facts and truths can overlap... just because it is a fact doesn't make it any less true - it's true that red is mikes favorite color, and it's true that 1+1=2 ... neither of those can be argued as an untruth and both are facts as well... to say the devil did it, or god did it is an opinion only, can't be argued as a fact...

Yes.

Truth is not always based in reality
Reality is always a truth
Facts are a statistical representation of reality.
Reality exists before it is assigned as a fact.
The failure of truth and fact does not alter reality.
Reality often alters truth and fact.

Angels and demons are two sides to the coin.
The Universe is all sides and every arc of a coin.

The Universe has:
Extropy - The principle that the Universe will expand indefinitely
Ectropy - The principal that balances the expansion & degradation of the Universe
Entropy - The principal of decay in the Universe
Prediction - The organized method of the Universe
Chaos - The un-patterned unpredictable method of the Universe.

These factors can be boiled down into very simple terms and labeled as Good and Evil. If you think about the mental capacity of people when religions first started forming they were simple. The ones who created the religions to control their society made observations of the Universe around them. They saw it as a black or white thing. Good/Bad, Black/White/ or Angels/Demons. A positive or negative outlook. Thus they decreed that all things good were of God and all things bad were of Satan. That was a concept that most everyone they knew could buy into. They adopted punishments and rewards and used threats and promises to control the people's will. They built stories around these concepts and created faith to keep the people from straying into reality. They didn't want individual thinking because reality was dangerous to their cause. One of the reasons there is so much confusion over religion now is because people are beginning to question the delusions against the reality in their lives.

Personal stress from this conflict causes personal turmoil. Religions are designed to cause personal conflict and confusion if you question it. If you believe this you get this reward, if you believe that you will be punished forever. If you stray from the path presented to you, you are not in fidelity. If you are not in fidelity you will be outcast.
These feelings dictate what we do and how we feel. They shape our lives and are passed down generation to generation. They become truths out of fear and ignorance. (Ignorance is lack of understanding, not stupidity)

When someone questions their truths they go defensive. Out of fear, anger or jealousy they close out any attempt you try to make to present reality to them. It is an assault on their truths that they use to build their lives. It doesn't matter if they are content with their lives or in turmoil. They see it as an assault and act to defend their beliefs. Some are not able to comprehend and some are unwilling to comprehend.

If you place your hand on a hot stove God will not prevent it from burning you. It wasn't the devil that caused you to burn either.
What happened is you came into contact with material that was vibrating faster than the material in your hand were. That rapid change in molecular vibration caused the material in your hand to try to match the vibration of the hot metal but it was such a large difference the material in your hand was destroyed. The destruction of the molecules in your hand sends a signal to your brain that your hand is being destroyed. Your brain says "Hot" an sends a signal to your muscles to pull the hand away as fast as possible.

In your mind, the decision to touch that hot metal was a decision based in ignorance, defiance, lack of judgement or just plain stupidity. You might try to convince yourself that the devil made you so it but that decision boils down to you. Accidentally touching it can be attributed to clumsiness, coordination issues or attentiveness. Not that the devil is trying to get you.

Whatever your beliefs, they are yours. Nobody can change your beliefs but you. All the facts in the world won't change them, Reality won't change them and persuasion won't change them.
Not only are you in control of your beliefs you are NOT in control of someone else's. There is nothing you can say or do to change someone else's beliefs unless they choose to change them.
Its like Love. You can love someone. They can't make you love them. It is something that comes from within you. You can't make someone love you. It must come from within them. You can demonstrate your love for another and they may love you in return but that love they feel is their decision.

while I believe in a greater something.. I believe religion and going to church is a CULT .. and I choose not to participate .

Unknowns can never be truth.
Given the vastness of the Universe and the chemical composition through-out, Aliens can be expected as a reality. Until proven, it is a hypothesis...a theory.
If aliens do exist and the growing concensus of scientific theory points in that direction. They exist in reality and no belief or dis-belief will change it.

In the 1700's the smallest thing in the world was the head of a pin, a grain of sand...It was a truth that was accepted. Now we understand the quantum world. We smash particles of atoms together and observe the shower of particles that are created. Right now, That is truth. If in the year 3000 we discover particles within those leptons, quarks and mesons that will be truth.

