What is a Christian Worldview, part 4
When the tests of reason, consistency, coherence, comprehensiveness, simplicity, empirical fit, and livability are applied to various worldviews, we can see marked differences between them.
Naturalism is a philosophy committed to a godless universe. It explains the appearance of design and the complexity of life (including minds) as a result of blind random chance, forcing the observer to deny what seems empirically obvious. Naturalism must also deal with the problem of the good—why and how humanity developed a moral conscience and why the good is preferred. Naturalists have no foundation for morality; in fact, a naturalist can certainly live a moral life, but he must borrow the moral categories of good and evil from the Christian worldview. If the naturalist is consistent in his worldview, he would affirm that there is no such thing as good and evil—a position that cannot be consistently held. Any worldview that cannot explain the nuances of human existence such as morality, guilt, love, and reason also fails the test of comprehensiveness.
The New Age movement holds to the idea that the most important conception of humanity transcends the laws of logic. This means the New Age advocate is committed to relativism, which denies the law of non-contradiction. However, when the New Age teacher speaks or writes, she assumes the law of non-contradiction; her point of view is intended to be understood in a non-relativistic way. Shirley MacLaine said, “Everyone has his own truth, and truth, as an objective reality, doesn’t exist.” MacLaine is attempting to make a true statement about the non-existence of truth (she is attempting to invalidate the law of non-contradiction by using the law of non-contradiction). From there, the problems with the New Age movement continue to mount. In the end, the New Age movement turns out to be nothing more than the age-old quest of humanity to be its own god.
The biblical worldview fits the world that we know. It explains why the universe appears to be designed and fine-tuned. It explains why mankind is superior to the animal kingdom. It explains why man is a moral being, knowing the difference between right and wrong; capable of doing such good, but guilty of such evil. It answers the longing in our hearts for forgiveness. It explains death and the desire to live forever. The Christian worldview so empirically fits the world we live in and the needs and longings of the heart that many label this view the product of wishful thinking. However, skeptics need to consider the possibility that the Christian worldview fits so well because it’s true. This does not mean that the Christian worldview is without difficulties. The problem of evil and the sovereignty of God verses the free will of man are examples of some difficulties that have been the topic of conversation for almost two thousand years. None of these difficulties have proven fatal to Christianity; in fact, with serious study some very good answers can be found.
When compressive tests are applied to all worldviews, the Christian worldview will rise to the top.
Naturalism is a philosophy committed to a godless universe. It explains the appearance of design and the complexity of life (including minds) as a result of blind random chance, forcing the observer to deny what seems empirically obvious. Naturalism must also deal with the problem of the good—why and how humanity developed a moral conscience and why the good is preferred. Naturalists have no foundation for morality; in fact, a naturalist can certainly live a moral life, but he must borrow the moral categories of good and evil from the Christian worldview. If the naturalist is consistent in his worldview, he would affirm that there is no such thing as good and evil—a position that cannot be consistently held. Any worldview that cannot explain the nuances of human existence such as morality, guilt, love, and reason also fails the test of comprehensiveness.
The New Age movement holds to the idea that the most important conception of humanity transcends the laws of logic. This means the New Age advocate is committed to relativism, which denies the law of non-contradiction. However, when the New Age teacher speaks or writes, she assumes the law of non-contradiction; her point of view is intended to be understood in a non-relativistic way. Shirley MacLaine said, “Everyone has his own truth, and truth, as an objective reality, doesn’t exist.” MacLaine is attempting to make a true statement about the non-existence of truth (she is attempting to invalidate the law of non-contradiction by using the law of non-contradiction). From there, the problems with the New Age movement continue to mount. In the end, the New Age movement turns out to be nothing more than the age-old quest of humanity to be its own god.
The biblical worldview fits the world that we know. It explains why the universe appears to be designed and fine-tuned. It explains why mankind is superior to the animal kingdom. It explains why man is a moral being, knowing the difference between right and wrong; capable of doing such good, but guilty of such evil. It answers the longing in our hearts for forgiveness. It explains death and the desire to live forever. The Christian worldview so empirically fits the world we live in and the needs and longings of the heart that many label this view the product of wishful thinking. However, skeptics need to consider the possibility that the Christian worldview fits so well because it’s true. This does not mean that the Christian worldview is without difficulties. The problem of evil and the sovereignty of God verses the free will of man are examples of some difficulties that have been the topic of conversation for almost two thousand years. None of these difficulties have proven fatal to Christianity; in fact, with serious study some very good answers can be found.
When compressive tests are applied to all worldviews, the Christian worldview will rise to the top.
Labels: naturalism, worldview
posted on Friday, December 01, 2006 |
1 Comments:
Again, you have completely misrepresented the naturalistic worldview.
I would also add that these aren't the only three worldviews in competition.
I am also surprised you can write that Christianity passed the law of non-contradictions with a straight face.
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