Worldviews

1. What are they and how do they affect us? Worldviews

2. At the end of this tutorial you should understand: What does “worldview” mean? How does someone’s worldview affect how they interpret the world around them. Objectives

3. Watch this short video that defines worldview, then answer the questions on the following slides. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dB5pLmbLFA&feature=related What is Worldview?

4. According to the video, worldview can be compared to which of the following? The waves in the ocean that are always changing. A pair of eye-glasses that affects the way someone brings the world into focus. A set of facts on which everyone in the world generally agrees. What is Worldview?

5. Someone’s worldview doesn’t change on a whim. Rather it is a belief system that remains relatively stable, just like someone’s prescription lenses remain relatively stable. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back Incorrect

6. There are many different worldviews. Worldviews are often the root cause of many of the largest conflicts or debates. The conflict we’ll talk about later today is the creation vs. evolution debate. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back Incorrect

7. Worldview is like a pair of eye-glasses through which you view the world. It affects actions, attitudes, and reactions to everything around you. Everyone has a worldview, whether they realize it or not. Correct

8. Everyone has a worldview whether they realize it or not. Only “religious” people have a worldview. Only well-educated people have a worldview. Most people don’t have a worldview because it doesn’t really influence one’s behavior. Who has a Worldview?

9. No matter how educated, religious, or aware of worldview someone is, everyone has a worldview. Our worldview affects our actions, attitudes, and reactions. Please go back to the question and try again. Go back Incorrect

10. Even without knowing it, our worldview affects many aspects of our behavior. It determines how we interpret the world. For example, no matter the level of education, someone’s worldview will create bias in how he/she interprets science. correct

11. Only two. Ten. Too many to name. How many Worldviews Are there?

12. There are many different worldviews. Too many to count. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back Incorrect

13. There are countless worldviews. Look at the questions on the next slide and think about how many different answers people could give to each one of those questions. This should give you an idea of how many different worldviews there are. Correct

14. What is the nature of reality? Where did I come from? What’s wrong with the world? What’s the solution? What’s my purpose of living? How do I know things? Is there a such thing as right and wrong? If so, what is it? We assume a worldview Includes:

15. Remember there are countless worldviews, but sometimes when we discuss worldviews in an academic setting we like to use labels like “humanism” or “post-modernism” or “Nihilism” or “existentialism” and a host of others.

16. These are just names for sets of answers that often go together. In reality, individuals can fall anywhere on a spectrum of beliefs. Sometimes a person’s worldview can have some characteristics from a number of named belief systems (worldviews).

17. Individuals don’t usually fit into nice neat categories. But creating belief sets and naming them makes it easier to discuss how particular beliefs have affected history and culture.

18. To simplify our academic discussion, we are going to focus on only two belief sets (or worldviews): Naturalism and Christian Theism

19. Also, for the sake of simplicity, we will focus on only two questions that a worldview can answer: What is the nature of reality? and Where did I come from?

20. We’ll define each of these two worldviews, talk about how and why each one criticizes the other, and discuss one major debate between these two worldviews.

21. Watch the following video on naturalism. Remember to look for how a naturalist would answer these two questions: What is the nature of reality? Where did I come from? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alyketUzViI&feature=related Naturalism

22. Naturalism asserts that reality is: made up of matter and energy only. made up of the material world we can see and a spiritual world we can’t. Naturalism

23. Naturalism denies the existence of anything spiritual. The only thing that exists is matter and energy. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back incorrect

24. To a naturalist, reality only consists of matter and energy. There is nothing spiritual. Correct

25. A naturalist would probably deny the existence of natural laws that govern the universe. forces of energy. God, the human soul, heaven, and hell. Naturalism

26. Natural laws and forces of energy are part of observable reality. To a naturalist, observable reality is all there is. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back Incorrect

27. God, the human soul, heaven, and hell are all parts of a non-observable “spiritual realm” which a naturalist does not believe is part of reality. Correct

28. How do you think a naturalist would answer the question “Where did I come from?” A God created me out of love and gave me a body and a soul. I am the result of chance events and am made up of only atoms. Naturalism

29. Naturalism denies the existence of God. Therefore God cannot be responsible for the “creation” of any human. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back Incorrect

30. A naturalist does not believe in any “God” that guides events in human lives. Anything that is not explained by natural laws is credited to random chance, including ourselves. correct

31. Based on the way a naturalist views reality, how would they probably say the first cell originated? Chance occurrences allowed for more complicated structures over time and eventually life began. An intelligent being created the complex machinery inside the cell and life began. Naturalism

32. A naturalist defines reality as only matter and energy. Spiritual intelligent beings aren’t part of “reality,” so any creator “God” cannot be used to explain the world, no matter how complex it is. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back incorrect

33. No matter how complex we now know life to be, a naturalist cannot use any intelligence to explain the origin of life—this would be asserting that some sort of creator “God” existed before the origin of the first cell. A naturalist must come up with other solutions for the complexity of life. Using evolution to explain the origin of life is now the standard. correct

34. What is the dominant worldview in Western culture today? Naturalism Christian Theism

35. Although there are many professing Christians in Western Culture, Naturalism is the dominant worldview. This dominant worldview affects the media, education, government, and many aspects of our culture. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back Incorrect

36. Naturalism is the dominant worldview in Western culture. Naturalist views can be seen in the media, education, and cultural “ideals.” Correct

37. Now let’s move on to Christian Theism. Remember to look for the way a Christian Theist would answer these questions: What is the nature of reality? Where did I come from? http://youtu.be/XgcGUY6ojRs Christian Theism

38. How would a Christian describe reality? Reality is made up of matter and energy only. Reality is made up of a material world we can see and a spiritual world we cannot. Even though we cannot see the spiritual, it is just as “real” as observable matter. Christian Theism

39. Though Christians believe in the material, observable world, they also believe in a spiritual world as well. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back Incorrect

40. Christians believe in both a material and spiritual reality. This idea is called supernaturalism. correct

41. How do you think a Christian would answer the question “Where did I come from?” A God created me out of love and gave me a body and a soul. I am the result of chance events and am made up of only atoms. Christian Theism

42. Though Christians do believe we have a material body made up of atoms, they also believe there is another fundamental part of who we are and what makes us human. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back Incorrect

43. The answer to the question “Where did I come from?” has two parts that are fundamental to the Christian worldview: A loving God is responsible for making each individual for a purpose. Each individual has a material body that will die and a soul that will live for eternity. Correct

44. Based on the way a Christian views reality, how would they probably say the first cell originated? Chance occurrences allowed for more complicated structures over time and eventually life began. An intelligent being created the complex machinery inside the cell and life began. Christian Theism

45. Christians believe that God has a hand in history and guides the events that happen within time and space. Please go back to the question and try again. Go Back incorrect

46. Christians believe that mind came before matter and that plan and design existed before creation. They believe that God created the first cell. correct

47. Now let’s take a look at the way each of these two worldviews criticizes the other. Criticisms

48. Naturalists often criticize Christians by saying they are unscientific. Christians, on the other hand, criticize Naturalists by saying that science cannot prove Naturalism to be true and is as much a position of faith as Christianity is. Go to the next slides and watch the videos that demonstrate these points. Criticisms from each side

49. In this video, Richard Dawkins, a spokesperson for naturalism criticizes those who use God to explain the origin of life. He is very condescending toward those who hold the opposing view. http://youtu.be/F9f2M8P0I8E

50. Now watch this video in which Dr. William Lane Craig explains that Naturalism is a position of faith, just like Christianity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eC3GR1DOyg