
Can we awaken? Do we dream?

 

Well, for a pantheist like me, evolving and being created by God are the same thing

But I see your point and I agree, truth, or reality, are independant of our beliefs and ideas. "A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything" ~Nietzsche.

Yet, truth is also subjective, where each person's belief shapes their reality and is real to them. Thus we can't just throw our ideas out but have to examine them. Beliefs are like telescopes, they magnify and order what we're looking at, but limit our perspective to mere tunnel vision.

I think the important thing to always keep in mind is how little we know, or can know. We all have a very limited prespective.

 

Well said Trippin.

 

burby, you seem to know what you're talking about. i thought that common ancestor was an ape, not a monkey.

 

Err well, it was the best choice. I believe simply in possibility.

 

I believe in ultimate truth. I just don't think we have found it all yet. And in the meantime I don't like to think I pretend to know.

I also think that religious beliefs can get in the way of ultimate truth, because the only way I think we are going to find that truth is through the scientific process, studying the natural evidence around us. It seems to be the most objective process. Religious myths of creation and gods get's in the way of that because so many people fight scientific evidence that they feel is contrary to their religious beliefs. If our largest religions were more accepting of science I think we would all be on the right road to discovering some ultimate truths.

I'm not a new ager, though, so I guess this thread isn't really for me!

 

What is truth? (Pilate)


Myself, I would say there is an objective reality. But I also think that up to a point, we do make our own reality - or at least, our perception of reality is conditioned by our intellectual ideas and constructions.
Perhaps 'truth' is something like a blank cinema screen, and we project all our own stuff onto it. One can change, and begin to project different stuff, but does that mean one is any closer to essential truth?

It seeems no kind of formulation of truth in intellectual/linguistic terms can ever approximate that reality, or adequately describe it. It can only be known directly.
I don't think there can ever be a kind of final or absolute statement of ultimate truth. Smaller truths which apply in limited areas can be thus formulated - but not essential or complete truth.

 

Yeah. I guess I look at "ultimate truths" as scientific facts. We can say it is an ultimate truth that the earth revolves around the sun, for example. As far as defining everything into an ultimate truth, well I think you hit the nail on the head with your statement, BBB.

 

1. Did we evolve from monkeys?
Humans did not evolve from monkeys. Humans are more closely related to modern apes than to monkeys, but we didn't evolve from apes, either. Humans share a common ancestor with modern African apes, like gorillas and chimpanzees. Scientists believe this common ancestor existed
5 to 8 million years ago. Shortly thereafter, the species diverged into two separate lineages. One of these lineages ultimately evolved into gorillas and chimps, and the other evolved into early human ancestors called hominids.

taken from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/faq/cat02.html