Post by Mark on Feb 24, 2009 18:20:44 GMT -5
The TOTAL TRUTH Solution
for a Fr\ac/tur\ed America
Big Picture Answers for America's Big Problems -
Rebuilding on America's Original Worldview
by Leonard Ransil
Section 2: Christianity vs. Rival Worldviews
Chapter 8: Christianity vs. Secularistic Materialism
The constant bombardment of anti-Christian messages by the news media, academia, and the music and entertainment industries entices people to mix elements of different worldviews into new, often incompatible, combinations--buffet style. Unfortunately, such experimentation can cause serious mental and emotional “indigestion” in the mind just as food poisoning can cause in the body. Both can even be fatal, spiritually or physically respectively.
Section 2 of this book will contrast and compare seven dominant worldviews with the Christian worldview. They are listed in a previous chapter, "Worldviews in Conflict." The first three, Christian Theism, Deism and Polytheism, have a belief in one or more supernatural beings with the qualities of a person or persons. The last five depict the supernatural as either non-existent, unknowable, an impersonal force or as Satan himself. While the influence of any of these rivals cannot be underestimated, Materialism (the focus of this chapter) and New Age currently have the strongest impact on our nation.
Materialism is the belief that matter and material processes are the sole constituents of reality. It's assumptions form the basis of an anti-God worldview that has many tentacles.* Materialism is the first worldview to be contrasted with Christianity because of its cancerous impact on American life and values. Indeed, it is an invasive and aggressive contradiction to America’s Christian heritage. Its proponents seek nothing less than to replace our foundational belief in the Supreme God of the Bible with belief in Man as supreme--the de facto belief of Secular Humanism. One says "In God we trust;" the other says "In Man we trust." It is the introduction of the latter worldview that has ignited the current "culture war" which threatens America's existence as a free God-fearing society.
*Atheism: disbelief in or denial of God's existence (Merriam-Webster); a lack of belief in a Diety or deities: the opposite of Theism. It asserts the nonexistence of gods (Wikipedia).
Agnosticism or Nontheism: makes no claim about whether gods do or do not exist (Wikipedia).
*Humanism: a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; especially a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason (Merriam-Webster).
*Naturalism: does not necessarily claim that phenomena or hypotheses commonly labeled as supernatural do not exist or are wrong, but insists that all phenomena and hypotheses can be studied by the same methods. Anything considered supernatural is either nonexistent, unknowable or not inherently different from natural phenomena or hypotheses (Wikipedia).
Secular: temporal rather than spiritual (Merriam-Webster).
*Secularism: (1) asserts the freedom of religion, and freedom from religion, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions; (2) refers to a belief that human activities and decisions should be based on evidence and fact, and not superstitious beliefs, however devoutly held, and that policy should be free from religious domination. For example, a society deciding whether to promote condom use might consider the issues of disease prevention, family planning, and women's rights. A secularist would argue that such issues are relevant to public policy-making, whereas Biblical interpretation or church doctrine should not be considered and are irrelevant (Wikipedia).
Secular Humanism: combines Secularistic and Humanistic beliefs to assert the primacy of man and exclude the metaphysical (supernatural) realm.
It is a worldview with the following elements and principles: (Wikipedia)
(1) Need to test beliefs--a conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.
(2) Reason, evidence, scientific method--a commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
(3) Fulfillment, growth, creativity--a primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
(4) Search for truth--a constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
(5) This life--a concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
(6) Ethics--a search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
(7) Building a better world--a conviction that with reason, an open exchange of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.
Chart 3 below provides a simplified overview in prose form that highlights the sharp contrast between the Christian Worldview and the Materialistic Worldview. (Please note: Chart numbers throughout Section 2 are sequential, beginning with the first chapter, "Discovering Your Worldview".)
PLEASE NOTE: For the original chart with side by side comparison of each point go to totaltruth.org (This site does not accept the protocol required by the more complicted form of the chart.) Lenny R.
