Session 1 - Ten Ways of Looking at the World
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Colorado Christian University *
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Philosophy
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Apr 3, 2024
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Ten Ways of Looking at the World
Matthew W. Timmons
Colorado Christian University
PHL-205A-35014-FA23 – World Views
Professor Quintana
November 20, 2023
My worldview has recently come to my attention; I am still in the beginning stages of what my worldview is and looks like. What is a worldview, and how do we look at the world? Those are good questions; a worldview is a way of understanding the world and how it works (Session 1 What is a Worldview, 2021). A way to understand it is by considering it as a lens through interpretations of experiences. Through several subsets, we can better understand how we view the world.
Theology is a way of looking at the world. Theology definition is the study of God and his
nature. I have started my journey on how to understand God. I know I will only understand and receive some things there is to know. I know God created the Heavens and the Earth. I know God is my Lord and Savior. God’s words bring comfort and encouragement to me. God is love, and if we love other people, we know God. Some believe there is no God, such as Atheists, and we humans just came into existence on our own. According to Myers and Noebel (2015), “Theism, the belief that God is, and Atheism, the belief that God is not, are not simply two beliefs… They are two fundamental ways of seeing the whole of existence (p. 190). As a Christian, I believe in the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God exists in and outside of time. Christian theology is theistic from verse one of the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen1:1). That one sentence proclaims a God who is active in yet separate from his creation, a designed universe and an intentional life-sustaining earth (Myers and Noebel, 2015, p. 190). If this statement is valid for a Christian believer, then Atheism is false. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. I choose to believe in God, Heaven, and Hell rather than not believe in it, and come face to face with God and realize I made a mistake because there is nothing a person can do at that point. That is my belief and philosophy.
Philosophy studies basic ideas about knowledge, truth, right and wrong, and religion. Philosophy comes from two Greek words, Philo and Sophia, meaning (love) and (wisdom). The
love of wisdom is essentially philosophy. If we love God, we must love what God loves. God loves wisdom and will give it to us if we pray and ask him to instill us with godly wisdom. Without knowledge from God, how can man discern what is real? Myers and Noebel (2015) state, “The study of ultimate reality is called metaphysics. In Greek, the word metaphysics means “beyond the natural things” (meta means “beyond”; physics means “natural things” (p. 206). I have to agree with philosophers who are dualists. The most common form of dualism maintains that the universe consists of material and immaterial entities and properties. So, according to this view, the soul, an immaterial entity, is just as real as the physical body to which
it is united (Myers and Noebel, 2015, p.206). Our bodies would not be able to function without a
soul and God breathing life into our bodies. Once these earthly bodies die, our souls move on to have eternal life or suffer a second death.
Everyone will have their view of what the good life is. Some believe the good life is being
wealthy and having no cares or worries. Myers and Noebel (2015) state, “Ethicists are not merely in search of a life that feels good, but in search of “the good life” – a life that actually is good (p. 19). I think the good life is about being happy and grateful for everything God has done for you. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. The natural world shows us God’s fingerprints in everything in creation. God sustains and holds together all things. Myers and Noebel (2015) say, “When it comes to understanding life-physical as well as spiritual- we believe the Christian worldview offers superior insight (p.23). Human beings have a sense of thought. We can know right from wrong. When humans sin, we have a savior we can ask for forgiveness. As human beings, we have souls and free will, and we can speak a language. Understanding human beings as possessing both bodies and souls, even though we are sinful, imperfect, and in need of a savior, far outweighs expecting humans, as many contemporary psychologists argue, to be guilt-
free and in control of their behavior (Myers and Noebel, 2015, p.23). The sociology of how we
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should live in a community is essential to society. We must learn to respect our differences. We should all be able to come together with a common goal to support one another. According to Myers and Noebel (2015), “At the end of the day, sociologists hope that by understanding how societies develop and grow and relate to one another, we might learn to live in greater harmony
(p.21).
A Law is a set of rules issued by the government and legislators for people to follow. The
meaning of the just from a just law is fair, impartial, or reasonable. An example of a just law is obeying God’s rules (commandments). We must abide by the directions in the world to live in orderly. “In order to live together in an orderly way, we need laws we all agree to follow. If even a few people were to decide not to stop at red lights, it would create uncertainty and chaos for everyone” (Myers and Noebel, 2015, p.20). I feel the power should rest in the hands of God because he is all-knowing, wise, the king of kings, and knows the consequences of our decisions.
In the natural world, the President and politicians rest in power. I do not always think some, not all, make the best choices for the people. As Myers and Noebel (2015) put it, “Properly conceived, politics offers a platform from which to encourage virtue, and virtue is at the heart of
good government (p.21). Can we honestly say that any government is 100% good? No, not with all the corruption scandals happening in the news. We should learn to be productive by improving our daily productivity as a society. We can all come together by transforming our habits and routines. Myers and Noebel (2015) mention, “Economics become infinitely more complex though when people want to borrow money to acquire very expensive things, or to capitalize a large enterprise (p.21). But if people do not work, pay taxes, or apply for loans with interest, we as a society will not have a bustling economy, and more people will be homeless. If history has taught us anything, we should learn from previous mistakes to avoid repeating past mistakes. Myers and Noebel (2015) say that “History has a direction and goal” (p.23). Jesus the
Messiah will usher in a new kingdom, the old will be destroyed, and a new heaven and earth will
begin on the day of judgment.
Knowing what a worldview is paving the way for more open discussions about how we see the world. Writing this essay has broadened my way of thinking about worldviews. Going from theology to history explained some of my and others' views. There are no right or wrong answers, but they make you wonder which viewpoints or worldviews are correct.
References
Colorado Christian University. (2021). Viewing [What is a Worldview?]. Brightspace.
https://mycourses.ccu.edu
Myes, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015). Understanding the times: a survey of competing worldviews.
Manitou Springs, CO: Colorado Springs, Summit Ministries.
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