Until we know everything about everything in the Universe there will be no absolute truth. We have a lot of learning to accomplish before truth catches up with reality.

Reality is all around us. Our truths are a delusion. Sometimes our delusions get close to reality but there are still too many unknowns.

Thank you for answering.
You chose God over religion as I did.

You can choose not to call that greater force God. I call the Universe God. As long as you are content it doesn't really matter.

The word 'cult' is Latin for 'inhabited'.

Thus, we get the word cultivation from planting seeds (Inhabiting) in the ground.

***************************

In some CULTURES the word cult just means religion.

In English it usually used in condescension.

RustyKitty made me think about the terms of God as a defining word.

Those that do not adhere to religious dogma usually refrain from using the word God to describe that higher power that influences all reality.
They often define that higher power in more complex ways than religion has defined God.
I choose to use the 'Universe' as a synonym for the 'word' God. It is because that is the concept that I was taught and it is easier for me to relate to others about my concepts.
Using or not using the word 'God' to describe your beliefs is completely up to the individual. We should attempt to acknowledge personal references and not be judgemental about the termonology used.

For me, The description of the Universe is similar to the description I was taught for God. It makes sense to me. You can relate as to what makes sense to you but I will find my analogy so what you say will make sense to me. I am not arguing with your point, just converting it to make sense to me. Please take no offense - none was intended...

Truth is derivative of perception & beliefs....FACT isn't

Being derived from perception and beliefs truth is always SUBJECTIVE whereas fact is purely objective.

Fact is not synonym of truth.

Truth is an attempt to describe fact..& it always include perception error. [TRUTH = FACT - PERCEPTION ERROR]

In broad sense,Fact is underlying state of matter.

If aliens do really exist then it's a FACT....It's a FACT even if they don't exist.

You believe that aliens exists may be true or may be untrue too ( Your belief)......it depends on your integrity.

Your statement that 'aliens exists' is derivation of your beliefs & your perception.....it can be a TRUTH; provided( That's how TRUTH is PURELY SUBJECTIVE) some one some day proves it's proximity to underlying state of matter ( that is FACT)

What you are saying about distant working people is too untrue as it's not the assumption of truth but is the assumption based upon underlying FACTS(readily proven)....it can't be true or false, it can be right or wrong.

Thank you for responding.

I speak and write English. It is how I communicate with others with a similar education.

I think 'Tom'. I don't think English. My mind is too complex to be stuck in written or spoken language.

My 'being' is more than the written or spoken word. It is feelings and expectations, understanding and ignorance, A complex organizing process I use to cope with the realities of life and the delusions of ignorance.

"Written language" is a learned series of symbols in patterns that convey a common meaning.

"Spoken language" is a series of sounds uttered in a sequence of patterns to convey a common meaning.

"Tom" is a fundamental language that uses knowledge and interpetation to understand my enviroment, intentions and expectations. "Tom" is also the culmination of experiences with reality described as wisdom. "Tom" is also empathy. My ability to understand the intent of that around me. I have met people from all over the world. Though I was unable to converse with them about knowledge I was able to understand their intentions. I was listening in "Tom".

You communicate is your own language as well. You read body language, observe actions and emotional signals and empathise to gain understanding. You discuss knowledge using your common language but knowledge is not the only thing you gain from the encounter.

[ Regarding Comment Before Last ]

In-short, Your use of the word 'fact' is that it is a controlled variable ?

Tom... ?

In-short You believe in a Great Something that embodies the dynamic of the Universe, but You also don't oblige Yourself to any conventional ideas as to what should or shouldn't need to be done about it ?

lol, i was wondering that myself...

"Fact is not synonym of truth." when is a fact not true?

prashant01,
I understand what you are stating. Thank you for participating.

If an asteroid is in space near Jupiter that asteroid is reality.
If nobody on Earth knows of it's existence it cannot be labeled as a fact. It cannot be considered a truth until it is discovered. Until it is discovered it remains a reality but not a fact.

If you search back on the internet you can find many representations of facts that were inaccurate according to reality.