CHART 3
Obviously the contrast between these two worldviews is so enormous that both cannot be true. In order to highlight key differences, the next chapter will present a point by point analysis of these two worldviews by using the questions first posed in the previous chapter, Discovering Your Worldview, Chart 1. While you can choose either view for yourself, try solving the puzzle of which choice is safest and why.
for a Fr\ac/tur\ed America
Big Picture Answers for America's Big Problems -
Rebuilding on America's Original Worldview
by Leonard Ransil
Section 2: Christianity vs. Rival Worldviews
Chapter 8: Christianity vs. Secularistic Materialism
The constant bombardment of anti-Christian messages by the news media, academia, and the music and entertainment industries entices people to mix elements of different worldviews into new, often incompatible, combinations--buffet style. Unfortunately, such experimentation can cause serious mental and emotional “indigestion” in the mind just as food poisoning can cause in the body. Both can even be fatal, spiritually or physically respectively.
Section 2 of this book will contrast and compare seven dominant worldviews with the Christian worldview. They are listed in a previous chapter, "Worldviews in Conflict." The first three, Christian Theism, Deism and Polytheism, have a belief in one or more supernatural beings with the qualities of a person or persons. The last five depict the supernatural as either non-existent, unknowable, an impersonal force or as Satan himself. While the influence of any of these rivals cannot be underestimated, Materialism (the focus of this chapter) and New Age currently have the strongest impact on our nation.
Materialism is the belief that matter and material processes are the sole constituents of reality. It's assumptions form the basis of an anti-God worldview that has many tentacles.* Materialism is the first worldview to be contrasted with Christianity because of its cancerous impact on American life and values. Indeed, it is an invasive and aggressive contradiction to America’s Christian heritage. Its proponents seek nothing less than to replace our foundational belief in the Supreme God of the Bible with belief in Man as supreme--the de facto belief of Secular Humanism. One says "In God we trust;" the other says "In Man we trust." It is the introduction of the latter worldview that has ignited the current "culture war" which threatens America's existence as a free God-fearing society.
*Atheism: disbelief in or denial of God's existence (Merriam-Webster); a lack of belief in a Diety or deities: the opposite of Theism. It asserts the nonexistence of gods (Wikipedia).
Agnosticism or Nontheism: makes no claim about whether gods do or do not exist (Wikipedia).
*Humanism: a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; especially a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason (Merriam-Webster).
*Naturalism: does not necessarily claim that phenomena or hypotheses commonly labeled as supernatural do not exist or are wrong, but insists that all phenomena and hypotheses can be studied by the same methods. Anything considered supernatural is either nonexistent, unknowable or not inherently different from natural phenomena or hypotheses (Wikipedia).
Secular: temporal rather than spiritual (Merriam-Webster).
*Secularism: (1) asserts the freedom of religion, and freedom from religion, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions; (2) refers to a belief that human activities and decisions should be based on evidence and fact, and not superstitious beliefs, however devoutly held, and that policy should be free from religious domination. For example, a society deciding whether to promote condom use might consider the issues of disease prevention, family planning, and women's rights. A secularist would argue that such issues are relevant to public policy-making, whereas Biblical interpretation or church doctrine should not be considered and are irrelevant (Wikipedia).
Secular Humanism: combines Secularistic and Humanistic beliefs to assert the primacy of man and exclude the metaphysical (supernatural) realm.
It is a worldview with the following elements and principles: (Wikipedia)
(1) Need to test beliefs--a conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.
(2) Reason, evidence, scientific method--a commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
(3) Fulfillment, growth, creativity--a primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
(4) Search for truth--a constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
(5) This life--a concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
(6) Ethics--a search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
(7) Building a better world--a conviction that with reason, an open exchange of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.
Chart 3 below provides a simplified overview in prose form that highlights the sharp contrast between the Christian Worldview and the Materialistic Worldview. (Please note: Chart numbers throughout Section 2 are sequential, beginning with the first chapter, "Discovering Your Worldview".)
PLEASE NOTE: For the original chart with side by side comparison of each point go to totaltruth.org (This site does not accept the protocol required by the more complicted form of the chart.) Lenny R.
CHART 3
| CHRISTIANITY FAITH IN THE GOD OF THE BIBLE
MATERIALISM FAITH IN THE PROCESS OF EVOLUTION
|
Obviously the contrast between these two worldviews is so enormous that both cannot be true. In order to highlight key differences, the next chapter will present a point by point analysis of these two worldviews by using the questions first posed in the previous chapter, Discovering Your Worldview, Chart 1. While you can choose either view for yourself, try solving the puzzle of which choice is safest and why.