Worldviews

1. Worldviews • How did we get here? • What went wrong? • How do we fix it? • What is our purpose?

2. Why Do Worldviews Matter? • For You • What you believe determine how you act • The storm is coming • Is it your faith or your friends or your parents? • Are you building your house on sand or rock? • Think of this training as hurricane preparation • For Your non-Christian Friends • This will help you understand others’ perspective • Make it easier to show them what they may have not considered

3. What are the Worldview Options to Christianity? • Atheism or Agnosticism • Naturalism • Monotheistic Religions • Judaism • Islam • Other World Religions • Hinduism • Buddhism • Cults (Perversions of Christianity—Jesus plus) • Mormonism

4. What are the options to Christianity? • Atheism • There is no God • Atheism not logical • To know for sure there is no God you would have to know everything (and thus you would be God) • Agnosticism • I am not sure if there is a God • Should be interested in what you have to say • I don’t care • Best bet is to try to convince them why they should

5. Naturalism-Nature is God • Naturalism: Recent Worldview • Belief that natural causes alone are sufficient to explain everything that exists. • By definition excludes the possibility of Supernatural (God) • Naturalist try to position their worldview as the only one aligned with science • Everything else is a belief system • Their worldview is as much about faith as any other • More on this in a couple of weeks

6. Other Religious Worldviews • Leading Options • Hinduism • Buddhism • Islam • Judaism • Christ Plus Religions • Mormonism

7. One Mountain or Many? God Religion 1 Religion 4 Religion 2 Religion 3

8. One Mountain or Many? Religion 5 Religion 2 God Religion 1 Religion 4 Religion 3

9. Blind Men and the Elephant

10. Blind Men and the Elephant • Side --- Wall • Tusk --- Spear • Trunk --- Snake • Knee --- Tree • Ear --- Fan • Tail --- Rope

11. Blind Men and the Elephant • Like this story can’t all religions be different parts of the truth? • No • Each of the blind men has some part of the truth but none are right • Only the seeing man can tell what the animal really is---An elephant

14. 4 Ways to Compare Religions • Truth claims of founder/ key scripture • Background • God • Salvation criteria and destination

15. Truth Claims • Hinduism • Verdas said, “Truth is one, but the sages speak of it in many different ways.” • Buddhism • The Buddha said, “My teachings point the way to attainment of the truth.” • Islam • Muhammad said, “The truth has been revealed to me.” • Christianity • Jesus Christ says, “I am the Truth.”

16. Founder (on Earth) / Role/ Scripture • Hinduism • No Founder, writing collected around 1000 B.C. • Verdas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita • Buddhism • The Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) in 500 B.C. • Enlightened Teacher • Tripitaka • Islam • Muhammad in 600 A.D. • Final Prophet • Koran (Quran)

17. Founder (on Earth) / Role/ Scripture • Judaism • Abraham (1800 B.C.) and Moses (1400 B.C.) • Abraham to have many descendants to create a nation • Moses gave the Law • Old Testament • Christianity • Jesus in 29 A.D. • God in human form, Died a sacrificial death to pay for humankind’s sin • Bible (New and Old Testaments)

18. God? • Hinduism • Many Gods which are all part of One God • Buddhism • No ultimate personal God • Islam • God (Allah) but not personal--distant, aloof and to be obeyed • Judaism/ Christianity • Personal God

20. Salvation Criteria? • Hinduism • Reincarnation as we work our way closer to God • Buddhism • Noble Eightfold Path as we work to eliminate suffering • Islam • 5 pillars of faith (Statement of Beliefs, Prayers, Alms, Fasting, Pilgrimage) • Some interpretations: Dying in holy war is the only absolute • Judaism • Good moral behavior, right attitudes, repentance • ALL others are WORKS based • What would you invent—faith alone or works?

21. Salvation Destination? • Hinduism • Moksha: total liberation and oneness with the All • Buddhism • Nirvana: extinction of desires and end of suffering • Islam • Paradise (or if evil, hell) • Judaism • Whatever God provides • Only Christianity offer assurance of Salvation

22. Christianity vs Hinduism • Many God or One? • Works or faith? • Reincarnation until Absorption or Assurance of Salvation or Condemnation (Heaven/ Hell) after death? • Jesus: Yes or No?

23. Christianity vs Buddhism • ??? or One God? • Works based or faith? • Reincarnation until Nirvana or Assurance of Salvation or Condemnation (Heaven/ Hell) after death? • Jesus: Yes or No?

24. Christianity vs Islam • Mohammed or Jesus? • Koran or Bible? • Five Pillars or Faith alone? • Obeying God or Knowing Him?

