Synopsis "The Truth Is: All We Can and Need to Know about God (in English)"
The nature and existence of God is often misrepresented in the arguments of theists and atheists alike. An alternative representation of God - one that I believe will make sense to and touch the hearts of people of good will in both camps - can be found in a fresh reading of the Gospel of John. In John's Gospel, Jesus declares that he had been born, that he had come into the world, "to testify to the truth." And the text of the document represents him as doing just that. Who (or, perhaps, what) God is, is one aspect of the truth to which Jesus testifies in the Gospel. The whole truth encompasses: who God is, who we are, what we are meant to be doing, and what it means to be "saved." THE TRUTH IS represents the culmination of a personal quest for the truth to which Jesus testified, as that truth is represented in the Gospel of John. In pursuing the truth, I have meant to: (1) let the text of the Gospel itself suggest the primary topic (the truth) and the subtopics and associated questions; (2) identify and analyze the relevant evidence in the text; and (3) formulate an understanding of the truth that best accounts for the evidence as it appears throughout the text. Although the Gospel of John is generally recognized as a Christian document, the truth to which Jesus testifies in the Gospel is universal - accessible by, and applicable to, all whatever our religious affiliation or lack thereof. Moreover, the truth answers fundamental questions about existence that any of us might have, questions such as: Is existence - and, in particular, are our lives - about something, or nothing? Is there a purpose behind existence? And will anything we do, or fail to do, have mattered when all is said and done?
