Doctrine
Worldview by Scott Bushey
Worldview
if you were teaching this class, how would you define the term Worldview?
Del Tackett of Focus on the Family writes:
“A recent nationwide survey completed by the Barna Research Group determined that only 4 percent of Americans had a “biblical” worldview. When George Barna, who has researched cultural trends and the Christian Church since 1984, looked at the “born- again” believers in America, the results were a dismal 9 percent.
Barna’s survey also connected an individual’s worldview with his or her moral beliefs and actions. Barna says, “Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life.”
world·view (wûrld vy )
n. In both senses also called Weltanschauung.
1. The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world.
2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group.
Sigmund Freud describes worldview as
… an intellectual construction which solves all the problems of our existence uniformly on the basis of one overriding hypothesis, which, accordingly, leaves no question unanswered and in which everything that interests us finds its fixed place.
Simply put, a worldview is how we define reality and make sense out of the things of this life.
Greg Bahnsen writes in regards to Worldview:
“A worldview is a network of presuppositions that are not tested by natural science and in terms of which all experience is related and interpreted.”
There are many things to consider when we speak of worldview; for instance, to you it may seem like an opinion, but bound up in that idea is:
1. Axiology-Personal beliefs about the nature of value; such as what is right and wrong.
2. Metaphysics- Personal beliefs on the nature of reality.
3. Epistemology-personal beliefs about nature and where knowledge comes from.
4. Teleology- Personal beliefs about the meaning and purpose of the universe and its inhabitants.
5. Theology- Personal beliefs about the existence of God.
6. Anthropology- personal beliefs about the nature of your individual purpose and mankind’s purpose.
7. Cosmology-Your beliefs about the origins and nature of the universe, life, and mankind.
Of course, we wont delve into the finer points as this paper is not intended to go that way, per se. However, if in fact God leads you, you will end up digging into these items as you study and I am sure, to Gods glory.
Think of a worldview as a computer operating system. Example: You cannot run Apple/Macintosh programs on a Windows operating system. The program dictates how the computer thinks. It allows for only specific applications that are relevant and compatible with the specific operating system; the programs do not change either, but how we think they run will depend on which operating system we believe is correct. This as well, our idea which operating system is superior, is a presupposition. Apple ads are highly aggressive. They are innovative. They appeal to most people. In the same way, the way we think has much to do with the way our minds are programmed. Get it?
Since God has created mankind with intelligence, all of us have a worldview. The atheist has a worldview; the Buddhist and agnostic. It is important to note that at the crux of one’s worldview will be foundational information. All worldviews are based on a large lens we all use to evaluate and understand life. This lens works along with our intelligence to filter out all the things that are flowing against our worldview. All worldviews are based on presuppositions, paradigms, and frames of reference and of course, belief systems.
Our present worldview has been manufactured by: By our parents, television, the internet, reading material, friends, our teachers, and actual experiences. This is why it is important for believers to understand how detrimental public school can be as their worldview is not the same as ours.
*Credit for above cartoon: http://adam4d.com/atheist-garage/
Our worldview will always determine how to solve problems, defines our goals, morality, the value of things, creation, if there is a God or higher power and how we should live.
Hence, a biblical worldview is founded in God, His word and His Son Christ Jesus. Everything we do flows out of this epicenter.
Examples: 6 day creation, God created the first man and woman out of the dirt of the ground, the fall was real and based on that fall, all men are sinners and perishing. We have the 10 commandments. The ark was real. The Flood was real. Christ came to save sinner and all that repent, believe, accept and receive can be saved. Hell is a literal place and the unrepentant will go there for eternity.
let’s contrast that with the atheist; he does not believe there is a God. Since there is not standard of atheism other than a denial of God, it is hard to pin down all atheists to the same set of standards; most define their atheism based on personal ideas of morality. This morality, they say, is independent of God and the church. They pick and choose things that they see fit. We know this is false based on the fact that all men, as we gather information as we age, come from some source. Here in America, everyone knows the difference from good and evil, based on our civil laws. Their morality is at least founded there. This is a presupposition. None of us avoid that, even the Christian.
How would you define presupposition?
Presuppositions are basic beliefs, foundational beliefs, that justify how we engage in thought. This happen at the genetic level; all mankind is made in the image of God. In that image, is information. Example: All men know the difference between good and evil. We can blame Adam for this gift:
Gen. 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:
One might say that our language is a presupposition.
