HOW DO WE KNOW
WHAT WE
THINK WE KNOW?
As far as we can determine, there has never in history been such a challenge as the modern individual faces in sorting out truth from lies; from error; from disinformation; from deception; from the "Kool-Aid."
For the last ~60 years of my life, I've had long discussions with folks from atheists to Pentecostals about various aspects of 'reality,' values, evidence, conclusions etc.
The range of the topics has been from UFO's, ET's, satanism, globalism, miracles, the supernatural, Israel, The Bible, prophecy, archeology, anthropology, philosophy, politics, culture, nature, volcanoes, quakes, history, hidden history, etc. etc. etc.
Many such topics have been and are inherently extremely difficult to verify the unassailable validity of.
I have mentioned several times what my University library boss said when I was acting Director of the Special Collections Dept where we stored and presented to library patrons everything from the extreme left through to the extreme right. One day, I was derisive about some of the sources of some of those materials.
He took me immediately to task by noting (being the world's best expert on the topic) that it was the most flaky, most fringe, most 'off-the-wall' groups that FIRST and MOST ACCURATELY described who Hitler really was and what he would really do.
In the 40+ years since he told me that, I've found that exactly true in a number of fields on a number of topics.
Can I be wrong? Sure. Have been wrong a number of times.
However, I've been a sponge for vast amounts of information since my early teens. And, I've read a range of perspectives over those decades. I think it is wise to read the opposition's stuff routinely.
I've been blessed to have first hand, face to face dialogues with a range of world class experts on UFO's, globalism etc. in addition to my massive reading on such topics.
But that's not the only avenue of information from external to me to my mind, spirit, inner awareness.
The Bible talks about our spirit bearing witness with Holy Spirit to what is truth etc.
Can I be wrong about that? Certainly, I haven't been 40 years on the back side of the desert like Moses or 3 years like Paul. I'm still flawed in ways that can distort my spirit bearing witness with Holy Spirit.
And, there are different degrees of 'hearing' the "still small voice" of The Lord.
i.e. The Lord can speak in a VERY gentle, subtle inner voice. And, He can turn the volume up gradually or intensely immediately. Some of us have likened His 'loud' inner voice to an almost or truly audible shout--e.g. as a parent might shout as a toddler was about to run out in front of a Mack truck.
Compounding variables confusing, clouding, distorting God's still small voice within us are such things as strong personal biases; besetting sins; rebellion; idolatry; stubbornness; pride; hyper-rational-"scientific" criteria for "proof;" etc. etc. etc.
When my own doubts, incredulities, spiritual health etc. are at their worst, I don't hear God's inner voice that well. When Holy Spirit tends to speak very softly, gently, I can end up guessing, calculating, believing inaccurately about the evidence concerned.
When my spiritual health is better; I'm more objective and fair-minded; when Holy Spirit speaks more on the 'louder' end of the still-small voice, then those who know me best say my accuracy tends to range from 80-100%.
I just know that over the 5 decades or so, when it came to major issues, truths, events, etc. I've been more accurate about at least the reality of the major events or issues concerned. I may not have been accurate about the timing of disclosure but I've tended to be more accurate about the basic reality involved and the eventual surfacing of the basic facts.
A lot of that 'certainty' has been because of a more or less intense inner convictions that rose up in my spirit about the topic(s).
When I first heard of the NYPD Commissioner's declarations about Shrillery and the sex tape involving her, I KNEW instantly that it was true. There was not a shred of doubt in my spirit or my mind. None.
Whenever I've had that intense an inner conviction, I can't recall ever being wrong about basics of the topic concerned.
Sometimes even about a topic I haven't read that much about recently, I'll just hear a sentence or a paragraph on the news or from a friend etc. or even in my reading/watching on the net. And, immediately this strong conviction will drop into my spirit and my mind insisting that what was stated or that the event or the topic described was absolutely true. Again, when that has happened, it has always turned out to be revealed at a future date to be absolutely true.
Some mentors and others have insisted that I have some spiritual gifting about such things. I'm wary of saying so myself. Yet, I don't want to be wary or remotely dismissive about anything Holy Spirit does with me.
I just know that many times Holy Spirit seems to 'instantly drop into my consciousness, my inner spirit' something I had not been thinking of and was actually a bit shocked 'to hear.' Sometimes I just "know because I know because I know" that something is true--regardless of abundant research or none. IIRC, that sort of 'knowing' has never been wrong, either.
Some examples of that sort of thing are watching the 9/11 events sitting at my computer watching CNN in the background in Taipei's Tien Mou area. I saw the live images of President Bush being interrupted reading the children's book to the students. I instantly KNEW that he already had known what was going to happen and what he would be told.
I think that at this point, the evidence of that is fairly conclusive.
In most of the mass shootings, I have known that the public story was not the true story--and certainly not the whole true story. Some of that is because I've read so much in the ball park and some from that 'inner knowing.'
Anyway--we all have to sift and sort massive amounts of information to merely navigate modern life with much effectiveness at all.
Research (George Kelly's role construct theory and grid) indicates that those with a construct system that is too rigid or too permeable--neither extreme affords maximum success and effectiveness in life. It takes a balance. I've experience and observed that to be true.
There's more to say on this vast topic. But I'm tired after a long trip so I think I'll leave it there for now. I'd be delighted to discuss the topic but know better than expect a reply, hereon.
May God guide each of us as we endeavor to separate out the fly specs from the pepper in discerning truth from error, from lies, from disinformation etc. etc. etc.
