Worldview & you (09/15/24) | “the way” series SY24 @ PUNLA CoffeeTable

Episode 24S36 Worldview & You ( 09/15/2024 written by Dr. Kip Wehrman)

We are going to be discussing Worldview.  But before I define what that is.  Let’s review your homework which was 1 John 3:7-24

Many Christians ask themselves this question.  What does Jesus want me to do.  The simple answer is do what is right in the sight of God.  When we are reborn into God’s family as Christians, we must work to change our behavioir.  Its not instant. It is a life long pursuit.  We must change our wants and desires to align with what Jesus wants and desires.  And when we do this we can live better more statifiying lives. But how. How do we do this.

1 John 3:18 (NIV) ¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

I love this verse.  In fact if you see us in the Philippines our T-shirts have this verse on the back.  Don’t just talk about it but instead show God’s love through you actions, rooted in the truth of Jesus.  Amen.  We focus on trying to do what Jesus wants us to do. And when we fail because all of us fail sometimes.  We ask God to forgive us.  We ask the people we may have hurt to forgives.  We face the consequences for our actions. Then we try to do better.  We intend to do better.  Doing things the way Jesus wants.  This will always require us to love.  Love others the way Jesus loves them.  And we do this by service.  We help those that need help.  We do it in our actions and our words always focused on the truth of what Jesus wants us to do.  Amen.

Let’s Pray

Today we are talking about worldview.  I think you will understand what this is after I define it but before I do that.

I want to share the ancient Indian fable of the six blind men and the elephant.  Now this is the Kip-version, so if you have heard it before bear with me.  The story goes, six blind men happened upon an elephant. None of them had ever seen or heard of an elephant.

A third man standing near the side, reached out and touched the elephant’s side.  He declared, NO, it’s like a wall.

Yet another man standing near the head, reached out and grabbed the trunk.  He proclaimed loudly, NO, it’s like a snake.

Another man standing near a leg, embraced the leg.  He said, NO, it’s like a great tree.

Another man reached out and touched an ear.  He proclaimed you fools it’s like a Fan,

All described accurately what they knew. 

This fable ends this way. “and so, these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion.  Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right And all were in the wrong!”

Do you understand?

This old fable demonstrates that we can’t always see the whole picture.  We can be partially right but also fully wrong.  Only a complete perspective is truly true.  This is the idea of seeing the tree but missing the forest.

Most worldviews are describing what the person perceives as right or wrong.  It is the way the person sees the world and how they act in the world.

What is it and why it is very important to clearly define your worldview.   Simply put your worldview is how we process the world around us.  It is a comprehensive collection of attitudes, values, and expectations about the world around us.  It’s how we live and interact with others.

The rules, ethics, and morals which shape our decisions and attitudes about everything.  Sadly, most people have a constantly changing worldview.

Believe it or not this is a question many struggle with but it is how we form our beliefs.  Our beliefs or what we believe are firmly mounted on the foundation which is our worldview. Next, is what is good?  Once we determine how we formulate truth, then we form our values or morals.  Our values, morals, and ethics are built on our perception of what is true, our beliefs.  And the foundation of this is our worldview.  Last once we have formulated our beliefs, they ultimately determine what we do or  our behavior in the world.  So, I hope you can see the importance of not only defining our worldview but we need to systematically formulate the basis for our worldview so it is not shifting constantly.  The structure of our lives is built on it, our beliefs, values, and ultimately our behavior.  But like most things in life, if our foundation is shaky, then everything else will fall apart.

These are some of the Worldviews we encounter.  There are others of course but for today let’s look at these six major categories of worldviews.  Monotheism, Deism, Naturalism, Nihilism, Existentialism, and pantheism.  I’m not going to address polytheism or any specific religion in this discussion.

But since we are monotheistic.  Let’s just quickly highlight the main differences between the world’s three major monotheistic religions.  Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  Now believe it or not there are others but we would need a lot longer to touch on every group.  Judaism follows God’s revelation in the Pentateuch from Moses and the prophets.  What we call the Old testament or the Hebrew Bible.  There hope is a Messiah yet to come.  Islam which is primarily based on the writings in the Qur’an.  They need to follow the rules to reach paradise and Jesus is not God and did not die for sins. 

