What is Your Worldview?

I propose this as a new topic. In essence, what do any of you base your beliefs on? What are the roots of your common (or uncommon) sense? I will start by posting my root beliefs:
I am a Christian. I do NOT take the Bible literally, although I very much take the philosophy behind it as literal. I believe that Original Sin exists, and as such, I believe that humans are unable to achieve their maximum potential or destiny without Gods help. In other words, a relationship with God is essential. While I think that the Bible is a focal point for my beliefs, I do not think that the book should be used to bash people over the head. God works in mysterious ways, and oftentimes will use a non religious person to speak wisdom into the life of a confused or searching individual. I attribute much of it to humanities fallen and imperfect nature, but I believe that differences and controversies were meant to exist as a challenge and a test to see if people can find a way (the way?) to get along.

Just to add a bit of spice to our discussion, I poked around on the internet for some definitions voiced by others on what constitutes a worldview. I am trying not to just find Christian viewpoints, so as to show other modes of thinking.
Christian viewpoint: Worldviews
Intellectual critique: Worldviews: from fragmentation to integration
Another good website: What is a Worldview?
Another Christian perspective, although quite well thought out:
Page not found | Dwell Community Church

Firebird, you are right! I did get that chart from McCallums book...although I just found the website and the chart made sense to me... Any of us can propose guidelines and criteria. I think that where you are going with this leads us to that arena of relativism vs absolute truth. So for the record, I believe in an absolute truth yet I acknowledge your right to assert individual relative beliefs. In the context of a free thought chatroom such as this, no idea HAS to be acceptable to anyone. In the context of my ideals, I merely present ideas and let whomever accepts them do so. If we all agreed, the world would assume a different view. It seems that disagreement is a characteristic of human relations.

Mr. Hambre...greetings. I like many of your posts, particularly the verbal jousts with Dan Carroll..have you guys considered reality T.V.? Anyway, I am curious as to how to address you after this last post of yours. Shall I call you, Esteban"pitiless indifference" Hambre or shall I refer to you as Esteban "It must be so" Hambre..?
In other words, are you proposing a Worldview of total and stark natural selection, devoid of any supernatural or spiritual reality whatsoever? Or are you merely being the old "Quotidian" that enlightens with afternoon cut and paste theatre? (I'm kinda like that, too!) Curiously, Phatboy

Imagine a group of people in an Art Museum, admiring a painting. They all share the effect of having been touched by the work. Each may have an individual opinion on what the work means to them, and each point of view is equally valid and none more weighty or profound than any other. Now imagine the artist entering the room to speak. He begins to explain what he felt and experienced while painting the picture. He points out seemingly unconnected details. So is his view merely equally valid? I would argue that the artists point of view is a bit more profound and weighty than the opinions by the observers.
To a Christian, God is the artist. The sculptor. The writer. Indeed, the Director, Producer, and truly The Creator.He wrote the words. He defined the very concept and definition of meaning behind words. He created us as vessels of expression for a purpose. We are not merely evolved animals, for a Divine purpose exists. Sidelined once said to me that it is the dance that is important, and not the dancers. I disagree. The Creator loves His dancers. The universe is real, it is unimaginable, mysterious, and a true work of art.Let us allow the Creator to explain what He mean't. What He wants. Who He is. Who we are. Keep exploring and keep seeking by all means, but ask yourselves what answer you are seeking. We seek to know ourselves yet we are not mere observers in this creation. We too are part of the artwork. Cuz we sure did'nt paint it and we never can explain it like the artist can! (Another peek at my Worldview!)This message has been edited by Phatboy, 08-31-2004 10:01 AM

