Faith

The Search for Truth can be
a trip down an endless road

by Sara Holtz

Truth is universal but can mean different things to various cultures.

Some personalities are more comfortable with a sense that there are a lot of questions and gray areas in life, knowing they have to find a way to navigate.

Others don't expect an answer because God puts the world into motion, says Leslie Limbaugh Minister of students and communication at Third Baptist Church.

"I don't expect there to be an answer," the educator says. "I walk around with quite a few questions. I go to sleep OK because I have a level of trust from God indicating it's OK that I don't have everything answered now."

Diverse faiths may have contrasting points of view, but each human being will at one time or another face questions and hardships in their lifetime. No one can escape it.

As a Christian, Limbaugh expects to discover answers by studying the Bible in small groups with believers, as well as on her own. By participating in the life of a local congregation in fellowship, it gives her opportunities to grow with others.

When we stop asking for questions and halt the search for truth, we eventually reach a dead end, Limbaugh says. In order to find answers and a fresh understanding, we must keep asking and continue seeking, she says.

According to TruthorTradition.com, we each have differing perspectives, whether they are biased, prejudiced, arrogant or ignorant, they only affect our sense of what is true instead of determining it.

There's definitely a different angle when we talk about truth from a traditional Jewish point of view. "It's not that we don't use the Word and it's not found in teachings, but it has a very different flavor to it," says Rabbi Seth Gordon of the Traditional Congregation of Creve Coeur.

Despite its dissimilar "flavor," Rabbi Gordon says for almost everyone, their religious growth comes in various stages. An individual can take a larger leap at any given moment and experience something he or she believes gives immediate insight. On the other hand, some people may take small steps and stand still for a while.

"It's impossible to have full appreciation of anything in just one moment," he says. "There is surely going to be development involved."