This last two weeks, I have been working hard at getting back into the school scene. As I mentioned in my last post, I have been assigned to read a philosophy book written by a French man named Michel Foucault if any of you are familiar. Apparently he is one of the foremost writers of what is called the postmodern movement in rhetoric. This is not just restricted to the literary community, but is widely embraced in the sciences, history, sociology, and so on. As I understand it (which at this point is still a bit shaky), the whole point is that there is no such thing as absolute truth. Truth is supposed to be dependent upon the "community" you are a part of, your life experiences, and the perspective from which you veiw the world. My truth would not be the same as yours. As I have read literally hundreds of comments from my classmates over the last two weeks on this text, I have been really quite surprised at the acceptance and even championing of this belief that truth is relative, truth is subjective. There were many threads on our discussion boards that even addressed religion in light of this philosophy, and I am sad to say that almost all of my classmates were in agreement with these teachings! I suppose that will be my challenge in this course to understand the concepts without embracing them as my own; to be in the world but not of the world.
As I have thought about these concepts over the week, I found comfort as I reflected on the teachings of the gospel. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father, that he has blessed me with a testimony of the gospel! I can't imagine living in this world with the uncertainty that the things I believe could shift or change. I know that my Heavenly Father lives regardless of what happens in the world around me. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that he atoned for my sins. There is nothing that can change that absolute truth. I know that the gospel was restored to the earth through Joseph Smith, and that we have a prophet today that speaks the absolute truth from our Father in Heaven! Truth is not relative, or subjective, or individual. It is eternal! How thankful I am for that!