Fact: Light travels 186,000 miles per second.
Truth: The Speed of Light has been measured.
Reality: Light travels at a multitude of speeds depending upon the medium it is progressing through.
Assumption/Theory: Nothing in the Universe can go faster than the speed of light.
The assumption cannot be proven as fact until all things in reality have been measured. Until then, the unknown prohibits the statement's truth as a fact.
Fact: Neutrinos emmited from an exploding supernova have been detected to surpass the speed of photons.
That fact soes not change the fact that light travels at a determined speed. It does challenge the assumption that light is the fastest thing in the Universe.
Fact: Quantum teleportation exceeds the speed of light

50 years ago we had no idea quantum teleportation was possible. Scientists have accomplished this act in reality. Quantum teleportation is a fact, a truth and a reality.

Facts are assessments and values used to define reality as we understand it.
Truths are our attempt to make sense of reality as we see it.
Reality is reality whether we see or understand it or not.

Reality gets in the way of religion but can be embraced in God (or whatever you wish to call it).

Truth is not absolute
Facts are not absolute
Reality is absolute.
Reality never changes, only our understanding of it does.

Brace Yourself MightyMoe... !

Somebody wants to associate facts with THE ABSOLUTE CONSTANT OF TIME.

A Fact is always true but a truth is not exact description of fact...it always includes perception error....though difficult to understand,both are distinct.

I don't know...which of my statement made you think that my use of word fact is like a controlled variable....but it's TRUE that FACT is a variable. FACT isn't constant...it changes... (The only thing constant in the universe is the change)

If you thought as above due to the formula I mentioned [TRUTH = FACT - PERCEPTION ERROR] then well...let me clear that it doesn't mean that FACT is a variable. We can also put it like TRUTH = K - PERCEPTION ERROR (Where K is the FACTorial constant.)

Thank you for your question. I will do my best to convey my answer to your understanding.

For me, Life is just a state of being. Of existence.
There is nothing that needs to be done about the Universe.
Reality is going to be reality no matter what I do or don't do.

I adhere to obligations of society, family and personal integrity.
That is my choice. I too am locked into the delusion that I matter to the Universe. A delusion that is becoming more and more apparent to me as my life progresses. Understanding that I am deluded, I can find peace and contentment with the reality that surrounds me.

I see the reality of my own insignificance to the dynamic of the Universe. I also understand that my actions, thoughts, dreams and inspirations have an effct on the Universe as a whole as it attempts to understand itself thru me. The Butterfly Effect (aka Chaos) is a fundamental state of random interaction of all the components of the Universe. From an electron to a black Hole and everything in between.
My actions or inactions shape the Universe around me. My intentional obligative actions are futile to create a planned change in the state of the Universe.

I am obliged by my respect for other beings to conduct myself in a certain manner for a desired result concerning them, not concerning the Universe.

Am I obliged to conduct myself according to someone else's beliefs? No, But for those times when I do it is my choice not my obligation.

[ Regarding Comment Before Last ]

Independent and dependant variables ?

your equating half truths with facts... fact: nothing has been discovered that is faster than light...

quantum says it could be true, but not yet a fact...

but in all fairness, we are only seeing this as we know it... discoveries are being made everyday that might change everything we know...

Thanks to you too and sorry I'm not agreed to consider FACT anyway different from REALITY.

IMO Fact = Reality
and
FACT is absolute
and
FACT(REALITY) is variable ...it changes.

The only thing constant in the universe is the change.

In asteroid's example

It remains fact (reality) irrespective of it's discovery by any species.

As I said earlier...FACT is state of the matter ...as the state of matter too keeps on changing Fact / Reality too changes over period of time.

In your light travel example ....

Reality: Light travels at a multitude of speeds depending upon the medium it is progressing through. ( Speed may change over period of time considering the decay & deterioration of the light source itself)

Reality changes.
Change is real.

Perception is understanding. If you completely understand something you know everything that can be known about it. Until you know everything about everything you cannot know any fact.

REALITY = FACT - CHAOS

CHAOS being the random interaction of reality over time.

When everything is known about everything Chaos will no longer be Chaos. Chaos will be fact.
For Chaos to be fact, every interaction of every possible outcome must be known. Not only that but every POSSIBLE interaction must also be known. Then, to really complicate everything, Every IMPOSSIBLE interaction must also be known.
Until Chaos becomes Fact, Truth and Fact cannot be known. Thus:

REALITY = FACT - CHAOS