Articles
Human beings are not only the most complex but also the most intelligent animals. The complexity and intelligence arouse curiosity among people making them question most of the things in their immediate environment. People try to understand how and why certain phenomena in the world occur. Therefore, people are bound to view the world differently based on their racial or religious background (DeWitt, 2011). Worldview encompasses a person’s beliefs, perspective, and knowledge about life. A particular individual’s worldview may not be necessarily true, but it forms the basis of how that individual views their life and the world as a whole. The fact that personal worldviews are based on beliefs makes religion a fundamental part of studying the subject. Those who believe in God will have a different worldview compared to those who do not. Ultimately, every individual will have a unique worldview whether or not they believe in God.
The reality is that there exists a supernatural being in this world that monitors all human relationships. Spirituality is an integral part of the human nature, and most people believe in the existence of a supreme God (UKESSAYS, 2013). Therefore, God is the prime reality for the Christians and through His scriptures, all the other realities are revealed to the believers. The Bible asserts that God created the universe and everything within it, human beings included. He is an omniscient, and sovereign God, and His goodness to humanity can be attested to by the Christian believers. Despite the fact that God is infinite, people can still develop personal relationships with Him as revealed in the scriptures.
The nature of the world around us has significantly changed since God created it. After creating the universe and everything within it by word of mouth, God finally created man on the sixth day. Man was put into the world that had almost everything necessary for survival. Since then, man has made several alterations to the external environment around him in a bid to adapt to the changing times (Benner, 2011). Technological advancements have led to the development of a sophisticated man-made physical environment. Nevertheless, the world today is an orderly place where diverse human races coexist peacefully.
People are highly intelligent animals created in the image and likeness of God(UKESSAYS, 2013). According to the scriptures, God created the other animals by a mere word of mouth but took the time to create man in His image. Therefore, human beings are unique creations of God and as such were accorded control over the other animals. Intelligence enables man to make critical decisions, a task the other members of the animal kingdom cannot complete. Human beings have the power to distinguish between the good and evil in the society. Today, the community is expected to adhere to the moral standards set by the scriptures. In consideration to other animals, human beings are widely viewed as good beings. However, it is worth noting that some human beings exhibit deviant behavior.
When people finally die, the next destination will largely depend on the individual deeds during their lifetime. On dying, the soul leaves the physical body and wanders to the spiritual world awaiting judgment. The souls of those who led pure lives according to the scriptures will go to heaven where eternal life is guaranteed. On the contrary, those who defied the scriptures and led an evil life will be condemned to hell where an eternal fire awaits them. God is the ultimate fair judge whose decision is considered final. Therefore, death is not a finality, but an afterlife exists. People who wish to live happily after death should purpose to go to heaven, and the only way to get there is by living according to God’s scriptures. Ideally, everyone can go to heaven because human beings have the opportunity to repent their sins and start living a righteous life before death.
People’s ability to know things is God-given. God is an all-knowing being and during creation, human beings were given part of this ability(UKESSAYS, 2013). The need for survival also ensured that people naturally develop the capacity to know things. This ability enabled people to adapt better to the external environment by differentiating between what could facilitate survival and what could lead to extinction. Since creation, human beings have engaged in a lot of innovations aimed at improving their lives. With innovations, comes the ability to know more things that were previously unknown. Therefore, after being given the ability to know things by God, human beings have significantly expanded that knowledge through their efforts to survive and overcome the challenges in life.
A lot of differences emerge when it comes to what is considered right or wrong in the society. The debate on ethics within the society is one that will not end soon because what is seen as bad by one community may not be regarded in the same light by another community. Human beings can distinguish between right and wrong because the God who created them is of good character. Therefore, God expects people to be good towards each other, and He outlines both the right and wrong practices in the scriptures (Seaward, 2013). A person who has read and understood the scriptures can confidently distinguish between right and wrong. Furthermore, human beings are rational beings who know that any action intended at causing harm to others is wrong.
The importance of human history cannot be underestimated. By understanding their origin, human beings can understand their purpose on earth and live according to the requirements of God. People will live knowing that there is an afterlife and that they will be judged based on their actions on earth. This revelation is likely to instill a sense of fear among people, and it will greatly influence the way they relate to each other. If a heaven awaits those who live according to the scriptures, then the society, in general, is expected to live within the confines of God’s word because no one will willingly choose hell.
In as much as worldviews vary significantly among individuals, it is important to understand some basic concepts associated with worldviews. The first one is spirituality, which refers to the process by which individuals develop beliefs in supernatural beings in a bid to seek explanations to some of the aspects of life (Colborn, 2011). Secondly, the concept of pluralism asserts that people of diverse backgrounds can coexist peacefully in one society. Race, religion or social class should not undermine coexistence in the society because people can still live together and find a peaceful way of fulfilling their interests. The concept of scientism emphasizes the fact that all the phenomena in the world today have a scientific explanation. Empirical results based on scientific research are used to justify the worldview from a scientific point of view. Finally, the concept of postmodernism criticizes some of the commonly known cultural, philosophical or historical beliefs by offering counter explanations as to why things are the way they are today.
To conclude, worldviews are very fundamental because they influence morality in the society. If a particular community has a cohesive worldview, then such a worldview is likely to form the basis of the moral values. Worldviews also influence how people interpret situations in life, because based on the evidence provided, people will always make decisions on how they already see the world. It is imperative that people be careful while making reference to worldviews because the views are subjective. Therefore, a worldview from even the most educated individual in the society can be false.
References
Essays, UK. (November 2013). The Universe Next Door Philosophy Essay. Retrieved from http://www.ukessays.com/essays/philosophy/the-universe-next-door-philosophy-essay.php?cref=1 DeWitt, R. (2011).
Worldviews: An Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Science. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Benner, D. G. (2011).
Soulful Spirituality: Becoming Fully Alive and Deeply Human. Grand Rapids: Baker Pub. Group. Seaward, B. L. (2013).
Health of the human spirit: Spiritual dimensions for personal health. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Colborn, M. (2011). Pluralism and the Mind. Luton: Andrews UK.