25. Christianity vs Judaism • Jesus as prophet or Son of God?

26. Key Points • The truth claims of the world’s religions are in conflict • No more than one of them can be right • The answer to “Who is Jesus?” is the key to whether Christianity is true.

27. Christianity Truth Claim • Jesus is the Only Way • We are not the source of that claim • It is what the Bible says Jesus claimed

28. Jesus Claimed to Be God • He would judge the world at the end of time • He should be honored as much as God • He gives eternal life to those who came to him • To know him was to know God • To hate him was to hate God • He could forgive sin • He and the Father are one • He is the great “I am”

29. Jesus Claimed to be the Only Way • “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) • See also • Acts 4:12 • John 3:18 • John 8:24 • 1 John 5:11-13

30. What Some Claim Jesus Was • A prophet • A good man • A great teacher

31. What Some Claim Jesus Was • A prophet • A good man • A great teacher The Bible does not allow for these options

32. Options for Jesus • There are only 4 options: • Legend • Liar • Lunatic • Lord

33. Lord, Lunatic, Liar or Legend • Legend--What the Bible says about him was made up or exaggerated • Liar--He knew he was not Lord and he lied • Lunatic--He thought he was Lord but he was crazy • Lord--He was who he said he was

34. Is the Bible all or mostly accurate? Legend No Yes Was Jesus Sane? Lunatic No Yes Was Jesus Telling the Truth? Liar No Yes Lord

35. Let’s Examine the Evidence

36. Legend • Key Question-Is the Bible (especially the New Testament) Reliable? • Some evidence the Bible is reliable: • Hundreds of fulfilled prophecies • Written by eyewitnesses who died “sticking to their story” • Refutable by those who were alive when the events occurred • More copies available than any other ancient text • Changed the history of the world

37. Lunatic—Was Jesus Sane? • He is praised for the wisdom of his teaching • He drew an every increasing crowd who followed him everywhere • His actions and words showed he had a plan • How do you explain the miracles? • How do you explain the resurrection?

38. Liar • Why did he not lie and save himself? • Lying about who he was would have been in direct conflict with his other words and actions • How do you explain the miracles? • How do you explain the resurrection?

39. Is Jesus the Only Way? • My Conclusions • Different religions conflict with each other and can’t all be all true • Christianity has the best evidence to support its truth claims • What is Your Conclusion? • Can you defend it with a person who has a different worldview?

40. Final Thoughts • If you claim something is true that means you claim everything contrary to it is false • Law of non-contradiction

41. Final Thoughts • Tolerance versus Truth • Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion (in America) and we should be tolerant of others beliefs • Just because someone or some group of people believes something does not make it true • It is good to disagree with people and claim universal truth • Do it with confidence, gentleness and love

42. Final Thoughts • We have moved from Tolerance to Post Modernism • There is no universal truth • Everyone can have their own truth • Is it logical to claim tolerance and then be intolerant of anyone who claims they have truth?

43. Final Thoughts • Be prepared to be called “Intolerant” as you share your perspective on Truth • Don’t let that stop you! • Our belief in Jesus is not true because we believe it • It is true because • Of the evidence that supports it • Its teachings match up best with what we see in the real world

44. References • Chapter 5 in the “Case for Faith” • Books 2 and 5 in the Willow Creek Tough Questions bible studies

45. Next Week • Evolution—Fact or Fiction

46. Break Out Time Stage 2 1 3 Seats 4 5 6 Stands 7

47. Break Out Topics • Look at the claims that Jesus and his disciples made that he was the only way • John 14:6 • Acts 4:12 • John 3:18 • John 8:24 • 1 John 5:11-13 • Discuss the logic of Lunatic, Liar, Legend or Lord. Does it make sense? Are there other possibilities? • Could you defend that the Bible is accurate with your non-Christian friends? • What other religions and worldviews should we investigate?

48. Let’s consider a non-religious alternative • Naturalism: Belief that natural causes alone are sufficient to explain everything that exists. • By definition excludes the possibility of Supernatural (God) • Sometimes this worldview is called “science” • The believers of this claim everything else is a belief system • Today we will show that this worldview is based on faith also

49. More on Naturalism • Naturalists only believe in physical laws since they see no natural explanation for morality. • Relativism: Naturalistic perspective on morality. • Since nature is all there is and since it does not include morality there is no transcendent source of moral truth and every right and wrong decision is based on personal preference. • Pragmatism: Naturalist approach to life since there are no moral standards. • Whatever works best is right.

50. Christian Perspective • Science and Faith are not separate • Our Faith is based upon God’s claims in the Bible, which are well supported by reason and evidence. • Christians believe in two types of laws: • Physical laws (gravity for example) • Moral laws (10 commandments for example) • Christians believe neither can be broken without consequences. • Examples: The pain of falling off a wall and the pain of adultery.