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Philosophies: Old and New What is truth? Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?

Taken from Barna, George. Think Like Jesus: Make the Right Decision Every Time. Integrity Publishers, 2003.

Deism: the absent God.

Proponents: Voltaire, John Locke, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking

God exists and created the universe, but has since abandoned the world to run its course.

He exerts no power or authority over the human condition and experience.

The world is the design of God the Creator as a dispassionate architect.

Miracles do not exist.

People determine their own destiny; whatever is, is right.

Naturalism: What you see is what you get.

Proponents: Bertrand Russell, Karl Marx

Beliefs given in the Humanist Manifesto and in secular humanism and Marxism.

God does not exist; there was no Creator of the cosmos.

Matter and the universe have always existed as a unified machine, where people are components of the machine evolving from existing matter and energy.

Human life has no purpose; experiences based on chance.

Human choices based on survival, which means values, ethics are situational and inconsistent since there are no absolute guidelines for making decisions.

Action, inclinations or thought based on natural desires and instincts alone (Webster).

Rejects revelation as a means of attaining truth (Webster).

Nihilism: Denial of existence.

Proponents: Fredrich Nietzsche, Franz Kafka, Samuel Becket, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Nothing, including God, actually exists.

Life has no meaning because it is not as we think it to be.

This may be the ultimate extension of naturalism.

Humans have no self-consciousness; human reason is baseless.

Life is emptiness; truth is the absolute denial of everything.

Denies any object or real ground of truth or moral principles (Webster).

Conditions in social organizations are so bad as to make destruction desirable for its won sake, independent of any constructive program (terrorism) (Webster).

Existentialism: Meaningless reality.

Proponents: Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus

Life has no ultimate meaning.

Each individual determines that meaning they wish to assign to life and then pursue it.

Life is absurd, in part because of personal freedom and ability operating in context of chaos and meaninglessness.

So, to avoid nihilism, humans make the most of bad conditions by creating their own world view.

Conflict is avoided because what is best for the individual is best for all, so personal longings and societal interest are satisfied.

Recognition of absurdity and randomness of existence is of high value, which leads to seeking a comfortable life.

There is no God since no deity would create such a meaningless, hopeless existence, with senseless suffering, daily chaos and randomness.

Existentialists say people may have passion and compassion in a chaotic world, while nihilists see no value in anything.

A theory which stresses the individual’s responsibility for making himself what he is (Webster).

Postmodernism: Hyper-individualism.

Adaptation of existentialism with traces of naturalism.

Difficult to explain or describe because the theory is based on the notion that there is no “metanarrative,” or grand story, that explains life and reality.

So, the individual constructs his own unique life story because the behavior is right for the person. He may not impose that unique view on anyone else.

No absolute moral truths exist, or, if they do, a person cannot know them.

Language - a social construct that distorts reality for our own purposes - is used to convey our personal experiences and stories, but these stories are very personal truths, with no need for validation.

Since the individual’s story is personal, it cannot be challenged, nor can what is learned by the individual be extended to society in representing a greater truth or meaning.

Personal experience (through language and communication) then becomes a substitute for truth, since there is no objective reality, no truth, no grand purpose to life.

Moral behavior is essentially a private matter, with language as a fabrication tool to give the individual power.

Hyper-tolerance is of great importance, along with comfortable surroundings and self-satisfaction, with the inevitable results of societal fragmentation, decadence, chaos, and radical choice.

With no regard for external control, established order or delimiting laws imposed by others, life is viewed as a random series of subjective experiences with no accountability for actions.

Process is more important than purpose or product of one’s efforts.

Infatuation with technology coincides with this view because of its emphasis on process and technique rather than product or impact.

Feelings replace reason, experience replaces logic, contradiction replaces consistency.

Pantheism: Impersonal divinity.

Proponents: Zen Buddhism, Hinduism, Transcendental Meditation (Eastern religions and philosophies)

Stands alone in contrast to other world views.

Everyone is god, with god as an abstract, impersonal concept - a grand unity of the universe rather than a spiritual being.

Pantheist live to reach this oneness (unity) with the universe, with everything around him part of that oneness, so every element in creation has some dimension of god within it.

Vagueness of this view is because language cannot describe the essence and uniqueness of such thought, so they say.

