Truth without love is dead. . . cold. . . even harsh!

Love without truth is blind . . . delusional attachment.

Truth makes us free (Jn. 8:32) to see our biases and attachments and thus choose love as the greatest good. This honesty with self isn't easy, of course, but God's peace moves in more deeply when we do so.

Real love rejoices in the truth (1 Cor. 13:6), without which there can be no true rejoicing.

Still, when love is awakened in truth, then "love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails (1 Cor. 13:6-7)."

Love is its own reward.

So "let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves (1 Jn 3:18-20, Message translation)."

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All world religions reveal something of God, and God is present and acting in them, and outside of religions as well. Nevertheless, it does not follow that religion is unimportant, nor that one can do as well on one's own as by belonging to a community of religious believers.

Of all the religious leaders in all the religions of the world, only one is claimed to have been raised from the dead, body and soul. That person is Jesus of Nazareth, and it is because of his resurrection that Christians affirm that "Jesus is Lord," God-incarnate, in whose Person a new kind of connection between God and humanity (indeed, the cosmos) is being effected. That, too, is distinctive among the religions of the world.

Jesus identified himself with Truth (Jn 14:6), so all truth (scientific, philosophical, etc.) belongs to him . . . leads to him . . . abides in him. If you ever have to choose between some idea of Christ and what is demonstrably true, choose truth, for it is likely that your image of Christ is wrong. That often happens.

The Truth that is the Christ also shows us how love acts. For those who believe Jesus is God-incarnate, this example is foundational to our own understanding of truth, and, indeed, becomes our own experience of reality, thanks to the Holy Spirit of truth and love that he shares with us.

Not all ideas about truth and love are congruent with what has been revealed by Christ. If we are truly asking, searching for guidance in sorting things out, the Holy Spirit will lead us -- perhaps to a book, a person, or by awakening an insight.

The Church is meant to be the place where Christ's spirit is most intensely active and present to the world, continuing to manifest the truth and love of Christ. Often, however, its witness is distorted, usually because it has lost proper alignment with truth, with biases that restrict the flow of love. Every Christian church has some of this; the church itself is on its own journey to a deeper grasp of truth and love. This is no reason to stay away from belonging to a church, however.

"By their fruits shall you know them (Mt 7:16)."
These fruits of the Spirit in the lives of individuals and Christian communities are "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23)."
Look for a community where these fruits of the Spirit are manifest, but know that it will never be perfect anywhere in this world.