For Christians - It's written that it is better to not know truth than to know the truth and turn away. The spirit of truth, which is Said will guide us into all truth, is likewise said to be a comforter. The paradox evident, but as we learn more and more about life, the mechanics of, and history, the truth of this difficult to deny. The reason truth seem like a thorn, i would suggest is no less evident. Turning away from a truth has noticable consequences.
The question to be debated: Does truth ground us, and act as a firm foundation or would faith in current beliefs trump truth as it is undderstood and accepted as true by most modern truth seekers, such as scientists, astrophysicist, physicists, and others who demand verifiable evidence to support a claim?
In the gospel John chapter 16, Jesus tells Pilot that everyone "On the side of truth" listens to Jesus. Pilot retorts "What is truth?" I assume Pilot says this because he is a Roman, and Romans are famous for their fake History. They invent a History for their empire. I also assume Pilot says it, because he believes there is no side, no correct side. As a dirty sort of politician of the kind with no conscience left over he takes whatever side is winning or that he thinks will win. He wants nothing to do with Jesus death only because of a warning given through his wife that this could somehow come back and hurt him. He doesn't want to be there at the crucifixion and wants the blame to go to some other authority. This is the What Is Truth Man.
It is a person with no morals. They believe in nothing and are like tumbleweeds, but its because they have no morals. Morality is the basis for truth in this gospel story. Its what we are talking about, and it is what Jesus is talking about. The side Jesus talks about is the moral side.
Knowledge, however, is fallible in all people. Jesus acknowledges this (in some passages where he talks about the spirit or about faith), and he also demonizes the focus upon words and proper discipleship (of both the Pharisee and the Sadducee). His brother, James (or whoever writes
James) says that no one can tame the tongue, an evil full of deadly venom and that each person must gain wisdom from God. Our strategies to test one another about truth are not acceptable to the NT authors. We are instead instructed to be humble and to count one another as being above ourselves. Many words are written about this. Paul writes about how knowledge only puffs us up and that it is love which builds us up.
The greatest thing is love, and truth will always follow behind if we have that. It is backwards, then, to put truth first since love does not always follow it. Therefor I must disagree with something in the OP. No, truth does not ground us and truth seekers are seeking the wrong thing.