Reincarnation gives a person many attempts to achieve this oneness; but the next life is dependent upon past experiences and efforts - a reflection of the “karma” (the present condition) one creates.

Even though there is no right and wrong behavior, karma is affected by what you do - the benefit not know until the next lifetime.

Emphasis on how one evolves rather than what one does or believes, using techniques that are individual, solitary, unique, internalized.

Western view seems to say the object of pantheism is mental numbness; the Eastern view is achievement of peace, harmony, with the universe through a dreamlike state of nonactivity, oozing into universal oneness.

New Age: Philosophical syncretism.

Proponents: Carl Jung, Aldous Huxley, Robert Heinlein, Carlos Castenada, Marilyn Ferguson, Shirley MacLaine, George Lucas.

Mainly eastern mysticism like pantheism.

There is no transcendent god, no evil power.

The individual is the ultimate authority and also divine, able to transcend limitations of time, space, mortality to a high level of consciousness through personal, mystical experiences.

Animistic in nature. Animism is the belief that all objects (humans, animals, plants, stones, etc.) possess a natural life (conscious life), endowed with indwelling souls (Webster).

People have unlimited potential, blocked only by one’s unwillingness to move beyond restraints.

Barna suggests that the answer to seven questions will Christians develop a useful and biblically consistent worldview.

1. Does God exist?

2. What is the character and nature of God?

3. How and why was the world created?

4. What is the nature and purpose of humanity?

5. What happens after we die on earth?

6. What spiritual authorities exist?

7. What is truth?

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Mormonism

Jehovah’s Witnesses

The Way International

Unification Church

Moral relativism

Tolerance

Ecumenialism

AU Diversity and Tolerance Organization sponsored an Interfaith Dialogue Dinner as reported in the Opelika-Auburn News, October 22, 2005. The following are mentioned as being participants:

Jim Evans, First Baptist Church, Auburn

Diana Allende, Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Ed Hornig, Auburn Lutheran Church

Umit Goker, Istanbul Center for Culture and Dialogue

Johnny Green, White Street Baptist, Auburn

Richard Penaskovic, AU Department of Philosophy

Jim Evans is quoted as saying: “We have a history, particularly among Southern Baptists, of a strong brand of exclusivity that makes it hard for us to be able to sit around the table with people of different faiths and acknowledge them and accept them and realize we’re all on the same path to the same God.”

Here is a statement made by Bob Sanders who writes a weekly column for the Opelika-Auburn News in the October 2, 2004 edition:

“Ignorant as I am, I know that Muslims worship the very same god that Christians and Jews worship, the god of Adam and Noah and Abraham, and that “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for God.”

Spirituality: The quotes below are from an article in Newsweek, Aug. 29/Sept. 5. 2005, titled “Spirituality 2005,” citing the results of a survey taken by the magazine asking 1,004 Americans how they worship and what they believe. Underlining is Tom’s additions.

“Whatever is going on here, it’s not an explosion of people going to church. The great public manifestations of religiosity in America today--the megachurches seating 8,000 worshipers at one service, the emergence of evangelical preachers as political power brokers--haven’t been reflected in increased attendance at services.”

“’The fastest-growing category on surveys that ask people to give their religious affiliation,’ says Patricia O’Connell Killen of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, is ‘none.’ But ‘spirituality,’ the impulse to seek communion with the Divine, is thriving.’”

“Today, then, the real spiritual quest is not to put another conservative on the Supreme Court, or to get creation science into the schools. If you experience God directly, your faith is not going to hinge on whether natural selection could have produced the flagellum of a bacterium. If you feel God within you, then the important question is settled; the rest is details.”

“According to the Newsweek/Beliefnet Poll, eight in 10 Americans--including 68 percent of evangelicals--believe that more than one faith can be a path to salvation, which is most likely not what they were taught in Sunday school. One out of five respondents said he had switched religions as an adult.”

“. . .the United States, which for much of its history was a spiritual hothouse in which Methodism, Mormonism, Adventism, Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Nation of Islam all took root and flourished. In American even atheists are spiritualists, searching for meaning in parapsychology and near-death experiences. . .American faiths have long been characterized by creativity and individualism. ‘That’s their secret to success,’ says Alan Wolfe, director of the Biosi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College. ‘Rather than being about a god who commands you, it’s about finding a religion that empowers you.’”

