“The War of the

Worldviews”

What is a “World View”? A. It’s a way of viewing the world.

B. It’s the mental glasses through

which one views reality.

C. It’s the lense you look through to understand the world.

D. It’s the intellectual framework we use to make sense of everything.

The 7 Major World Views:

1.Theism

2. Deism

3. Finite Godism

4. Atheism

5. Pantheism

6. Panentheism

7. Polytheism

Theism: God created All

1. Theism: GOD created All

• Basic Beliefs: • God created

the world (He is Transcendent).

• God sustains the world (He is Immanent).

• God does super-natural acts. (miracles)

• Proponents: • Judaism • Islam • Christianity • Augustine • Anselm • Aquinas • C. S. Lewis

Deism: God is beyond the World, but not in It

2. Deism: God is beyond the world, not in it

Basic Beliefs: • God created the world (Transcendent). • God doesn’t sustain it (Not Immanent). • God does not do miracles. Proponents: • Francois-Marie Voltaire • John Toland • Thomas Jefferson • Thomas Paine

Finite Godism: God is beyond world but is limited in power

and/or perfection

3. Finite Godism

Basic Beliefs: • Finite God created the world (modern) • Finite God forms and eternal world (ancient) • God does not completely control the world • Evil shows God is limited in power and/or perfection • God does not do miracles Proponents: • Plato • John Stewart Mill • Rabbi Kushner

Atheism: No God at All

4. Atheism: No God Basic Beliefs:

No God, infinite or finite, exists Evil exists and is evidence against God No miracles are possible “God” is an illusion or projection Proponents: Lucretius Friedrich Nietzsche Sigmund Freud Richard Dawkins

Pantheism: God is All

Panentheism: God is in All

Polytheism: There are many finite gods.

3 Major World Views Theism Pantheism Atheism God created all God is all No God at all

Mind made matter All is Mind All is matter

God is Personal God is impersonal No God

God is knowable God is unknowable No God

Logic is grounded Logic is illusory Logic ungrnd.

Morality grounded Morality is illusory Morality ungrnd.

Evil has an answer Evil is an illusion Evil doesn’t exist

Many minds exist One Mind exists No minds exist

Chris/Jud/Islam Hinduism/New Age Secular Humanism

Theism vs. Deism Beyond world Beyond world

& in the world & not in the world

Problem: God did the big miracle (creation) but not smaller ones (like

resurrection)

Theism vs. Finite Godism Infinite GOD Finite god

Problems: 1. Contrary to principle of causality: “Every finite being needs a cause.” So, God would need a Cause (in which case He would not be God but a creature).

Theism vs. Finite Godism Infinite GOD Finite god

Problems: 1. Contrary to principle of causality: “Every finite being needs a cause.” greater than God (an infinite Being)

3. No guarantee of victory over evil! (in which case evil is more ultimate than good)

Theism vs. Atheism

God exists No God exists

Problems: 1. There is no evidence for atheism.

(“Evil” presupposes God)

Theism vs. Atheism God exists No God exists

Problems: 1. There is no evidence for atheism.

(Evil presupposes God)

2. There is strong evidence against it (cosmological, teleological, and moral arguments).

Theism vs. Pantheism God made all God is all I am not God I am God Evil is real Evil isn’t real Physical is real Physical is illusory Morality exists Morality is illusory Logic is grounded Logic ungrounded

.

Problems with Pantheism:

1. 1. It denies sense experience, yet uses it to find and share truth.

Problems with Pantheism:

1. 1. It denies sense experience, yet uses it to find and share truth.

2. 2. It claims we can change from illusion to enlightenment; a. We can change. b. We are God. c. Yet God cannot change.

Problems with Pantheism: 3. It recognizes the existence of

opposing views are equally true,

3. yet claims they are an illusion.

Theism vs. Polytheism One Infinite God Many finite gods

Problems:

1. Every finite needs and infinite Cause (Polytheistic gods need a

Creator). 2. A uni-verse needs a uni-Cause

(the Anthropic Principle).

Theism vs. Panentheism Monopolar Bipolar No parts Parts Infinite Finite Independent Dependent Absolutely perfect Not perfect Unchanging Changing

The Problems with Panentheism 1. God is self-caused which is impossible. 2. God and world are mutually dependent which is impossible. 3. God is changing which is not possible without an unchanging basis for change (which would be more ultimate than God). 4. God is not perfect (which demands a Perfect by which He is measured).

The Problems with Panentheism 5. Their concept of change is incoherent, for-- a. There is no continuity in the change. b. It is change w/o anything that changes. c. It is annihilation/recreation without a Creator to do the recreation. 6. If God is temporal, then— a. He must have a beginning; b. He must be material; c. He must be running down (II Law). d. He can’t think faster than light. (the panentheistic God is a finite creature in need

of a Infinite Creator)

Isaiah 44:6-22

“I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your Name forever and ever. I will praise You

every day; yes, I will praise You forever. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of

praise! No one can measure His Greatness.”

- Psalm 145:1-3 (NLT)