I have spoken to thousands of people face to face about Jesus and
once in awhile I will hear the "true for you but not for me" excuse. The problem
is that many people do not understand how truth works. Here is a short piece
from my free e-book designed for evangelisim. The title is Gravity True For You
But Not For Me - Evidence for Gods Existence and Identity. You can get your free
copy at www.god-evidence-truth.com to read and forward to
frinds and family. Most e-reader formats are supported like Kindle. Donations
are also being accepted for print copies that you can hand out yourself. I am
thankful to be saved and I want to bring as many people with me as I possibly
can.
True for You But Not for Me
The statement, true for you but not for me has a long list of problems that
tell us it is false. I bring it up because people sometimes claim, “Christianity
is true for you but not for me.” People that make this statement have confused
belief with truth. But belief alone does not guarantee the matter at hand is
true. Truth on the other hand is not a respecter of any belief that contradicts
it. Truth conforms to reality and the object being referred to. The title of
this book is a contradiction on purpose to get your attention, Gravity -
True For You But Not For Me. It suggests that an objective truth
like gravity does not apply to a person who does not believe in it. But since
this is simply not how truth works, the title of this book is self-defeating as
is the claim, “The Bible is true for you but something else is true for me.” The
following quote reveals an easy way to prove this to yourself:
“True for you but not for me is a self-defeating and therefore false
statement. You can prove this one conclusively to yourself today, just drive 90
in a 55 and when the cop stops you for speeding, just say, “That’s true for you
but not for me.” and speed off. Since it’s not true for you he can’t give you a
ticket, right?”Dr. Frank Turek, author and speaker. www.Crossexamined.org
True for you but not for me is also claiming every-thing is true as
long as someone believes it. If that’s the case we should have all gotten
perfect grades in school. Every answer I gave was true for me.
It can be argued that true for you but not for me is even false when it comes
to flavors of ice cream or the temperature in a room, because truth applies to
its object. For example - you like vanilla, I like chocolate and we are in the
same room and you feel cold and I feel warm. Referring to you as the object of
the statement, it’s true for everyone everywhere that you like vanilla and feel
cold. Referring to me as the object of the statement, it’s true for everyone
everywhere that I like chocolate and feel warm. Here is a verse from a rap song
that adds more clarity to the contradictory nature of our topic.
“If what's true for you is true for you and what's true for
me is true for me, what if my truth says yours is a lie? Is it still true?”
Lecrae, Rebel Album.
In opposition to how things really work, the true for you but not for me
argument comes from a flawed understanding of how truth works and leads to
the faulty conclusion, “What I believe about God is true just because I believe
it.” Ironically it’s a way people play god, by imagining God doesn’t exist or
creating a god who works for them.
In my opinion, true for you but not for me is really an attempt to escape the
truth by denying or ignoring it. While it may work for a while, in the end the
truth we have been avoiding must still be dealt with and usually the longer we
wait the higher the cost. Just ask any alcoholic, drug addict or over spender
how well denial worked for them after reality hits. Truth always surfaces and
the truth about God is no exception. It’s always better to face truth early,
accept it and deal with it.
“It is utterly wrongheaded to say that something is true for you but not for
me. For example, what if I think fascism is true and you think liberal democracy
is equally true? Should the fascist’s repression be tolerated by the believer in
liberal democracy? If not, on what grounds? Why not permit Stalinism or Satanism
or Nazism? Without criteria to determine truth, this relativism fails
miserably.” Allister McGrath Professor of Theology Kings College, taken from
Paul Copan’s book, “True For You, But Not For Me”.
Conclusion – True for you but not for me is self –defeating and
false. If the Bible is really true, it is true for everyone, if
they believe it or not.
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