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Relativism:

Relativism is the belief that all philosophies have validity and are equal.  It is referenced in many books such as, Jesus Drives Me Crazy by Leonard Sweet. The philosophy is regarded as influenced by Physics' discoveries such as Einstein's Theory of Relativity.  Because discoveries in science have tended to influence the direction of society, an explanation of the theory is essential.

Einstein did not say that all reference frames are equal. He did not say that there was no absolute. He said that time and distance vary depending on how fast the reference frame is travelling. 

The absolute in the theory of Relativity is the speed of light, approximately c = 3 x 10 ⁸ meters per second. No matter how fast the person in the reference frame is going (direction does not matter), measure the speed of light in space and the speed of light would remain c = 3 x 10⁸ m/s. This is an anomaly in Physics and cannot be explained (much like God cannot be explained.) Physicists believe that its constancy is evidence of interaction with a higher dimension.

Only because of the absolute value of the speed of light can physicists understand one reference frame to another. They use what is referred to as a factor of gamma.

The factor looks like the following:

Velocity of the reference frame is represented as v.  When v approaches 0, the fraction goes to 0 and gamma goes to one. In everyday, visible activities, we don't need to use the relativistic equations because multiplying by one does not change anything.  However, if the velocity is ½ that of light, or v = .5 c then the factor adds value to the expression and must be included for accuracy.

Culture in the postmodern era finds itself heavily influenced by relativism. If we allow Relativity to influence us, let us be influenced by its truth. The truth of relativity is us that we need some way to understand one another's reference frames. For me the factor of gamma is Jesus Christ, the light of God. Only through Christ can I understand other people, not through my own eyes or understanding, but through his wisdom and guidance. If I gain an understanding of how others see, I gain a fuller understanding of the ideal.

The more we share our own vision and understanding with each other, the better holistic view we develop. Understanding other's points of view gives us the broader picture. Until we are in eternity and see the face of God, we will never have the whole truth. Science knows it can never know the whole truth.

Lori Tsutsui: lori.tsutsui@gmail.com