Worldviews

“Worldview”  A coherent collection of concepts and theorems that allows us to understand as many elements of our experience as possible.  A frame of reference in which everything presented to us by our diverse experiences can be placed.  A worldview constitutes what we know about the world, how we evaluate it, and how we respond to it.

Religious Belief in a divine or superhuman power to be obeyed and worshipped as creator(s) and ruler(s) of the universe; expressions of such a belief in conduct and ritual (Webster’s)

Secular Of or relating to worldly things as distinguished from things relating to church and religion; not sacred or religious; temporal (Webster’s)

Comparing Religious and Secular worldviews Theistic: divine centered or centered on the supernatural Atheistic or nontheistic: human centered, natural FaithReason (science and philosophy, the mathematical and rational Real = transcendent, sacred, inexpressible, not wholly knowable Real = physical, visible, tangible, can be expressed Dualistic (physical body and immaterial soul) Materialistic Religious Secular

Common Aims  To provide a “meaning” to life  To provide a code of permissible and impermissible behavior, an ethics  To improve the human condition and decrease suffering