(bible).  Christians.  Messiah is Jesus.  Christ came and died for us, to pay the penalty for our sin. 

Naturalism (Rock).  or you can call it Materialism.  Matter is all that there is and it can only be understood by science.  Effectively you and I are no better or different than this rock.  Just matter, spinning in space.  These are atheist primarily.

Deism.  (Clock) God created everything orderly so it operates on its own.  This is an impersonal God, the watchmaker concept   The universe is like this clock.  God made it and wound it up and it just goes. You often hear the term agnostic.

Nihilism. (Balloon, pop it).  Nothing.  Truth, values, consciousness should be questioned.  It is like this. Just like the contents of this balloon. Nothing. (philosopher types)

Existentialism (leftover balloon).  .  Life has no meaning. Significance is only what we decide it is It’s kind of like these balloon pieces.  Now that it popped, it’s meaningless.  It has no purpose or meaning. (Augustinians,  subset of other religions)

Pantheism.  Everything that exists is god (spirit).  Matter is an illusion.  This is kind of like the Star Wars movie, “the force”. (Hindus, Buddhism, Tao, etc)

Here is a quick version of our Christian worldview

#1 What is real?  God Created Everything.  Genesis chapter 1.  Now I’m not going to get into the debate over old earth or young earth.  The Bible says God created everything.  It’s not explicit how or time, so let’s focus on the main thing.  What is Real?  God is real and God created everything.

#2Who am I?  I am made in image of God for Relationship.  God made each and every one of us.  We are all beautifully and wonderfully made according to Psalm 139.  God loves us and was willing to die for us, so we could have a relationship with him.  Be called children of the living God.  Now I know many will challenge us about being exclusive.  And yes we do believe God is exclusive.  But anyone can choose to follow God, it is only limited by our choice.

#3Where did I come from? God Created Everything.  We are made in the image of God Genesis 1:27. 

#4Why am I here?  To love God & Love others.  Jesus told us our purpose.  To love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength (Mark 12:30-31)  But we love God by loving other people the way God wants them loved, the way Jesus loves them which is what Jesus said in John13:34-35.

#5Right & Wrong?  God’s word defines Truth.  Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father except through me. (John 14:6)  God defines right and wrong.  Jesus is the truth because whatever He says is the truth.  He defines it.

#6Death? Soul is eternal  We have to choose in this life.  Jesus or not Jesus.  No grey areas, no other options.  It is heaven or hell..  Forever in the presence of Jesus or forever without the goodness of God.  Hebrews 9:27 says, People die once. After that , God will judge them) And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment.   There is only one way and that is Jesus.

#7Mind or Consciousness? God created us for relationship with Him.  We believe God created us in His image.  That includes our emotions, mind, thoughts, etc.  We are aware of things we cannot see, feel, smell, taste or touch.  We can reason and understand logical arguments,  We can make choices that are not supported by our five senses. 

#8History? We can trust what God has said in the Bible.  As Christians, we believe in history.  We believe we can learn from the past.  We believe there was a beginning and there will be an end to this world as it is.  Eventually, God will be done waiting and all the little kingdoms of this world will be wiped away.

Now I know that was really fast.  Most seminaries teach semester classes just on the Christian worldview.  So, there is a lot more we could say but time does not allow it. We will address these more later in our series.

One of my favorite authors, NT Wright, describes worldview like a set of glass or spectacles as he would say it.  He is a proper English gentleman after all.  He would say our worldview is the spectacles through which we see world.  How we see the world ultimately determines how we behave in this world.  He also says, from time to time we need to remove those glasses clean them and adjust the lessons so we can see the world more clearly.

We will test each worldview using part of my ARROW methodology.  This is the Application or livability test. Can you or do you Live like this View is True.  Can an Application of the View be seen in the Life of Holder.

