Modern first-world people seem to test things by asking, “Does this new principle conform to my preconceived notions?” If yes, they accept. If no, they reject. If this is your disposition, you can never progress beyond where you are, because you will reject all truth that is higher than what you already possess.
New truth, by definition, must be different than old truth. There is no such thing as new truth that is the same as what you now believe. If it was, you would already believe it. This clearly does not mean that everything that is different than what you currently believe is true, but it does mean that all truth higher than what you now believe will be different than what you now believe. Though only some new truth will directly contradict what you currently believe, all will be either outside of what you currently believe or contradictory to it.
The Lord taught:
36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.
37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better. (Luke 5)
Many times, old paradigms can’t support new and improved ideas. A new idea may not be as valuable in context of old ideas as it is in the context of an unrealized future. The invention of the automobile came at a time when people would have rather had a faster horse.
It might seem tempting to use the world as the standard of truth, but further consideration precludes this option. The Lord said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face.” (D&C 112:23)
We ought not reject a putative belief simply because another person or group doesn’t believe it. Similarly, it is unwise to accept a putative belief simply because someone else (a friend, a family member, a celebrity, or church leader) maintains that belief. Peer pressure is not compelling enough to maintain your own adherence during trials. Nor does something become true merely because it is repeated often. Those who are off the strait and narrow path far outnumber those who are on it. Truth always stands in the minority, and therefore will always be the exception to what is heard most often.
Most young people adopt the beliefs of their parents. We should not believe something just because we were told it by our parents. The Lord’s beliefs quickly evolved beyond what his parents believed, and he taught others to likewise be willing to leave behind what their parents believe for something better. When he encountered a woman who professed that her parents had taught her the blasphemous practice of worshipping in her home town, he taught her that true worship was different than both her traditions and the traditions of the Jews at that time (see John 4:20).
Paul taught that not all childish beliefs are appropriate to continue as an adult. He said, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11) Paul was raised to be a strict Pharisee. Gladly, he was open to an alternative truth.
There are many other profound examples of people whose righteousness exceeded that of their parents only after they were willing to believe something better might be available.
We must address our crippling incorrect judgment of putative truth: In evaluating putative truth, we use our preconceived notions of good and evil (from a lower level of truth) to judge higher levels of truth. What we value as right and good can be but dross to those with a higher understanding, and what we condemn as evil is often right to those with higher understanding (for example, Paul’s Pharisaical traditions were good enough to lead him to Christ, but had to be put aside to embrace the greater light offered to him once there). At the same time, we dismiss higher truth as “wrong,” and in so doing damn ourselves to our current level of understanding (as the Pharisees did in rejecting Jesus’ teaching that divorce should not be a ready option in marriage).
Jesus taught, “Judge not according to your traditions, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24, JST) It is not the false traditions of our fallen flesh that will teach us the truth of all things, but the Holy Ghost (see Moroni 10:5).
New truth cannot be evaluated through the lens of the current beliefs of an individual. Candidate truth can only be evaluated through the light an individual has from God.