The two most prominent worldview categories would be the biblical worldview and the secular. The secular worldview is the antithesis to the biblical worldview. They are at odds. Everyone falls under one of these categories.
Lets look at the different Worldviews:
Naturalism: f you don’t believe in anything supernatural – gods, ghosts, immaterial souls and spirits – then you subscribe to naturalism, the idea that nature is all there is. The reason you’re a naturalist is likely that, wanting not to be deceived, you put stock in empirical, evidence-based ways of justifying beliefs about what’s real, as for instance exemplified by science. You probably (and rightly) hold that such beliefs are usually more reliable and more objective than those based in uncorroborated intuition, revelation, religious authority or sacred texts. Kept honest by philosophy and critical thinking, science reveals a single manifold of existence, what we call nature, containing an untold myriad of interconnected phenomena, from quarks to quasars. Nature is simply what we have good reason to believe exists.
Existentialism: a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individualexistence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad
Agnosticism; ag·nos·tic
noun \ag-ˈnäs-tik, əg-\
1: a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably UNKNOWABLE; broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the NONEXISTENCE of God or a god
Atheism; a : a disbelief in the existence of deity
b : the doctrine that there is no deity
Pantheism: a doctrine that equates God with the forces and laws of the universe
2: the worship of all gods of different creeds, cults, or peoples indifferently; also : toleration of worship of all gods (as at certain periods of the Roman empire)
Examples of Pantheists:
Hinduism; Taoism; Buddhism
New Age
Consciousness: Transcendental Meditation
The spiritual realm is reality. The material is the matrix. Brahman is the immutable reality outside of the material; Brahman means ‘the great cosmic spirit’. It is beyond description. Everything flows in and out of Brahman. It is the epicenter. How can the material describe or understand the spiritual? Man is one w/ Brahman as everything flows out of Brahman. Individualism goes against Brahman and to think one is an individual is an illusion. Truth is beyond comprehension. There is no real good or evil; you are either enlightened (good) or unenlightened (evil).
Theism
Christianity;
Islam; Judaism
Since we are Christians, we should know this stuff.
Naturalism: : action, inclination, or thought based only on natural desires and instincts
2: a theory denying that an event or object has a supernatural significance; specifically : the doctrine that scientific laws are adequate to account for all phenomena
3: realism in art or literature; specifically : a theory or practice in literature emphasizing scientific observation of life without idealization and often including elements of determinism
Example: Greenpeace
One prominent theologian writes of the naturalists:
Naturalism is the view that every law and every force operating in the universe is natural rather than moral, spiritual, or supernatural. Naturalism is inherently anti-theistic, rejecting the very concept of a personal God. Many assume naturalism therefore has nothing to do with religion. In fact, it is a common misconception that naturalism embodies the very essence of scientific objectivity. Naturalists themselves like to portray their system as a philosophy that stands in opposition to all faith-based world-views, pretending that it is scientifically and intellectually superior precisely because of its supposed non-religious character.”
When I was out in California back in 1999, at the time, there was this young hippy gal by the name of Julia ‘Butterfly’ Hill. She lived in this redwood tree for 738 days.
Julia Lorraine Hill (known as Julia “Butterfly” Hill, born February 18, 1974) is an American activist and environmentalist. Hill is best known for living in a 180-foot (55 m)-tall, roughly 1500-year-old California Redwood tree (age based on first-hand ring count of a slightly smaller neighboring ancient redwood that had been cut down) for 738 days between December 10, 1997 and December 18, 1999. Hill lived in the tree, affectionately known as “Luna,” to prevent loggers of the Pacific Lumber Company from cutting it down. She is the author of the book The Legacy of Luna and co-author of One Makes the Difference. She is a vegan.[1]
~Taken from Wikipedia
I bet you any amount of money that this gal is pro-choice!
Nature and her freedom are her gods……
The material world is at the crux of this view; no such thing as a spiritual realm; men are flesh. Man was a result of chance evolution. Truth is based in science and mathematics. Everything in this view is based on sensory assessments. No foundations for morality. Generally it is based on individual definitions of morality; ever-changing and morphing.
John MacArthur writes: “Evolution is simply the latest means our fallen race has devised in order to suppress our innate knowledge and the biblical testimony that there is a God and that we are accountable to Him (cf. Romans 1:28). By embracing evolution, modern society aims to do away with morality, responsibility, and guilt. Society has embraced evolution with such enthusiasm because people imagine that it eliminates the Judge and leaves them free to do whatever they want without guilt and without consequences.”