Are you ready to look at how these different worldviews actually answer these worldview questions?

Reality  What is real?

Monotheism says God exists. God Created & is involved with all things, both material & spiritual.  Reality can be observed in nature & religious writings.  This is generally true for all three major monotheisms  Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.  And I’m not going to specifically differentiate between the three until the end but think about how they are the same and different as we go through these questions.

Deism says God exists. God Created the orderly universe but is not involved with it or in it.  God is either unable to affect what goes on in the universe or God is uninterested.  God simply does not care about the universe or how it works or what people do in it.  Remember this is like the watchmaker universe model.  God got everything going, now it is one its own.  No further interference from God.

Naturalism or something like the atheistic materialism.  Only Matter Exists. Matter can be understood with certainty by the Scientific Method.  Or we can put it this way. Everything can be understood or explained by natural means.  Natural reasons.  Nature, the world, the cosmos is only matter and energy.  No spiritual realm.

Nihilism Nothing can be known for certain.  This worldview is very hard to understand because it doesn’t explain anything.  If only denies we can know anything.  Which seems like they know that, so I’m confused if they know this for certain or don’t know it for certain.

Existentialism The cosmos exists but is ultimately meaningless.  Individuals must find their own meaning.  This is another of the worldview which is very hard to understand because whatever you think you know does not matter.  It’s just meaningless.  Purpose is defined by opinion which changes with every shifting tide of culture and emotion.

Pantheism Pan means “all or everything” and Theos means “god”.  Everything is god. Matter is an illusion.  I know this has been on the rise in the western world.  Okay, if matter is an illusion, then if someone hits you with a stick, why does it hurt.  Most of these are hard to live out in our lives.

Let’s look at a summary of how each answered the what is reality question.  Monotheism says reality is created by God and for God. 

Deism God made everything but the ultimate reality is reason or our ability to navigate an orderly universe. 

Naturalism reality is matter only.  Matter is all there is.  No spiritual realm. Some even deny we have a consciousness beyond the chemistry and physics of our minds.

Nihilism says nothing. Everything is nothing. Nothing. Nothing nothing.  So why do they say anything if everything is nothing?

Existentialism says reality is meaningless.  We have to make our own meaning out of the meaninglessness in order to understand that it is meaningless.  Are you confused yet.  So, why do they share this opinion if it’s so meaningless.  Do they get meaning from saying it is meaningless?

And pantheism is all about spirit.  Everything is spirit or life force or karma.  Modern Sci-Fi movies love this world view.  This is Star Wars “the force” or Avatar movie Eywa.  These everything is part of everything.  And effectively everything is god.

Now let’s apply the livability test.  Well for the most part, each of these beliefs can be lived in at least some sense.

Any Questions?

What about Self.  Who am I?

Monotheism says Humans are made in the image of God.  Humans are flawed and in need of redemption.

Deism says Humans are just a natural part of the created universe. Humans are as they are meant to be. Humans are not special.

Naturalism. Humans are highly developed, self-conscious and reasonable animals.  But just animals like any other life form.  Nothing special.

Nihilism Humans have no lasting identity. Any applied identity should be rejected.

Existentialism Humans identify themselves individually and subjectively.

Pantheism. Humans’ souls are part of the “Big Soul” of the universe.  Oneness with the universe is achievable through meditation..

What about the livability.  Deism just part of nature. I guess you can live that out.  Monotheism. God’s creation. Definitely livable.  Naturalism. Just a biological machine. _  I don’t think anyone actually lives this out.  Nihilism. No one or nothing. _  Obviously no one lives this way truly.  Existentialism.  I get to decide.  Well sadly many try to live this way. And pantheism a small soul. _  It’s pretty hard for a prideful, selfish creature like us to truly live this out.  Those that try are actually not doing it because they are trying so hard.

______

What about values or morals.  What is right and what is wrong?

Monotheism says God has given humans a conscience to know right from wrong.

Deism says Humans find the self-evident rights and wrongs by reason and free inquiry.

