The word burden normally alludes to weight, load or responsibility. The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiage Dictionary defines it as, “something that is carried; duty or responsibility. Something oppressive or worrisome.” The dictionary continues to say, “’The burden of proof’ is the duty of proving a disputed assertion or charge.” What then is the “Burden of Truth?”
The word “burden” in the Pocket Dictionary of Canadian Law by Daphne A. Dukelow means “the duty to perform an obligation.” (Thomson Carswell, On, Canada, © 2006, pp 58). And the word truth explains, Dr Norman L. Geisler, ‘is fact that corresponds to reality, it is noncontradictory, absolute, inescapable, unchanging, and discovered’ (Unshakable Foundations, Bethanyhouse, MN, USA, © 2001, pp. 52).
The claim by anyone that a view, opinion or situation is the truth, then requires that the person show that their declared truth has such qualities as noncontradictory, unchanging, discovered not created, absolute, corresponds to reality, and to deny its existence is to affirm that it is.
Truth concerns us all. Not only in the courts of law where it is formally argued, but in our daily interactions with one another in homes, in businesses and in the public places. We compromise for peaceful co-existence, we let others freely exercise their views and impressions on the grounds of free speech, we promote tolerance of the differences in the practice of religions laying out our path and methods of worshipping our personal view of God, and today we conclude that all truths are equal for this is fair, peaceful and respectful. Therefore we say it is the right approach to adopt.
But is this compromise we practice in our living, really the correct way of the truth? This question put all views on the same issues in one pot. Now we need to review our conclusions in our compromise where we state that, in fairness, all views and truth claims are equally valid. But we soon realize, in all honesty, that this conclusion must be false logically. For many of the views oppose each other on the same, single issue. What then must we do?
The answer lies with the burden of truth. That is to say that the claim meeting or having all the properties of truth, must prevail. There can only be one. Truth cannot be compromised nor should tolerance be used for peace’ sake and permit that which is false. Eventually the so-called peaceful co-existence will fail. Which way do we instruct our children to go and choose? Which do we stand up for and say is right when views are competing and are opposite?
No matter how reasonable we may think we are, truth must be one. It is exclusive. There cannot be two or more truths regarding the same fact or incident; but there can be two or more versions of the said fact or incident. We often confuse personal or group versions with the truth. With personal, self-importance is very high; with group, there is the wrong tendency to feel that the popularity of a thing is proof that it is true—the majority rules. This view is false. For the world, the crowd, the culture can be wrong.
Truth must be logical. For as reasonable as we may want to be and no matter how much we may think that compromise is suitable for peaceful co-existence, truth must be absolute and unchanging. Its burden is as follows:- (1) it must not violate the basic laws of logic; (2) it must not be dependent upon any times, places, or conditions; (3) it must exist independently of our minds for we do not create it; (4) it must have agreement of the mind with the reality; (5) if denied, its existence is affirmed; and (6) it must be a firm standard by which truth claims are measured. (Norman Geisler, pp 52).