Have you ever noticed that scientists have never discovered the missing link? There has never been an ‘in-between’ found.
Postmodernism; : of, relating to, or being an era after a modern one<postmodern times> <a postmodern metropolis>
a : of, relating to, or being any of various movements in reaction to modernism that are typically characterized by a return to traditional materials and forms (as in architecture) or by ironic self-reference and absurdity (as in literature)
b : of, relating to, or being a theory that involves a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, identity,history, or language
Example: feminism
Does everyone remember the feminist movement that happened in the late 60’s? One of the most prominent proponents of that movement was Gloria Steinem. Here’s what Wikipedia says about her:
Gloria Marie Steinem (born March 25, 1934) is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women’s liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s. A prominent writer and political figure, Steinem has founded many organizations and projects and has been the recipient of many awards and honors. She was a columnist for New York magazine and co-founded Ms. magazine. In 1969, she published an article, “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation”,[2] which, along with her early support of abortion rights, catapulted her to national fame as a feminist leader.
After conducting a series of celebrity interviews, Steinem eventually got a political assignment covering George McGovern‘s presidential campaign. In 1969, she published an article, “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation”[28] which, along with her early support of abortion rights, catapulted her to national fame as a feminist leader. Steinem brought other notable feminists to the fore and toured the country with lawyer Florynce Rae “Flo” Kennedy, child-welfare pioneer Dorothy Pitman Hughes, and National Black Feminist Organization founder Margaret Sloan-Hunter.[29] In 1970 Gloria Steinem established herself as a leader of the Women’s Movement with her impassioned Senate testimony in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment and her essay on a utopia of equality, “What It Would Be Like If Women Win”, in Time magazine. While Steinem would clash with both the older generation of women’s rights leaders, most prominently Betty Friedan, as well as the younger, more militant Women’s Liberation activists, she would gain a large, diverse, and multi-partisan following and become, alongside Friedan, the Women’s Rights Movement’s most prominent and influential spokesperson and leader. In 1970 she led the New York City march of the nation-wide Women’s Strike for Equality alongside Friedan and then-Congressional candidate Bella Abzug. By then an icon of the Feminist Movement, Steinem frequently appeared on news shows, television talk shows and specials, and on the covers of newspapers and magazines such as Newsweek, Time, McCall’s, People, New Woman, Ms., and Parade. In the early 1970s, with Canadian broadcaster Patrick Watson, she co-hosted a celebrity interview series, Face To Face To Face on the newly founded Global Television Network in Canada.
On July 10, 1971, Steinem, along with other feminist leaders (including Betty Friedan, Fannie Lou Hamer, Myrlie Evers, and several U.S. Representatives, including Shirley Chisholm and Bella Abzug) founded the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC). An influential co-convener of the Caucus, she delivered her memorable “Address to the Women of America“:
Steinam writes: “This is no simple reform. It really is a revolution. Sex and race because they are easy and visible differences have been the primary ways of organizing human beings into superior and inferior groups and into the cheap labor on which this system still depends. We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism.”
In my opinion, this was the beginning of the present age downward spiral; ever since our country submitted to feminism, which is a form of humanism, we have slipped on that slope and have not been able to gain a proper foothold. Notice how there are more abortions than ever today. The homosexuals have gained ground in that even now, many states are allowing for same sex marriage. The next to come will be the pedophiles demanding their rights based on their numbers. This is exactly how all contra-biblical groups begin; since America must be tolerant, they change and allow for all sorts of aberrant stuff in lieu of catching heat. Two years ago in the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, it was estimated that there are approximately 3% of pedophiles in the world. Please do not misunderstand me here when I align feminism with aberrant groups. I am not saying that the woman does not deserve her civil rights, I do. Any man that is saved in Christ, lifts up women to their rightful place God commands. Feminism is a aberration of Gods plan and sinful.
The Los Angeles TImes published an article in Jan 2013 that stated:
“Like many forms of sexual deviance, pedophilia once was thought to stem from psychological influences early in life. Now, many experts view it as a sexual orientation as immutable as heterosexuality or homosexuality. It is a deep-rooted predisposition — limited almost entirely to men — that becomes clear during puberty and does not change.
