The World Of Worldviews The World Of Worldviews “Making Sense of Your World” “Making Sense of Your World”

Around the office, whenever I see a Christian, I scream and run away like a little girl... I am more afraid of Christians than I am of getting a flesh eating virus.... I am more afraid of Christians than I am of being shipped to Syria and tortured. Al Franken

Houston, TX Dear residents of Dayton, Tenn., I read about your town in the September National Geographic. It seems as though everybody there believes in Jesus and Christianity. As a humanist, I see NO evidence of a god, heaven, hell, devils, angels, fairies or a soul that leaves the body. The story of Adam and Eve is a fairy tale. Noah’s Ark is an impossible dream. The “virgin birth” of Jesus by mother Mary is nonsense. The hundreds of religions around the world all believe they have the answer. Religions are nothing but people’s imagination. Men wrote the Bible, not an imaginary god. Humanists believe in nature and science. We know that people and animals and plants evolved over three billion years on planet Earth.

We do not look for supernatural answers as to why we have thunder or why it rains or why we have tornados. This is all part of nature and physics. We’re proud of being capable of determining right from wrong by using our brains and not some book translated from ancient Holy scrolls. We do not thank Jesus for good fortune because our intelligence knows he has NOTHING to do with anything going on now. Best regards, Jimmy Dunne President, Humanists of Houston

Dear Mr. Dunne: I was disappointed in your letter of August 28 to the people of Dayton. I do not think it accomplished what you intended. Your letter was more of a screed than a creed. People who read it either laughed at what they saw as arrogant pronouncements or clucked their tongues at the patronizing statements. I am enclosing another letter that you are free to use. This better represents your naturalistic worldview and might engender substantive discussion rather than defensive reactions. Best regards, William E. Brown

Dear residents of ___________, As a humanist, I rely on the objective facts discovered by science. By the use of the scientific method, I see no proofs for the existence of God, heaven, hell, angels, or a soul that lives on after we die. If such evidence is discovered, I will gladly believe. I believe in people. I work hard to make this world a better place because this is all the existence we have. Because I believe the natural world is all that exists, I do not need to believe there are anything but natural causes for everything that occurs in the world, good or bad. We do not need a God or a holy book to tell us what is right and wrong. Most of morality is self-evident and we just need to use our reason to decide what is right and wrong.

It is difficult to believe in the existence of a good and powerful God when the world He supposedly created is filled with evil and disasters. I would assume He would intervene in some way to correct these wrongs. Instead, the world seems to be getting worse. When we look at the thousands of religions in the world, which one is correct? They all have conflicting beliefs about God, scriptures, rituals, and morality. This only adds to the confusion. I hope you will consider the rationale I have given here in your quest for truth. Sincerely yours, Jimmy Dunne President, Humanists of Houston

The Biblical Challenge “... Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” - Matthew 22:37 “... Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” - Matthew 22:37

The Biblical Challenge Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind... - Romans 12:1-2

The Cultural Challenge.... men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do Chronicles 12: men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do Chronicles 12:32

The Cultural Challenge To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning... In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. - Daniel 1:17,20

Are we... thinking worldviewishly? We think... in fragments

Are we... thinking worldviewishly? We think... in fragments in images

Are we... thinking worldviewishly? We think... in fragments in images in sounds

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.” W. Gary Phillips and William E. Brown Making Sense of Your World, p. 29.

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: Where did everything come from? MEANING: Why are we here? MORALITY: How should we live? DESTINY: What happens when we die? ORIGIN: Where did everything come from? MEANING: Why are we here? MORALITY: How should we live? DESTINY: What happens when we die?

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

UltimateQuestions Naturalism Transcen-dentalism Theism

Nothing N o t h i n g NATURE NATURE

“ The authors of the Bible did not know that the earth is a planet in orbit around the sun, that the genetic code is carried in DNA molecules, or that the work of the brain is carried out by neurons. As our own ignorance diminishes, there is no guarantee that anything of the biblical worldview will survive.” -- William Sims Bainbridge National Science Foundation

“Believing there's no God stops me from being solipsistic. I can read ideas from all different people from all different cultures. Without God, we can agree on reality, and I can keep learning where I'm wrong. We can all keep adjusting, so we can really communicate. I don't travel in circles where people say, ‘I have faith, I believe this in my heart and nothing you can say or do can shake my faith.’

That's just a long-winded religious way to say, ‘shut up,’ or another two words that the FCC likes less. But all obscenity is less insulting than, ‘How I was brought up and my imaginary friend means more to me than anything you can ever say or do.’ So, believing there is no God lets me be proven wrong and that's always fun. It means I'm learning something.”. Penn Jillette

“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

“ I love tanning. If you’re tan, you can’t go wrong.” --Gabriel Aubry

= “GOD” NATURE Nothing

“I think a lot of people are losing their religion. Definitely. Even me, I know that when I grew up, I used to go to church every Sunday, and now it’s become holidays. But I think as long as you have your own thing, whether it’s meditation—anything that centers you in life is good. Do I pray? Yeah, I do.”- Actress Kirsten Dunst, Rolling Stone, “First I was ‘angry’, then ‘spiritual’. Now I don't know what I am.” -Alanis Morissette from Rolling Stone’s daily

“The various religions are like different roads converging on the same point. What difference does it make if we follow different routes, provided we arrive at the same destination.” Mahatma Gandhi “The various religions are like different roads converging on the same point. What difference does it make if we follow different routes, provided we arrive at the same destination.” Mahatma Gandhi

“I'm a speck, an atom. Everything physical is an illusion, but it's there to guide us or test us or deter us.” “Kabbalah helped me understand that there is a bigger picture and that being well-intentioned is great, but if you don't live your life according to the laws of the universe, you bring chaos into your life.” ~ Madonna “I'm a speck, an atom. Everything physical is an illusion, but it's there to guide us or test us or deter us.” “Kabbalah helped me understand that there is a bigger picture and that being well-intentioned is great, but if you don't live your life according to the laws of the universe, you bring chaos into your life.” ~ Madonna

NATURE NATURE God

NATURE God

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

“Our father, God, Allah, we thank you for this moment in time. Bless Kanye, bless his album, take over his album and take it to the highest place possible... In the name of Allah and the spirit of our inner essence. Amen.” Prayer by Kanye West prior to a concert, Blender, September 2005, 126.

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

CHRISTUS NEXUS Christianity is Christ... Take Christ from Christianity, and you disembowel it; there is practically nothing left. Christ is the center of Christianity, all else is circumference. John Stott Christianity is Christ... Take Christ from Christianity, and you disembowel it; there is practically nothing left. Christ is the center of Christianity, all else is circumference. John Stott

The World Of Worldviews The World Of Worldviews “Making Sense of Your World” “Making Sense of Your World”