I DO believe in a literal virgin birth,a literal death,burial,and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the various miracles attributed to Him. My faith is challenged a bit concerning some of what was recorded in the O.T. however. I most certainly think that God is capable of anything and that just because I see little supernatural activities around today,the capability is there. Lets take the great Flood, for instance. I have read both sides of this debate, and if I have any respect for human wisdom at all, I may be inclined to question whether or not such an event actually happened.
The fact is this: God was regretful for making Humanity. I question why He had not foreknown this fact. He chose one family to carry on the lineage and message. All plants and animals were to start over as well. In scientific terms, there are some valid questions about such an event. For example, did all plants die? Surely in a mere 3 month period, some stuff would survive! See? I question paradoxes of ancient lore. I do not question the DBR of Jesus Christ, because that is central to the faith, although I have read the critics of that one as well. Buz, I suppose that my view boils down to this: I am not against scientific advances in understanding evolution. I see where many of the so-called strict creationists are backed into a corner of faith by defending a literalist interpretation. One has to pick and choose their battles. I defend a literal virgin birth, death, burial, and resurrection. Many say that theologians are uneducated and ignorant when defending their beliefs. I will admit that I DO believe that humanity is involved in an ongoing sort of spiritual skirmish that is undectable scientifically, apart from human observation. From a strictly evolutionary point of view, humans should be getting better at getting along, right? I do not see this happening anywhere in the world. The same dumb thinking behind WWI and Viet Nam, unrelated though they seem, is still there. Survival, indeed! It makes more sense to survive by giving up our ego and submitting to God...not to a manmade facsimile or theological construct, mind you. Of course, if one does not believe, One has no choice but to believe in Humanity refining themselves over time.This message has been edited by Phatboy, 08-31-2004 09:49 AM

Extremism of any kind is unhealthy. Personally, I never "planned" on becoming religious...nor do I see myself as necessarily "religious" even now. I do have a definite theologically based World View although I distance myself from the fundamentalist mentalities within the church. They hate homosexuality with an extreme moral stance based on the Bible, for example. While I see homosexual actions as sinful, they are no more sinful than lusting after women or even gossip and slander! We all have hangups! Many Christians also preach salvation by Grace alone through Faith alone, yet expect each other to conform to some lofty standard which occasionally feels phoney and arrogant. While I have no beef with atheism in general, I get irritated when someone tries to intellectually checkmate my intelligence. I became a believer through being a witness to an intense series of personal transforming experiences. Once a person experiences some things, they cannot explain the event away. Still, I try to be nice and not throw sand while we all joust about in this big sandbox of philosophy and theology. BTW concerning Hangdawgs "philosophical ramblings", I can say that he is theologically sound as a Christian Apologist...well, at least 75% sound. He is a lot more accurate than many that we have had on this board! BTW, his avatar looks like a bit of "Christian Patriotism" to me..not terrorism. It is good to see that in this country, people are allowed to express the differing worldviews that they have! Keep on thinking and using that mind of yours, Esteban! Or shall I say, Esteban, "Disneyland" Hambre? This message has been edited by Phatboy, 09-01-2004 09:09 AM

While many fundies would label you as a new age guru, I see something in that last sentence of yours..The only boundry is the idea of a boundry. Could it be that before the Fall, Adam and Eve had no boundry with God as we now have? Jesus came to show us that in order to find our lives, we must lose them? Just a thought.

I do not know if I got this off of this website or elsewhere, but having contracycle and hangdawg in the same room allows us the possibility of measuring two opposing worldviews. I took the test and I score a bit left of center and a bit below midpoint. Why don't you guys take the test to see where you score?
http://www.digitalronin.f2s.com/politicalcompass/

I don't know if we are ready to go that deep with this, sidelined. Let me share what I see.
Hangdawg is a loyal Christian who is also a Patriot. He believes that his country, despite its flaws, upholds Christian morality by freeing oppressed people from the shackles of dictators and such.
Contracycle, on the other hand, is also passionate about people being free, but his idea of freedom is freedom from Western Capitalism and unfair economic oppression. Perhaps a better question to ask in exploring these World Views is this: (Well, I have a few questions)
1) Contracycle, do you see an ideal government as being similar to the book of Acts? Specifically, Acts 2:43-472) Hangdawg, in what ways are Christianity and the Declaration of Independance similar? How about Christianity and Capitalism?
In what ways do they differ?This message has been edited by Phatboy, 09-03-2004 02:41 AM

