Response to:
"So many people disagree, therefore relativism must be true."
Response: The fact that people disagree shows they believe in absolute Truths.
A police officer was going through a police training seminar on how to gather information from eyewitnesses to a crime when all of the sudden another instructor burst through the door, ran to the front of the room, snatched the instructors brief case, shouted something and ran out the side door. After everyone picked their jaws up off the floor the instructor asked several questions such as: How tall was he? What color was his hair? What color clothing did he wear? What did he yell? Some of the students gave radically different answers to these basic questions even though they were in a class that was teaching them to be aware of details like these. To most everyone's embarrassment the "robber" came back in and stood before them so they could know the true answers to these questions and drive some points home.
According to the relativist, if the robber had not returned to show the answers everyone would have been telling the truth even if they disagreed. Why? The relativist maintains that truth is subjective and relative to one's unique point of view. But we all have enough common sense to know that even if the robber had not returned he could have had only one height, one color of eyes, one color (or pattern of colors) in his clothes and could only have yelled one statement. The same person can not be both 5 foot 4 and 6 foot 10 or have both blue eyes and green eyes, etc. Some relativists would go so far as to say that it was all an illusion, it didn't really happen so there is no truth to know about it.
What this story illustrates is that just because it might be difficult to determine the truth and people will inevitably disagree about it does not mean there can not be only one, absolute truth, which can be discovered. Relativism is not a warranted conclusion. In fact, if it was a real robbery of something valuable to the relativist you can be sure he would insist there is one, absolutely true set of answers to the questions and the police better start looking for the robber.
Disagreement over simple things like the color of a robber's hair doesn’t mean the robber’s hair isn’t the same color in all places and at all times unless he dies it. But what about the more important Ultimate Questions of Life? People certainly disagree over answers to these questions too but does the fact that people disagree mean there are no absolutely true answers? These Questions are difficult to find answers to for several reasons.
First, we do not have full knowledge. We simply can not gather all the information there could possibly be in the universe about life and death and beyond, enter them into a supercomputer and then read the answer. We only have a very limited amount of information in the first place and it doesn't lend itself to binary computations.
Second, we can have wrong information which obstructs our search. There is no logical reason to believe that all the concepts in all the religions are correct and useful. The fact that they do disagree shows that some are probably wrong. And it is important to evaluate each concept to see if it is right or has merits. Ultimate Reality can not be both a personal, transcendent, triune creator and an impersonal, unitary force that is one and the same as the natural universe at the same time and way. One is right; one is wrong.
Third, people start with different underlying assumptions. When one starts with the assumption that there is no personal transcendent God just an impersonal force, as in Buddhism, one comes to very different conclusions about what mankind's problem is.
Fourth, motivation is a vitally important key to successfully finding the truth. I would wager that everyone knows the truth about something they should change in their lives but can't or won't find the motivation for. How many people are addicted to tobacco, drugs, alcohol, junk food, rage, pornography, sex, etc and know it's going to catch up to them sooner of later? Even if what we need to change is not as life threatening as these, we all make New Year's resolutions to change them. And how long do we try to change before giving up in frustration? If everyone knows how they could improve in everyday life but refuses to do it; it stands to reason that many people actually know the truth about the Ultimate Questions, as well, but refuse to acknowledge or change their destiny.
Finally, the person who claims to know that truth is relative believes he has discovered the absolute truth-that truth is relative. Especially when it comes to Christianity the relativist believes it is absolutely wrong to claim to have the final absolute truth.
Conclusion
People disagree about the ultimate questions of life for the simple reason that they really believe there is an absolutely true set of answers and that other people's answers are wrong. Believing there is absolute truth is certainly something we all agree on!
Since we all believe there is a set of answers the Ultimate Questions that are absolutely truth we then have to wonder if it is possible to find those answers and know they are the right ones. When Jesus talked about the prospect of finding the truth He promised that everyone who seeks the truth will find it. He promised,
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to you children, how much more will you Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7-11)
When we seek the truth God doesn’t just sit and watch and say, “I sure hope he stumbles across my Truth, otherwise I have no way of helping him.” No, God answers our request. When we are willing to accept a little bit of Truth when He shows it to us, He will show us more and more in progressive steps. But if we consistently reject what He shows us, He certainly is not obligated to keep showing us more. Which kind of person are you, the kind who readily accepts His Truth and asks for more or the kind who rejects what you don’t want to hear? Trust that God’s Truth is the perfect Truth for you to live by and you will not be disappointed.
References
Copan, Paul. True for You, But Not For Me: Deflating the Slogans that Leave Christians Speechless. Minneapolis: Bethany House. 1998.
Copyright 2005. Gary C. Burger and New Media Ministries. This article may be reproduced and distributed freely as long as it is done so in its entirety. If quoted it must be properly cited as a reference.