Naturalism. There are no ethical absolutes. Social group consensus determines right & wrong.

Nihilism Traditional morals should be challenged or destroyed.

Existentialism Morally good behavior is just a cultural conformity. Humans find morals in doing what makes one’s own existence meaningful.

Pantheism. Humans should build up good “karma” by behaving in accordance with their nature.

What about the livability.  Deism reason. _  This does not work and the world is full of examples I guess you can live that out.  Monotheism. God. Definitely livable.  Naturalism. Social norms. _  if you look across cultures this is simply not true..  Nihilism. None or nothing. _  Obviously no one lives this way truly.  Existentialism.  Meaningless.  Well they don’t feel that way if their car is stolen or they get cheated. And pantheism. karma. _  who and what decides what karma is.  They have no basis for good and bad from the concept of karma.

______

What about purpose.  Why am I here?

Monotheism says Humans derive meaning from their relational Creator.

Deism says Humans use intelligence, conscience, community, and creativity to find meaning in nature.

Naturalists will say that Humans find meaning in progress and advancement.

Nihilism Humans must challenge traditional meanings.

Existentialism No objective meaning exists. Humans must invent their own reason for being.

Pantheism. Humans find meaning in becoming one with the universe.

What about the livability.  Deism the nature.  _ how can you draw a purpose from nature.  Monotheism. Relationship with God. Sounds like a purpose.  Naturalism says progress. I’m not sure how people would judge this, maybe human flourishing, well maybe.  Nihilism. nothing. _ well, I don’t think nothing can be a purpose. Existentialism.  I choose.  I know a lot of people that think they can, but they all fail.  But I guess they try to live it. And pantheism has oneness.  _.  Which you can’t do.  By trying you are not doing it, so you can’t live it.

I will go quickly through the rest of these. 

_____

What about history or what has come before us. 

Monotheism says eternity. Deism says nature. Naturalists say scientific method. Nihilism says nothing. Of course. Existentialism  you can’t know its unreliable. Pantheism. History repeats itself again and again.  Okay most cannot be lived out.  

What do we know for certain about history.  I know its at least 57 years, or I guess my parents are 88 this year.  Or I guess I knew my grandparents therefore history is at least 100 plus years.  But we genuinely believe there is reliable evidence for history and times past and we anticipate a future.   No matter your worldview, this is true.  This is why most worldviews fail to reflect how people seem to believe about history.. 

Because we believe.   It is really HIS Story after all.

In every case, they borrow from our Christian worldview to fill the gaps in their worldviews so that they can live in society, have goals, work, love, and cope.

Now this is just for you.  You should not use this against someone’s worldview but what it does is allows us to prepare to ask questions about the parts of their worldview that do not make sense to us.  And hopefully they will ask how our worldview handles those same problems.

Okay so why do people call on “the crazy Christians” when they are really in trouble.  Okay, Life has happened you need some help or comfort or both from a good friend. 

Do you call your pantheist friend.  Who says just empty yourself of your attachment to what is bothering  you.  Are you kidding me?

What about an existentialist friend.  They tell you your problems are meaningless. Ouch. Okay not them.

Nihilist.  Oh its nothing bro.  Nope  

Naturalist.  You’re just dancing in your DNA. Well, no 

Deist.  Toughen up buttercup that is just how the world goes.  Not very helpful.

Monotheist.  You are important to God.  That’s better. But which monotheist

What is the difference between the three monotheisms.

Judaism would tell you have sinned and God must be punishing you.  Its Your Fault 

Islam, God is angry with you. Better find a way to appease God

Christian, God Cares.  God wants the very best for you despite what you are going through right now.  

You tell me which worldview is your best friend in times of trouble.

Don’t forget if you do have questions you would like discussed email me at questions@punla.org.

When your friend is in trouble, who will they call.  A Crazy Christian like you.

Don’t forget your homework.  Read John Chapter 14.  Focus on John 14:6, and define what truth is.

Let’s close and pray. 

Thank you and God’s Blessing my friends.