Every person is a unique individual with their own set of
beliefs, values and ethics, and their own perceptions on reality.
We are also shaped by our culture, what one has learned in life,
life experiences, religion, spiritual beliefs and the relationships
we hold. All of these things provide the foundation of who we are,
develop who we are and what makes us individuals. They guide us in
our everyday living, the decisions we make both in our personal
lives and in our professions, and are seen in our behaviors and how
we live our lives. They also help make up each person’s
worldview.
James Sire identified seven questions to answer and understand
what a worldview is; these seven questions are the key components
that make up a worldview.
1. What is the Nature of Ultimate Reality?-This first worldview
question relates to the very nature of reality in its entirety. The
main focus of the issues it raises involve whether or not there is
such a thing as the supernatural. If there is, what is it like. It
deals with such questions as:
Is there a God or not? If there is, what is that he like? If
there is no God, what is the origin of material reality?Are there
multiple gods? If so, what are they like?Is there a personal
element to ultimate reality? If not, what is the nature of
impersonal reality?
2.What is the nature of material reality?-There have been those
who have questioned whether or not the material world we live in
really exists, and have posited that it is an illusion in one form
or another. However, since it is the physical world that we live
our lives in, most people assume that it actually does exist. That
being said, not everyone agrees as to the nature of the material
world. In fact, every worldview has a different perspective about
it. Different worldview possibilities include:
It is created or uncreated?It is orderly or chaotic?It is
subjective or objective?It is personal or impersonal?
3. What is a human being?-The nature of worldview is such that
it might seem strange to many people to even ask a question like
this. We all have an underlying presupposition about what a human
being is and we simply assume that everyone else understands it in
the same way we do. That is simply not the case. Different
worldviews hold entirely different understandings about it. And the
reason it is important is because different understandings result
in different ways of valuing and treating other people.
Some of the different possible answers posited by various
worldviews concerning the nature of a human being include:A highly
evolved biological machine.A god or potential god. A form of energy
which shifts forms through successive existences.A person made in
the image of God.
4. What happens to a person at death?-Every worldview has its
doctrine related to the afterlife. While the practical implications
of this may not, at first glance, seem to be that profound, those
implications actually run very deep. For instance, if a person
believes there is no after life, why is there any reason to refuse
oneself anything in this life. Of if a person believes that they
will get 72 virgins if they die as a martyr, why not go for it.
Here are some of the answers that various worldviews give
concerning life after death.
People cease to exist.Individuals are transformed to a higher
state.People reincarnate into another life on earth.People depart
to a shadowy existence on “the other side.”Individuals enter into
the spiritual realm (heaven, hell, or other place) based on how
life was lived on earth.People enter directly into heaven.
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all?-It is
interesting to think that different people might actually have a
different way of conceiving of human rationality. After all, we all
have to use it even to discuss the topic of knowledge. In spite of
that, the different worldviews actually do have different ways of
understanding it – from considering it to be an illusion to
thinking of it as an objective reality and places in between. These
are some of the ways that various worldviews deal with the issue of
knowledge.
Consciousness and rationality developed through a long process
of evolution.There is no “reason” that human beings are able to
have knowledge. That is just the nature of our existence.Knowledge
is an illusion.Humans are made in the image of God who, himself,
has knowledge.
6. How do we know what is right and wrong?-As we look around
the world at the differences in various cultures, one of the things
that jumps out quickly is that there are certain moral principles
that are almost universal. Questions related to honesty and
integrity, sexual issues, how we should treat other people and so
on are integral parts of virtually every society. Even when
individuals or societies don’t seem to follow the principles, they
will still tell you that they exist. The search to identify what is
right and wrong and to give reasons for why morality should be
dealt with certain ways is an integral part of every worldview.
Here are some of the ways that various worldviews deal with this
issue-
Right and wrong are strictly products of human choice.Right and
wrong are determined by what feels good.A sense of right and wrong
was an evolutionary development as a survival mechanism for the
species.Right and wrong are learned by experience as we learn what
pleases the gods.We are made in the image of God whose character is
good and who has revealed what is right.-
7. What is the meaning of human history?-Some may wonder why
the issue of time is included in the questions about worldview.
Actually, the focus is more on the issue of meaning than it is on
time. It is just that the meaning is set in the context of time.
The search for meaning may be the most profound issue that human
beings deal with in life. It is so profound that some people even
choose to end their lives because the cannot manage to find a
reason to continue on. Different worldviews have different ways of
addressing this question. Some of the various worldviews deal with
this by asserting:
There is no innate meaning to human history. Meaning is what
humans make it to be.Time is an illusion.Meaning involves realizing
the purpose of the gods.Meaning results from discovering and
fulfilling the purpose of God.
My personal beliefs have formed me over the course of my
lifetime by many different influences. Many people have made
important impact in my life that have changed my beliefs in society
and my life. The major two values that help determine my worldview
are God,Knowledge and Ethics they are the ways that help me shape
my beliefs, and life decisions. I feel the strongest aspect of my
worldview is my tremendous sense of spirituality and the
relationship I have with God. All of these beliefs help me every
day with my decisions. The moral values I have learned are from
many different influences through my life experiences.
I have picked these three components because it is not easy to
get through life without God guiding us through our lives with our
everyday decisions. The knowledge is important because God has put
us here to teach and help others and the more I know about what I
am doing and with the experience it is easier to have a
perspective. Ethics are important as well to be morally guided,to
follow the right path in life.