Truth Quest vs. Happiness Quest

As I watch the news and listen to what others are having to say regarding this election cycle, I was reminded of a question that the Christian apologist Frank Turek likes to ask skeptics when he speaks on university campuses across the nation: “If it were proven that Christianity were true, would you be a Christian?” The purpose of this question is to determine if the person is on a truth quest or a happiness quest. Some skeptics honestly answer this by saying “no”. In other words, the problem they have with Christianity is more than just a intellectual one – it is also a volitional problem. Some people simply don’t want it to be true.

BTW: Frank Turek's book, Stealing from God, is excellent I highly recommend it.

But what does that have to do with this election cycle? Before I answer that question, I want to make it clear that my goal is not to persuade you to vote for my candidates or agree with my politics. In fact, I hope that after you read this blog entry you will not know who my candidates are or what political party I support based on what I’ve written here. That’s not to say that I do not have strong opinions regarding these topics. I do. That is just not my point in writing this. What I want you to do is to ask yourself the same question regarding all of your beliefs that Turek asks regarding Christianity. Specifically, in terms of politics, when supporting a particular political candidate or platform are you on a truth quest or a happiness quest?

But, how do you know if you are on a truth quest or a happiness quest? Let me ask you this, what have you done to evaluate the arguments made by both sides? Do you only read/listen to/talk with/befriend people who hold the same ideas and values as you do? Are the people you are listening to truly experts or are they merely talking heads who have an agenda to push? Sure, they may be smart people that you agree with, but are they the true experts in the field they are discussing? If you do seek out experts, do you seek out experts from all sides or only those who are promoting ideas you agree with?  When you do seek out experts with opposing ideas are they truly credentialed experts or are they lay people whose arguments are easily defeated?Have you carefully weighed the pros/cons of every argument? Do you too quickly dismiss things you disagree with? Answering these questions will help determine if you are on a happiness quest or a truth quest.

Now you may argue, “There is no such thing as absolute truth”. Is that statement an absolute truth? [Think about it…] If you subscribe to the philosophy of “no absolutes”, you may be on a happiness quest and not a truth quest.

The problem with happiness quests is that they only deliver happiness - temporarily. Your ideas may seem to win the day, but those wins may only short-lived at best. Eventually, problems with the ideology will lead to long-term issues that are difficult or even impossible to recover from.

My encouragement to you is to always be on a quest for the truth and not simply for things that will make you happy. Do not scream and shout at people you disagree with. Take the time to get to know them, understand what they believe and why they believe it. Be respectful of people regardless of if you agree with them or not. When they give you weak answers for what they believe, challenge them (respectfully), but dig in deeper yourself. Just because a person’s knowledge is shallow regarding their beliefs does not mean that their beliefs are invalid or incorrect. Finally, remember that real truth is not subject to what anyone does or does not believe. As a friend of mine once said, “Truth is that which cannot change regardless of how badly I may want it to change.”

So how about you? Are you on a truth quest or a happiness quest? Not only in politics, but in all areas of your life.