Thanks for your reply, Hangdawg! I just thought I would throw out a few thoughts. I do not necessarily agree with all of them, nor do I disagree. I let God teach me what is real in this world.
For example, Jesus said: In America today, the message that many hear is that if anyone wants to pursue happiness, they must deny themselves nothing, take their Visa Card, and follow the signs to the mall. Our free and powerful country feels very good to us! We will defend it at great cost! The Bible talks of a spiritual freedom. Jesus said that no man can serve two masters. George W. Bush said that the nations of the world would have to take a stand. Either be for us or against us.
There are challenges in the modern world because, on the one hand, America must be a moral compass yet on the other hand, we defend our national interests. Are we a Christian Nation? If not, what are we?

I would not want a theocracy either, jar. We are not ready for that as a planet.

Yeah? I was Economic Left/Right: -2.00
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -1.49

Careful, guys! Lets be nice. I'll break the silence and add another 2 cents into the kitty. Do any of you agree with the following statements?( These were gathered from college textbooks and are thought by me to be accurate)
1) Of all the material wealth in the world, 2% of the global population owns or controls 90+% of it.
In Iraq, 50% of the population is under age 25. 35% are under age 15.
Whether these youth are "terrorists" or "freedom fighters", they want what all youth in the world want. They want to "come up" and make their mark in life. I am not as far right on the spectrum as Hangdawg, but I am not convinced of the far left ideologies of contracycle either. Call me a moderate.
Young people often have a fiery passion which makes them unafraid of war. War is part of human nature, and has always occurred. All of us need to examine our inner fire and attempt to understand it.
I'll start with myself. Peace out.This message has been edited by Phatboy, 09-04-2004 06:23 AM

Words are powerful! They can carry a statement and a passion far more effectively than any bomb or missle. Contracyle, you know this for you say When I was in college, I knew a young revolutionary named Micah. He was all for communism as a progressive and fair system of government. I, of course, having been raised in the suburbs of America, staunchly disagreed with him. I pointed out how all communist systems thus far have caused more harm than good to their citizens and how when Capitalism was introduced, there was much cheering.
Russia is experiencing many setbacks yet many victories with market economics.
Of course, you would advocate: and, thus, believe that the world has no need of a lone superpower. As far as I see your point. I DO try and look at things outside my comfort zone of freedom that my country has given me. I DO see a world that has too few people with too much money and too many people without. As a Christian, I have seen many people who never really lived the precepts that Jesus taught except on a superficial "church face" type of mentality.
Many others were successful businessmen who truly felt that God had blessed the environment in which they and their families resided. When asked about poverty abroad, they would ask rhetorically, "why can't they adopt the free market system and allow their people to raise up on their own like we did?
Then I heard about Wal-mart and cheap labor in China allowing us to buy $7.99 toasters and $40.00 microwaves. For this, people were working for $5.00 a day and less. Meanwhile, the stories came in about American C.E.O.s raking in hundreds of millions of dollars. I was employed at a company that was unionized and after 14 years I made a decent wage and was saving for a future. The C.E.O.s sold the company and laid off a thousand of us.
Unlike you, Contracycle, I have no problem with true Christianity, however. I looked at the Bible and I saw this: Was America a type and shadow of this Babylon? Many people think so, but I DO have a brain and so I will not randomly make the mistake of making scriptures fit circumstance. I will say that the 9/11 attacks brought reality into the home of every American.The poor of the world are not as ignorant as they used to be. Contracycle, I do not know if your loyalty is to a country or to a people or maybe just to an ideology, but I may remind you that if the masses of people from the less affluent countries ever did see America fall apart economically, the result would be more death and more poverty and hunger than ever before! The solution is more complex than merely defanging the U.S. and redistributing the wealth of the world. The solution is Spiritual.
Are you an atheist, contracycle? If so, (which I am not attacking, by the way) I think that you had better have a better plan than Marx and Hegel. John Lennon was once asked why he did not help the starving poor of the world with his 150 million dollar fortune. He replied that he did believe in helping them, but were he to literally spend the money on feeding them, they would be hungry again in a week and he would be broke.This message has been edited by Phatboy, 09-06-2004 08:15 AM