The best estimates are that between 1% and 5% of men are pedophiles, meaning that they have a dominant attraction to prepubescent children.”
I promise you, 30 years from now, the pedophiles will demand and have as much rights as the homosexuals demand.
Reality is a construct of the present day often interpreted through language and culture. Humans are just part of the bigger picture. There is no autonomy and freedom per se. Truth is solely presuppositional generated by cultures. The same can be said of values.
Spiritism and Polytheism: : the view that spirit is a prime element of reality
a : a belief that spirits of the dead communicate with the living usually through a medium
b capitalized : a movement comprising religious organizations emphasizing spiritualism
Polytheism: Many Gods to be worshipped.
Example: Hinduism
Thousands of
Religions
The spirit realm is real and that realm of spirits governs all that goes on. There are innumerable spirits and innumerable gods. Many material things have spirits in them, i.e. Totem Poles, Asherah poles. Man is a created being of these spirits. Men pick and choose, based on possibly dreams, visions or events which spirit is their god. Truth is conveyed through this god in like manner. Morality are those things which anger this god.
Humanism: Possibly the worst kind of worldview; surely the most prevalent here in this country outside of theism. It is insidious because it is subtle. It is taught in our classrooms. It is the go to guy for all those who hate God. The government endorses it as it looks innocent and does not discriminate.
This started formally back in 1933 by a man named Raymond Bragg: It was formally in a document called “Humanist Manifesto 1”
Humanist Manifesto I
The Manifesto is a product of many minds. It was designed to represent a developing point of view, not a new creed. The individuals whose signatures appear would, had they been writing individual statements, have stated the propositions in differing terms. The importance of the document is that more than thirty men have come to general agreement on matters of final concern and that these men are undoubtedly representative of a large number who are forging a new philosophy out of the materials of the modern world.
– Raymond B. Bragg (1933)
“The time has come for widespread recognition of the radical changes in religious beliefs throughout the modern world. The time is past for mere revision of traditional attitudes. Science and economic change have disrupted the old beliefs. Religions the world over are under the necessity of coming to terms with new conditions created by a vastly increased knowledge and experience. In every field of human activity, the vital movement is now in the direction of a candid and explicit humanism. In order that religious humanism may be better understood we, the undersigned, desire to make certain affirmations which we believe the facts of our contemporary life demonstrate.
There is great danger of a final, and we believe fatal, identification of the word religion with doctrines and methods which have lost their significance and which are powerless to solve the problem of human living in the Twentieth Century. Religions have always been means for realizing the highest values of life. Their end has been accomplished through the interpretation of the total environing situation (theology or world view), the sense of values resulting therefrom (goal or ideal), and the technique (cult), established for realizing the satisfactory life. A change in any of these factors results in alteration of the outward forms of religion. This fact explains the changefulness of religions through the centuries. But through all changes religion itself remains constant in its quest for abiding values, an inseparable feature of human life.
Today man’s larger understanding of the universe, his scientific achievements, and deeper appreciation of brotherhood, have created a situation which requires a new statement of the means and purposes of religion. Such a vital, fearless, and frank religion capable of furnishing adequate social goals and personal satisfactions may appear to many people as a complete break with the past. While this age does owe a vast debt to the traditional religions, it is none the less obvious that any religion that can hope to be a synthesizing and dynamic force for today must be shaped for the needs of this age. To establish such a religion is a major necessity of the present. It is a responsibility which rests upon this generation. We therefore affirm the following:
FIRST: Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created.
SECOND: Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process.
THIRD: Holding an organic view of life, humanists find that the traditional dualism of mind and body must be rejected.
FOURTH: Humanism recognizes that man’s religious culture and civilization, as clearly depicted by anthropology and history, are the product of a gradual development due to his interaction with his natural environment and with his social heritage. The individual born into a particular culture is largely molded by that culture.
FIFTH: Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values. Obviously humanism does not deny the possibility of realities as yet undiscovered, but it does insist that the way to determine the existence and value of any and all realities is by means of intelligent inquiry and by the assessment of their relations to human needs. Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in the light of the scientific spirit and method.
SIXTH: We are convinced that the time has passed for theism, deism, modernism, and the several varieties of “new thought”.
SEVENTH: Religion consists of those actions, purposes, and experiences which are humanly significant. Nothing human is alien to the religious. It includes labor, art, science, philosophy, love, friendship, recreation–all that is in its degree expressive of intelligently satisfying human living. The distinction between the sacred and the secular can no longer be maintained.
