TED Community » Gregory Jones

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Finding and believing the truth.

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FOR ANYTHING TO BE AN ISSUE OF RIGHT/WRONG THERE MUST BE AN "AUTHORITY OF RIGHTNESS". There are many such authorities, but there is also a hierarchy of authority, and the ultimate authority is God, the God of the Bible.

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• A comment on Conversation: Women-Is there a way one can improve the status of the Muslim women in Islamic countries? Their value, equal treatment, & respect of opinion

  Jan 16 2012: Good thoughts! I fully agree with you, but I would go even further. I find that people always live in accordance with what they believe. They are always true to themselves. That is not a problem. The issue is that they do not live according to what they SAY they believe. A person may claim to believe certain things, but I can look at their life and know what they truly believe. They always live out their real beliefs. For example, if I said I believe it will be warm and sunny today but then grab my coat and umbrella when I go out, you would rightly question my stated belief. But even more important is that our beliefs should have solid foundations and be true in themselves. For example, I may believe I am perfectly healthy. But a medical test may reveal that there is a serious health problem. Should the doctor present this evidence to me, knowing that it will change my belief and make me unhappy, or should he just let me be happy in my own belief, which is false? Hopefully we will want to believe what is true, not just what makes us happy. If we really want to know the truth, we will welcome any evidence from any source that can help us determine the truth, as best as possible. We need to learn from others who have found truths about life. (Mom tells her child that the stove is hot before he learns that through his own experiences.) Now, many claim to know the truth, and the claims contradict. But there is ONLY ONE truth, and holding to a false belief will lead to disaster. That is why we need to listen to others, evaluate the evidences and be open to changing our beliefs when they are shown to be false. We live out what we really believe, and hopefully those beliefs are also true.
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  A reply on Conversation: Women-Is there a way one can improve the status of the Muslim women in Islamic countries? Their value, equal treatment, & respect of opinion

  Jan 15 2012: Rhona: Are you saying that once a person dies we should no longer teach his/her ideas (including scientists, philosophers, etc.)? I guess we should also get rid of schools so that children can "develop their own beliefs" about the world. I guess you never teach your children how to behave properly ("to act certain ways"). Just let them act according to "their own highest awareness of what is right". When a child bullies another we should not correct that since they are operating under the idea that power makes right. So what is "right"? If each person determines that on their own then you can NEVER tell another that he is doing wrong. If I believe you are hindering the "happiness I deserve" do I now have the right to rob you, or kill you? Or are YOU going to teach me that it is wrong to steal or kill, and thus violate everything you have just tried to claim? If I "have the power to create a wonderful world" for me, is it my right to do so? The truth is, you can't live in a world without "ancestral brainwashing" as you call it. You can't live in a world without a universal standard (authority) of right/wrong. While you try to claim a universal ethic does not exist you really can't live without it. For ANYTHING to be claimed as "right" or "wrong" their must be an authority of the rightness that must be referenced. The problem is that we need to establish what the proper authority of right/wrong is. The problem in Islam is that there are many conflicting understandings of what is true Islam. What is it really teaching? And how is it really being lived out?