Worldview Vs Religion

Religion is a universal term that is widely used for a human’s belief system. The views on how religions compare to one another can be defined differently. One view explains religions using a united belief system by their common goals. Another view explains that different religions are just a shared essence and have vast differences between their specific traditions and customs. This shared essence, but vastly different theory, is explained by Stephen Prothero, using the term “pretend pluralism”. There are many major and minor religions that have guided people in their morals and beliefs. Religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. All five of these current, major religions have vast differences, but may have common goals in their morals, traditions, etc. Two of the most practiced religions, of these five, are Christianity and Islam. These two religions are constantly at battle with one another, but what many people don’t see is that there are just as many similarities between these two religions as there are differences. Through this paper we will discover the underlying similarities and differences between these two religions and, hopefully, conclude that supports either the common goal theory or the “pretend pluralism” theory.

The Bible was inspired by God and given to people in order to give guidance and clarity on how to view the world. A biblical worldview can be established by looking at the Bible, specifically at certain passages such as Romans 1-8. These chapters in Romans explain a biblical worldview in four categories: the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture. The secular worldview has immense differences in these same categories. The biggest difference between the secular worldview and the biblical worldview is that the biblical worldview is founded on the truth of scripture.

When one looks at the world through a Biblical lens, they lay a foundation for becoming an agent of change, standing apart from society and pointing others towards Christ. A truly Biblical worldview is one which results in the believer honoring Christ and clearly set apart from the world. Every worldview has a set of underlying assumptions which influence how one sees the world, and a Biblical worldview is no different. What is different is that these assumptions can be tied back to Christ. This fundamental difference results in those who hold a Biblical worldview being truly separate from the secular world, pointing towards Christ as they live out a life aimed solely at glorifying Him. In Romans 1-8, Paul supplies Christians with a set of assumptions regarding the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture, creating the foundation of the transformative Biblical worldview. Each of these leads to modern implications which can be derived from scripture.

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.

Every human being has a worldview. They may not know exactly what that is but every person has an idea of how they think about things and what they believe in. Our worldview makes up the way we think, feel, and act upon certain issues in life. The environment in which we are raised has a lot to do with our worldview. Most people gain their way of thinking through the ways their parents think about issues in life. For example, parents can have a certain political party they align with and growing up the child can feel like they lean the same way but after learning and understanding the issues on both sides they can decide to change their minds on which party they feel best suits them.

Due to differences in worldview, speculation of the possibility of integration of Christianity and psychology exists. Although these differences seem to cause conflict, or undermine integration between psychology and Christianity, some scientific data can be complimentary to the Christian worldview and provide us with a better understanding of humans as a whole. Some problems can arise when attempting to integrate theology and science, such as some Christians having contempt for secular science or secular science believing the Christian worldview is based on irrational thought. Rather than throwing out a view over differences, the differences can be examined and good aspects of psychology that align with the Biblical truths can be found.

Whether clearly defined or not, everyone holds a worldview. Through life, travel, study, and contemplation, I have sought to clarify and substantiate my worldview. When comparing my beliefs to various other worldviews, mine stands up as logical and rational. Most importantly, my Christian worldview can be applied to contemporary problems and even explain many of the world’s issues. Though the Christian worldview is one of the most criticized, it provides substantive answers instead of more philosophical questions. After all, a worldview is only worthwhile if one can explain and defend their beliefs.

Analyse the key beliefs of a religious and secular world view in relation to ultimate questions – Taylor Murfitt.

Buddhist do not believe there is a beginning or an end to the world, and life. They deny that the world was created at any particular given time or date. Buddhists believe in Samsara, meaning they think the world was created over and over, and will continue to do so until it is time for it to break away.

What is a worldview? How does it influence our daily lives? A worldview is how we see reality. It influences the way we live our lives. It influences the way we interact with each other. A worldview is a belief system of who we are, why we are here, and what our destiny is.

Over the years my worldview has evolved from as a by product of cultural influence, to one steeped in my belief of God. However, until I got married 4 years ago, I had never actively worked on developing my Christian theistic worldview. Brown, Phillips and Stonestreet (2008) described a persons’ worldview as the framework that guides our beliefs and viewpoints (p. 21). With this in mind, I have established 3 main tenants of my worldview, God is, the universe was and morality will be. These are the foundations for the way I live, move and express my being in this world.

Determining which religion is the “right” one to follow is one of the most difficult tasks a person could undertake. Everyone wants to feel like his worship and praise of a deity is having some sort of positive effect on his life. From a Christian perspective, there are numerous positions in the theology of religion that its followers can choose from that attempt to explain the significance of Christianity within the context of all world religions. Three of the most prominent positions in this field of study are exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism. Major proponents of these perspectives are the theologians William Lane Craig, Karl Rahner, and John Hick, respectively. Grasping what each position advocates for is imperative not only for finding one’s own belief system, but for understanding the religious diversity around the world that is becoming more and more prevalent through globalization.

However, there is another side to religion, one that is quite contrary to idea of unification and acceptance. When looking through the scope of history, we can also see religion as an exclusionary tool, often used to differentiate groups of people on an innate level. As many of these idealogies attempt to assert

Religion these days have become the center of our attention as we contemplate whats right and what is wrong. Figuring out what religious views fit best with what you believe can be difficult to grasp as sometime we begin to wonder if what we read or believe actually is true. It is only human nature to question the beliefs that are set before us. Religious views all over the world have many spiritual beliefs and traditions that are all different in some way. It is important to have the knowledge of different religions as not everyone in this world believes the way you might. Having the sensitivity towards their belief is important and having the understanding that you can't change the way that they think. Two world religious views that are

Research studies have shown efforts to distinguish differences between religious and nonreligious individuals in areas of physiological studies. In an article called The Neural Correlates of Religious and Nonreligious Belief (Harris, Kaplan, Curiel, Bookheimer, Lacoboni, and Cohen 2009), the topic of physiological studies attempts to discover differences between religious believers and the non- religious is expanded. The researchers intend to discover the difference in brain activity of religious believers and non-religious believers when presented with questions of fact and questions of fiction. This critique will present the researchers main questions, the methods used, the results of the experiments, and conclusions. The study’s strengths, validity, consistency and weaknesses will also be assessed throughout this critique.