Why is truth so important to us?
A Christian Science perspective: We don’t have to compromise truth to get things done in the world.
Politicians bend it in the process of getting elected. Advertising is “creative” about it in order to sell the product.
Don’t we just have to admit this really is the way things get done in an imperfect world?
The answer is “No, never!” Lies and half-truths are like smog. In order not to be smothered, society needs to strive for an atmosphere like that demanded by the swearing-in ceremony for court witnesses: “the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”
In the Bible, we read: “A God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4). You could say we love truth because it’s the way we’re created by God. It’s built-in, so to speak.
The founder of The Christian Science Monitor wrote, “The truth is the centre of all religion” (Mary Baker Eddy, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 20).
Not surprisingly, the more people hold fast to their innate devotion to honesty and truth, the more society finds its way. The path of unity, cooperation, and progress gets clearer.
Adapted from “Why is truth so important to us?” in the Christian Science Sentinel, July 29, 1991.