Neopagan Worldview Research Paper

What is a worldview? On the word of Dr. Lew Weider & Dr. Ben Gutierrez (2013), "A worldview is the reflection of ones' heart; or internal existence, ones' mentality, feelings, and desires. The complete process that brings forth one's beliefs."

What is a worldview? To have a world view means that you have created a personal opinion of life. Those opinions you have created, help you make decisions as well as help you learn how to portray the world around you. As to be expected, one man’s worldview will not be the same as yours but it is always good to share your views with other people to hopefully open their eyes to your perception on certain topics. Finally it’s also good to listen to other people’s views to expand your own personal knowledge on the Christian world view.

Ostrander defines a worldview as “...a framework of ideas, values, and beliefs about the basic makeup of the world” (Ostrander 18). After this definition, he goes on to show the purpose of a worldview, and how everyone has a worldview that shapes the rest of their lives. A worldview explains everything one believes and that is especially important to a Christian.

Every human being has a worldview whether they are aware of it or not. Although the notion of a worldview might appear basic in nature, the word itself simply meaning how one views the world around them, worldviews are much more complex and far reaching. A worldviews development occurs over the course of a lifetime, shaped by the complex and unique experiences of an individual and the sum of family traditions, religious beliefs and cultural histories. It is an all-encompassing interpretation of reality that plays a central and defining role in our attitudes and concepts about life. While worldviews are formed based on the answers to fundamental questions about human existence, they simultaneously shape

A worldview is the way a person views and interprets the world around them. Life experiences and spiritual influences play a part in forming one’s worldview. A person’s worldview helps them to determine beliefs on creation, humanity, morals and what happens after death. According to Waddell, (2014) “Worldviews are also like lenses found in eyeglasses that serve as the means through which a person sees the world.” (para. 43) In this paper, the main components of the Christian worldview will be discussed, to include God, humanity, Jesus, restoration and analysis of Christian Faith as well as a reflection of my own beliefs.

Everyone has a Worldview. “A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group.” (1) Some have a Biblical Worldview. A Biblical Worldview is founded on the word of God. It is how a Christian views the world. Both belief systems are equally important to each individual, but there are differences in the way they view the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture.

| * Read Introduction and chapters 1, 2, 3, and 6 (pp. 13-42 and 64-74) in the textbook, Foundations of Christian Thought: Faith, Learning, and the Christian Worldview. * Lecture: What is a Worldview? How is a Christian Worldview Distinctive?

2 Part I According to (Merriam-Webster, n.d.), worldview is defined as a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint. This definition implies that the way an individual view the world may be due to a variety of factors such as their culture, ethnicity, and/or religion. For Christians, our worldview is shaped by the Holy Bible. Often, this book

Throughout this class we have discussed the different worldviews that an individual may have. This class has taught me that a worldview is how an individual understands the world and their place in it. “A worldview consist of what a person believes to be real and true, what a person values, how a person makes decisions, and what forms a person’s desires, longings, and goals” (Fuller, Lecture One). An individual’s worldview is the motivating force behind their every emotion, decision, and action. A worldview is what helps an individual make sense of life and this world. A worldview will provide answers for many different questions in life. A few of the questions that a worldview helps answer are questions of origin, human dilemma, hope, and destiny.

A Christian worldview includes belief the Bible is the inspired word of God. The absolute truths, defined by the word

Worldviews vary from person to person and faith to faith, resulting in everyone seeing the world through their own assumptions and beliefs. Out of the many worldviews discussed in the text, Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity, and in class three stood out to me for comparison. These three worldviews consist of Naturalism, Pantheism and Polytheism. Worldviews, although not always correct, are how people see the world and reflect on our expectations about life. Differences can be seen in beliefs such as if they believe in a spiritual world, a material world, or both. Worldview’s purposes are to explain the purpose of man and the world. All three worldviews attribute the problems in the world to different aspects based on their beliefs and have diverse notions of how to resolve the world problems. Although a few similarities can be found among these world views, there are multiple differences found.

There are many different types of worldviews in play during this day in age. One of the broadest indecisive worldviews is the New Age worldview. The New Age worldview ism to help individuals find their inner divinity. The New Age movement believes that we are all divine, therefore, we are all gods. This is great contrast with the Christian worldview who believe that there is only one true God. Although these two worldviews are very different when it comes down to “Who is God?”, they do have some commonalities. This knowledge greatly affects my worldview and affects how I live my life.

Today’s society consists of many worldviews. Most people tend to pull beliefs from different religions, but often stick to one main worldview. A worldview to me is the gathering of beliefs that shape what we do on a daily basis and forms our overall view on life. When I look at my beliefs critically, I am able to see my worldview and see how it compares to different worldviews, but also how it compares mainly to the Christian Worldview.

As you can see there is a lot to cover. So let us move along to the first question. What actually does worldview mean?

A worldview is a system of beliefs that we model our lives after. It is how we perceive the world and others around us (Rusbult, n.d.). A person’s worldview is affected by how he/she is raised, his/her culture, his/her living situation (Rusbult, n.d.). A person’s parents and upbringing plays an important part in how that person interacts with others and thinks. A world view is like wearing colored glasses (Gutierrez, 2014). The way we see things, or perceive things, is based on the color of the glasses we are wearing. Where did we get these colored glasses? We obtain our “worldview glasses” from our parents, our culture, our friends, the media, and our religious beliefs. (109 words)