The World of Worldviews: Making Sense of the World Dr. William E. Brown

Get Alarmed!

2. Thinking Worldviewishly

What is a Worldview?

“A worldview is first of all an explanation and interpretation of the world, and second, an application of this view to life. application of this view to life.” Brown, Phillips, Stonestreet “Making Sense of Your World”

Your worldview Your view OF the world EXPLANATIONEXPLANATION INTERPRETATIONINTERPRETATION

Your worldview Your view FOR the world APPLICATIONAPPLICATION

Worldview Values Behavior

Your worldview answers the ULTIMATE questions… Your worldview answers the ULTIMATE questions… ORIGIN: ORIGIN: Where did everything come from? MEANING: Why are we here? MORALITY: How should we live? DESTINY: What happens when we die? ORIGIN: ORIGIN: Where did everything come from? MEANING: Why are we here? MORALITY: How should we live? DESTINY: What happens when we die?

God has a plan and God is in control of everything. -Beyonce Knowles Whatever happens in life is fine-- just trust in that. -Orlando Bloom

“Sometimes I feel like I’m living a meaningless life and I get frightened... I have no idea where this insecurity comes from, but it’s a God-sized hole. If I knew, I’d fill it and I’d be on my way... I have no answers to anything. None. Why am I an alcoholic? I haven’t a clue! What is life about? I don’t know.... The best I can do is learn from my mistakes and move forward. And that’s what I’m trying to do.” ~Shia LeBeouf

O R I G I N M E A N I N G M O R A L I T Y D E S T I N Y

O R I G I N M E A N I N G M O R A L I T Y D E S T I N Y E L T

3. Knowing Worldviews

What are the Worldviews?

UltimateQuestions Naturalism Transcen-dentalism Theism

Nothing Nature

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny Naturalism

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ?

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation

“I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious ideas of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals or of a personal God.” Thomas Edison

“I’m an atheist, and that’s it. I believe there’s nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and what we can for each other.” Katharine Hepburn

“The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God (or Satan) is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance… logic can be happily tossed out the window.” “The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything. Once God (or Satan) is accepted as the first cause of everything which happens in the mortal world, nothing is left to chance… logic can be happily tossed out the window.” Stephen King

“Dear god, if you were alive, You know we’d kill you.” Marilyn Manson “Godeatgod” from the album Holy Wood

“Here’s what happens when you die– you sit in a box and get eaten by worms. I guarantee that when you die, nothing cool happens.” Howard Stern

“I would thank God, but I don’t believe in it.” Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam

“I’ve got my own religion… If I get into trouble, there’s no God or Allah to sort me out. I have to do it myself.” Bjork

“I believe in the good message that you can find in religion. But whether there is some ruler up there, above the clouds, I doubt it.” Annika Sorenstam

“It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God…I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that…” Thomas Nagel Professor of Law and PhilosophyNYU “It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God…I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that…” Thomas Nagel Professor of Law and PhilosophyNYU

= “GOD” NATURE Nothing

“I just find the evangelical church, too, well, restrictive. But the School of Practical Philosophy is non- confrontational. We believe there are many forms of Scripture. What is true will never change, whether it’s in the Bible or in Shakespeare. It’s about oneness. Its basic philosophy is that if the Buddha and Krishna and Jesus were all at a dinner table together, they wouldn’t be arguing. There is an essential truth. And we are limitless.” Hugh Jackman,

“Ultimately the Force is the larger mystery of the universe. And to trust your feelings is your way to that.” George Lucas “Ultimately the Force is the larger mystery of the universe. And to trust your feelings is your way to that.” George Lucas

“I think I was a tree or something in a past life. I’ve always been attracted to nature.” Tommy Lee

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation Transcenden- talism

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation Transcenden- talism Derived from the “One”

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation Transcenden- talism Derived from the “One” Recognize “oneness”

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation Transcenden- talism Derived from the “One” Recognize “oneness” Determined by unity/harmony

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation Transcenden- talism Derived from the “One” Recognize “oneness” Determined by unity/harmony Rebirth; back to the “One”

“I must say that when I go to church – and I do go to church – I ponder the mystery. I meditate on the ‘why?’ of ‘Why people are as they are?’ and ‘Why bad things happen to good people?’ and ‘Why good things happen to bad people?’... The mystery is what I think is, almost, the grand unifying theory of all mankind.” Tom Hanks

“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...” Hebrews 9:27

NATURE God

NATURE God

THEISTIC RELIGIONS JUDAISM (2,000 BC) CHRISTIANITY (AD 30) ISLAM (AD 600)

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation Transcenden- talism Derived from the “One” Recognize “oneness” Determined by unity/harmony Rebirth; back to the “One” Theism

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation Transcenden- talism Derived from the “One” Recognize “oneness” Determined by unity/harmony Rebirth; back to the “One” TheismCreated by God

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation Transcenden- talism Derived from the “One” Recognize “oneness” Determined by unity/harmony Rebirth; back to the “One” TheismCreated by God Determined by God

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation Transcenden- talism Derived from the “One” Recognize “oneness” Determined by unity/harmony Rebirth; back to the “One” TheismCreated by God Determined by God

WorldviewOriginMeaningMoralityDestiny NaturalismNatural means ? Self- determined Annihilation Transcenden- talism Derived from the “One” Recognize “oneness” Determined by unity/harmony Rebirth; back to the “One” TheismCreated by God Determined by God Eternity with or apart from God

The World of Worldviews: Making Sense of the World Dr. William E. Brown

“I was pro-choice all my life until I came to faith and now I find it very difficult to reconcile that in biblical terms. I’ve had to remove myself from a number of pro-choice groups; I was on their boards... ” Bob Beckel Political Commentator

“We cannot expect the world to believe that the Father sent the Son, that Jesus' claims are true, and that Christianity is true, unless the world sees some reality of the oneness of true Christians.” Frances Schaeffer “The Mark of the Christian”