Stephen Cope, who attended Episcopal divinity school but later trained as a psychotherapist, dropped into a meditation center one day and soon found himself spending six hours every Sunday sitting and walking in silent contemplation. Then he added yoga to his routine, which he happily describes as ‘like gasoline on fire’ when it comes to igniting a meditative state. And the great thing is, he still attends his Episcopal church--a perfect example of the new American spirituality, with a thirst for transcendence too powerful to be met by just one religion.”

From Barna, George. Think Like Jesus: Make the Right Decision Every Time. Integrity Publishers, 2003. What follows is Appendix 2 of this book.

Survey Questions Regarding Biblical Worldview

What follows are survey questions used by Barna Research to gather data regarding people’s worldviews. The survey is divided into three different parts, each designed to determine the answer to a specific part of one’s worldview.

Questions Designed to Determine Whether One is a Born-Again Christian

Have you ever made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in your life today?

1. Yes. GO TO THE NEXT QUESTION

2. No. SKIP NEXT QUESTION

3. Don’t know. SKIP NEXT QUESTION

The following statement are about what will happen to you after you die. Please indicate which ONE of these statements best describes your own belief about what will happen to you after you die. Which comes closest to what you believe?

1. When I die I will go to Heaven because I have tried to obey the Ten Commandments.

2. When I die I will go to Heaven because I am basically a good person.

3. When I die I will go to Heaven because I have confessed my sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.

4. When I die I will go to Heaven because God loves all people and will not let them perish.

5. When I die I will not go to Heaven.

6. I do not know what will happen after I die.

7. Other (explain):

8. Don’t know.

NOTE: A respondent is categorized as “born again” if they say “yes” to the first question and choose response option 3 above in response to the second question. All other response patterns classify the individual as a non-born-again Christian.

Questions Designed To Determine Views On Absolute Moral

Truth And Its Impact On Personal Decisions

Changing topics for a moment, think about the choices you make every day. People make their decisions in different ways. When you are faced with a moral or ethical choice, which ONE of the following statements best describes how you decide what to do? In other words, which one statement best describes how you usually make your moral or ethical decisions?

1. I do whatever will make the most people happy or create the least conflict.

2. I do whatever I think my family or friends would expect me to do.

3. I follow a set of specific principles or standards I believe in that serve as guidelines for my behavior.

4. I do what I believe most other people would do in that situation.

5. I do whatever feels right or comfortable in that situation.

6. I do whatever will produce the most positive outcome for me personally.

7. Other (explain):

8. Don’t know.

**IF THE ANSWER TO THE FIRST QUESTION WAS “Don’t know,” CONTINUE; OTHERWISE SKIP THE NEXT QUESTION.**

What is the basis or source of those principles and standards that you take into consideration? In other words, where do those standards and principles come from? What would you turn to in order to discover the appropriate principles? IF THEY SAY “God” ASK: Do you mean that you would expect God to speak directly to you or do you mean something else?

1. the law

2. the Bible

3. values taught by your parents

4. Golden Rule

5. God--speaking directly

6. God--other:________

7. personal feelings

8. lessons learned from past experience

9. Other (explain):

10 Don’t know

Some people believe there are moral truths that are absolute, meaning that those moral truths or principles do not change according to the circumstances. Other people believe that moral truth always depends upon the situation, meaning their moral and ethical decisions depend upon the circumstances. How about you? Do you believe there are moral absolutes that are unchanging, or do you believe moral truth is relative to the circumstances? Or is this something you have never really thought about? If so, is that because you have thought about this matter and have not arrived at a conclusion, or because you have not really thought about this matter? Which statement below best describes your view?

1. Moral truth is absolute.

2. Moral truth is relative to circumstances.

3. Thought about it, have no conclusions.

4. Never thought about it.

5. Don’t know.

Questions Designed To Determine Adoption of Fundamental

Biblical Truths

These questions pertain to people’s beliefs. There are no right or wrong answers, so please indicate if you, personally, agree or disagree strongly with each statement, agree or disagree somewhat with the statement, or you don’t know.

1. The Bible is totally accurate in all of its teachings.