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This understanding of truth cannot be limited to a conception of truth as a relationship between words or between ideas and things (though words, ideas, and mental images may evoke the quality of truth whereby self-consciousness responds appropriately to what-is). Such an object, called God, the Dharma, the Dao, tathat ā ("thusness"), or nirv ā ṇa, is not a conventional object in a subject-object relationship, but the original source, the nature, or quality of all conventional objects as they really are. The object of religious knowing is not simply information about another thing or person it is recognition of the deepest reality or resource for fulfillment of life. In knowing the truth a person becomes authentic because he or she places his or her self-consciousness in a comprehensive context of what-is. Inherent in religious truth is the recognition that a person who knows, manifests, or orients his or her life to ultimate reality is achieving ultimate transformation -for example, being saved or attaining complete liberation. As a general concept, religious truth can be defined as the knowledge and expression of what-is for the purpose of achieving the greatest well-being possible (i.e., salvation, absolute freedom, or total harmony). In an attempt to understand the character and variation of the existential engagement with truth in different religious traditions, we can recognize three aspects of truth: (1) the character of accurate knowing, (2) the nature of the reality known, and (3) the formation of value as the power to actualize this reality in authentic living. Human life is characterized by the need to distinguish between what is real and unreal, powerful and powerless, genuine and deceptive, pure and contaminated, clear and confused, as well as relative degrees of one extreme or the other.

Truth emerges out of the basic human experience of valuation (both as assessment and appreciation) as a necessity for human survival and well-being. The concept of religious truth expresses various aspects of human experience: reality that is permanent, immeasurable, unconcealed, effective, powerful personal character that is sincere, good, genuine, valuable and knowledge that is certain, accurate, pure, clear, and convincing.