There’s a whole lot of untruth being perpetuated in our world. From advertising to the Internet, “there’s a sucker born every minute.” People today crave truth so much that they are highly susceptible to any “truth oil salesman” on the block.

George Orwell once said, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

“When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker a raving lunatic.” (Dresden James)

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” (Martin Luther King Jr.)

“Sometimes the majority only means that all the fools are on the same side.” (Unknown)

We have all heard the saying that the truth hurts. “The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.” (President James A. Garfield)

“The truth is ‘hate speech’ only to those who have something to hide.” (Michael Rivero)

Not all of those who profess to know the truth actually do. “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” (Oscar Wilde)

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscious stupidity.” (Martin Luther King Jr.)

“Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.” (Andre Gide)

“The enemy of the truth is very often not the lie — deliberate, contrived, and dishonest, but the myth — persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.” (John F. Kennedy)

Simply professing the truth will not necessarily make a person virtuous. “One truth out of context can prove very dangerous.” (Gregory Phillips) “The truth is often a terrible weapon of aggression. It is possible to lie, and even murder, with the truth.” (Alfred Adler)

Sometimes people try to make true what they love, instead of loving the truth. “A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.” (Oscar Wilde) “Intense feeling too often obscures the truth.” (Harry S. Truman) “My mind is made up. Don’t confuse me with the facts.” (An Old Saying)

“If a thousand old beliefs were ruined in our march to truth we must still march on.” (Tom Waits) “From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth; from laziness that is content with half-truths; from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth — O God of Truth deliver us!” (Unknown)

We must start somewhere to “know” truth. We either start with man being the one who can determine what truth is, or we start with God being the only one who can determine what truth is. The truth either is or is not. Truth does not need to be accepted, felt or voted on to be true.

God’s truth is revealed in Scripture. The Holy Spirit leads the church in understanding and teaching the fullness of truth found in Scripture. For more information, “Google” Pope John Paul II’s “Veritatis Splendor.”