I have a friend...

[BookofJames]

He sent me a text today saying that he figured out the one problem with all religions. I asked him what it was. He said that the problem was is that all believers assert that they are right.
My friend is a believer in total subjectivism. He thinks that the only truth is that there is no truth. He also thinks that it is arrogant to assert the beliefs of a religion because we cannot possibly know until the next life

What should I say to this. I feel like I’ve given him all the evidence for Christ and His Church I possibly can. He just says, “You can’t prove it.” I feel like I’m running around in circles with this guy.

Help?

Thanks!!!

 

[jilly4ski]

He sent me a text today saying that he figured out the one problem with all religions. I asked him what it was. He said that the problem was is that all believers assert that they are right.
My friend is a believer in total subjectivism. He thinks that the only truth is that there is no truth. He also thinks that it is arrogant to assert the beliefs of a religion because we cannot possibly know until the next life

What should I say to this. I feel like I’ve given him all the evidence for Christ and His Church I possibly can. He just says, “You can’t prove it.” I feel like I’m running around in circles with this guy.

Help?

Thanks!!!

LOL, just tell him you figured out the problem with his ideas. He thinks he is right and everyone else is wrong. It is arrogant for him to assert that his beliefs about there not being truth as if it were true.

His position is logically inconsistent. If there is no truth, then you cannot possibly make the statement that that their is no truth (since that would be a truth). Tell him, he can say they may not be truth, or there may only be a few truths. But his position is as much based on belief and faith as any religion. And at least religious people, believe what they do for a reason.

 

[hannajomar]

He said that the problem was is that all believers assert that they are right.

And he is asserting that he is right about subjectivism. So he falls into that same category.

He thinks that the only truth is that there is no truth.

Statements such as these are logically impossible. If there is “no truth,” then “not having truth” is a truth. It’s a statement that negates itself.
Chances are, you won’t say or type something that will make him change all of a sudden. But it is good for nonbelievers to see that we at least think.

 

[BookofJames]

LOL, just tell him you figured out the problem with his ideas. He thinks he is right and everyone else is wrong. It is arrogant for him to assert that his beliefs about there not being truth as if it were true.

His position is logically inconsistent. If there is no truth, then you cannot possibly make the statement that that their is no truth (since that would be a truth). Tell him, he can say they may not be truth, or there may only be a few truths. But his position is as much based on belief and faith as any religion. And at least religious people, believe what they do for a reason.

Haha. Me like. Thanks!

 

[BookofJames]

Statements such as these are logically impossible. If there is “no truth,” then “not having truth” is a truth. It’s a statement that negates itself.
Chances are, you won’t say or type something that will make him change all of a sudden. But it is good for nonbelievers to see that we at least think.

Man, I need to take Logic again. Thanks!

 

[po18guy]

You pray for him each day. Pray for him before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament - that is most powerful. And, whereas his joy relates mostly to where he is or what he is doing, you show him the Christian joy that radiates from within you, no matter where you are or what you are doing.

Christian joy is interior. It doesn’t come from without but from within – like certain alpine lakes which are fed not from a river that flows from outside, but from a spring of water welling up from their very foundations. It comes from God’s mysterious and present action in the human heart through grace. It can cause us to abound with joy in our sufferings (cf. 2 Cor 7: 4). It is the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5: 22, Rom 14:17) and is expressed in peace of heart, fullness of meaning, the ability to love and to be loved, and above all in hope, without which there can be no joy.

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa

 

[BookofJames]

You pray for him each day. Pray for him before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament - that is most powerful. And, whereas his joy relates mostly to where he is or what he is doing, you show him the Christian joy that radiates from within you, no matter where you are or what you are doing.

 

[po18guy]

I know that this approach isn’t as direct or as quick as we like. Just effective, when done sincerely and with patience.

 

[snarflemike]

As others have already pointed out, your friend’s beliefs are incoherent.

He sent me a text today saying that he figured out the one problem with all religions. I asked him what it was. He said that the problem was is that all believers assert that they are right.

Does he assert that he is right in this? I think he does.

My friend is a believer in total subjectivism. He thinks that the only truth is that there is no truth.

Is he asserting a truth that there are no truths? I think he is.

He also thinks that it is arrogant to assert the beliefs of a religion because we cannot possibly know until the next life

Is this an arrogant assertion of belief? I think it is.

 

[Love4All]

He sent me a text today saying that he figured out the one problem with all religions. I asked him what it was. He said that the problem was is that all believers assert that they are right.
My friend is a believer in total subjectivism. He thinks that the only truth is that there is no truth. He also thinks that it is arrogant to assert the beliefs of a religion because we cannot possibly know until the next life

What should I say to this. I feel like I’ve given him all the evidence for Christ and His Church I possibly can. He just says, “You can’t prove it.” I feel like I’m running around in circles with this guy.

Help?

Thanks!!!

I find some real freedom in replacing the question, “is it true?”, particularly in cases where it is difficult or seemingly impossible to determine the truth, with the question, “is it useful?”