EIGHTH: Religious Humanism considers the complete realization of human personality to be the end of man’s life and seeks its development and fulfillment in the here and now. This is the explanation of the humanist’s social passion.
NINTH: In the place of the old attitudes involved in worship and prayer the humanist finds his religious emotions expressed in a heightened sense of personal life and in a cooperative effort to promote social well-being.
TENTH: It follows that there will be no uniquely religious emotions and attitudes of the kind hitherto associated with belief in the supernatural.
ELEVENTH: Man will learn to face the crises of life in terms of his knowledge of their naturalness and probability. Reasonable and manly attitudes will be fostered by education and supported by custom. We assume that humanism will take the path of social and mental hygiene and discourage sentimental and unreal hopes and wishful thinking.
TWELFTH: Believing that religion must work increasingly for joy in living, religious humanists aim to foster the creative in man and to encourage achievements that add to the satisfactions of life.
THIRTEENTH: Religious humanism maintains that all associations and institutions exist for the fulfillment of human life. The intelligent evaluation, transformation, control, and direction of such associations and institutions with a view to the enhancement of human life is the purpose and program of humanism. Certainly religious institutions, their ritualistic forms, ecclesiastical methods, and communal activities must be reconstituted as rapidly as experience allows, in order to function effectively in the modern world.
FOURTEENTH: The humanists are firmly convinced that existing acquisitive and profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate and that a radical change in methods, controls, and motives must be instituted. A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established to the end that the equitable distribution of the means of life be possible. The goal of humanism is a free and universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently cooperate for the common good. Humanists demand a shared life in a shared world.
FIFTEENTH AND LAST: We assert that humanism will: (a) affirm life rather than deny it; (b) seek to elicit the possibilities of life, not flee from them; and (c) endeavor to establish the conditions of a satisfactory life for all, not merely for the few. By this positive morale and intention humanism will be guided, and from this perspective and alignment the techniques and efforts of humanism will flow.
So stand the theses of religious humanism. Though we consider the religious forms and ideas of our fathers no longer adequate, the quest for the good life is still the central task for mankind. Man is at last becoming aware that he alone is responsible for the realization of the world of his dreams, that he has within himself the power for its achievement. He must set intelligence and will to the task.”
Of the signatories is a man by the name of John Dewey; He has done extensive work and influence in establishing the atheistic Humanist philosophy of pubic school teaching. He is often referred to as the ‘father’ of present day public school education.
Bertram Collins writes:
“The present day system’s pulpit is the classroom desk and the teacher is the pastor. Humanists believe man is hopelessly adrift without a creator, without divine purpose, without any providence. Humanists reject all religious, ideological or any moral code that infringes on personal freedoms. The humanist believes that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual conduct. Is it any wonder that the sex education that the public school system provides leads to sexual promiscuity’.
Humanism is a form of communism; it is Marxism at the core. Karl Marx said:
“Humanism is the denial of God and the total affirmation of man. Humanism is nothing more than Marxism”.
In 1983, The American Humanist Association made a statement that says it all:
“I am convinced that the battle for humankinds future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly view their role as a proselytizer of a new faith”
And
The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new; the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all it’s adjacent evils and misery and the new faith of Humanism”.
You see how they view Humanism and how they view Christianity. They are God haters. They suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
The goal of Humanism is to destroy allegiance to god, family values and destroy any allegiance to nation.
Hitler and Nazi Germany was famous for this concept; they understood that to get to the tree, go to the root; hence that’s exactly what they did. The indoctrinated the German youth in the educational system.
“no boy or girl should leave school without complete knowledge of the necessity and meaning of blood purity.”
*Credit for Worldview flowsheet from: Cameron Blair
“To bring back truth, on a practical level, the church must encourage Christians to be not merely consumers of culture but makers of culture. The church needs to cultivate Christian artists, musicians, novelists, filmmakers, journalists, attorneys, teachers, scientists, business executives, and the like, teaching its laypeople the sense in which every secular vocation-including, above all, the callings of husband, wife, and parent–is a sphere of Christian ministry, a way of serving God and neighbor that is grounded in God’s truth. Christian laypeople must be encouraged to be leaders in their fields, rather than eager-to-please followers, working from the assumptions of their biblical worldview, not the vapid clichés of pop culture.”
― J. Gresham Machen