“That’s true for you, but not true for me.”

If you’ve ever had a discussion on a moral issue or religion, chances are you’ve heard that phrase, or any one of its close cousins. The popular sentiment these days is that in the areas of morality, religion, and sometimes politics, everything is relative; there is no one point of view–or truth–that’s true for everyone. There is no universal Truth (with a capital “T”). Rather, each culture or individual has its own “truth” (small “t”), and all religions, cultures, and morals are equally valid.

The popular sentiment continues: one shouldn’t say other religions or morals are in error, just as it would be odd for me to say your choice of broccoli over beans is wrong. Sure, “my truth” can help me live a better life, but I shouldn’t push it on others. I should be tolerant of others’ beliefs.

Like I’ve already said, this is a very common way to think. Maybe you yourself believe this!

What should we think about this?

First off, while folks might say they believe this, no one believes it deep down. Our actions betray our real beliefs. If a friend claimed to sincerely believe its ok to torture babies for fun, you wouldn’t be “tolerant” towards that belief–you would recommend they get help quickly, to paraphrase philosopher William Craig. Your friend would simply be mistaken; it doesn’t matter what culture he comes from.

Think about this: if you are at work and you over hear a white male co-worker call a black female co-worker derogatory racial slurs and sexual put downs (he calls her a derogatory part of the female anatomy starting with “c”), would he have done anything wrong? Not wrong “for you,” but wrong, period. If the man is from another culture, does that change things?

The answer is not complicated. The man in the situation is wrong, not just “for you,” but really wrong. It does not make a difference what culture he comes from.

Next, the person who says “there is no universal truth, so you should be tolerant of others’ beliefs” contradicts herself. At the end of the day, she says that it’s wrong to say others are wrong! On the one hand, she says that truth and morality are relative, but on the other hand she offers that as if it is pure, unadulerated, obvious truth.

She thinks this is something that applies to others, not just herself. Here’s an example conversation that bears this out (that I again borrow from Greg Koukl):

“What’s true for you might not be true for me, so you shouldn’t push your morals on others. Be tolerant!”

“Do you believe that?”

“Yup.”

“Then that’s true for you, but why are you pushing it on me?”

Do you see the problem? For the person who adopts the sentiment I’ve been examining, as soon as she opens her mouth and says something like “should” or “ought,” she has defeated herself.

Or:

“There is no objective truth.”

“Is that true?”

She’s on the horns of a dilemma. If she answers that it’s true just for her, then she can be ignored–it’s just her personal take. But if it’s true period, then she has again contradicted herself. The fact of the matter is that some things are really true, some things are really false, and it’s ok. It is ok to critique points of view and lifestyles. In fact, it’s unaviodable.

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