Summary of Meeting on Saturday February 4
Tuesday 14th February 2017
The theme for the year is to be The Truth through Dialogues’ following on from the sessions last year which were ‘Finding God Through’———a variety of subjects, producing for many, food for thought. This year is to be finding truth through talking and listening to various groups of people of various denominations and other faiths which will include continuing our links with the local Muslim Community, and strengthening our association with the national PCN.
The day’s subject was to think about what we meant by truth. Simon introduced the subject and divided us into groups. Interestingly it would appear that each group discussed it from a different angle, the feedback session illustrating how wide these discussions were. One person mentioned how much we are limited by language, which became apparent as there were many interpretations of the meaning of this word truth. Some saw truth in relation to love, beauty and depth of feeling. For others it was something related to facts that had supposedly been proven either scientifically or through reliable witness. There seemed to be a general agreement that however the subject was approached, truth was inclined to be elusive. Much depended on individual experiences and background.
It was noted that in the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments there were glaring contradictions, and perhaps the truth of its contents was to be found in the many myths that were portrayed therein. Perhaps too this was where faith became important. There was some discussion on what we believe to be the truth, and what some philosophers had given as their definition.
John Sharp gave us list of quotations regarding the latter. It was a very lively session. It is impossible to give an account of everything that came out of the discussions. I hope I have given an insight into the morning. There was a lot of noise, laughter, and animation! Jean Proud