"With respect, I'm sure the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Pagans, Native Americans, etc, etc, etc would have used the same argument for their version of a supreme being/beings/God/Gods. My Zeus can beat up your Ra can beat up your ... you get the picture."

[i] [/i] We, as humans, have limited ability to understand. Mans innate knowledge of the sprirtual has led to many variations, and some have used this as a pathway to power over their fellow man. The details of the tradition don't really matter here, only that one knows there is a higher power. That realization forms a matrix for all other actions, and informs the search for truth.

"It hasn't stood the test of time. It too is an ever changing target. After all, Jesus and his disciples wrote down scripture, the early Catholic church chose which books to use to form the basis of our modern day Bible (probably losing all sorts of relevance in translation from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to whatever language you want to read it in today). Then came the Protastent reformation and the tendrils of non-Catholic Christianity."

There are many ancient holy scriptures. For the purposes of this discussion on 'truth' I submit that it doesn't matter which one you choose. The belief in a supreme being informs the search for truth.

Let's not forget (while you're quoting Biblical scripture) that the Jews and Muslims are also folks that believe in the same God (and look where those views have lead us). And, oh yeah, every other active and not-so-active religion out there that aren't based on that particular deity.

All of the major religions have a set of beliefs and teachings that are peaceful, but those can be perverted in big ways by those in power, and little ways by others. During the Crusades, the Christian religion was used as an excuse for young disinherited French noblemen to pillage the Middle East and amass personal fortunes through war. The Knights Templar started out as 'warrior monks' but became perverted by wealth. King Philip later had them murdered and demonized over money that he owed them. Similar perversions of religion are being used now by a small group of Muslim leaders and fanatics to achieve a political goal. What is ignored in all this is the millions of quiet Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Bhuddist etc that use the ancient philosophies of their religious traditions to inform their life's decisions and teach their children about truth.

Anyway, I'm sure this'll be censored. Religious views have a way of spiraling out of control on forums and inciting all sorts of ill will.

You won't get that reaction from me; we are sitting at the campfire here and talking about an important topic. I'm a little older and I have spent a lot of time in the woods thinking about things. I would no more get angry at someone who didn't share my spiritual views than I would at a person who disagrees with my choice of shot size for grouse hunting late season. I would hope that others would be tolerant also.

The point of my post though, is you haven't really answered the original post's question (though neither have I): how to FIND truth. You can find a lot, but being spiritually in tune doesn't help one pass a multiple choice test, skip a polygraph test or come up with the laws of physics (I mean, heck, the Catholic Church's official position was that Galileo was wrong for like 300 years - not exactly a great track record!)

I believe I did answer the original post, if not in so many words. To find truth (or anything for that matter) you have to look in the right place, persist as long as you must, all the while praying for the wisdom to recognize it. Many great men and women spent their lives seeking truth, secure in their traditions and their faith that they were, indeed, looking in the right place......