There is a lot of talk these days about the topic of worldview. It is not unusual to hear the word used by people who are discussing the current state of society. In addition to that, there is no shortage of magazine, newspaper, and online articles which refer to worldview, as various “experts” give their assessment of what is going on in the world. This is particularly true in many Christian publications.
The only problem is, many of the people who use the word don’t really understand the implications of worldview concepts. And most of the people who read and hear references to worldview, have no clue whatsoever.
If we want to be serious as we deal with beliefs at a worldview level, it is critical that we know specifically what it is we are talking about. Personally, I think this is so critical, that every Christian needs to come to an understanding of the true meaning of this word.
To begin this explanation, I want to start out by sharing what worldview is not. As it turns out, much of what is spoken and written about using the term, is really not about worldview at all; it is about other topics. This is important to recognize, because when mistakes of this nature are made, people come to think they know certain things about the root cause of what is happening in the world when, in fact, they really don’t. And along with a wrong understanding, significant weaknesses are created in the thinking and lifestyles of people (Christians in particular) which hinder both their ability to stand strong in the face of opposition, and to effectively share Christ with a world that is desperately lost.
Worldviews Are Not Religions, Cults, or Philosophies
In discussions about faith, it is not at all unusual to hear various faith systems referred to as worldviews. People speak of an Islamic worldview, a Buddhist worldview, an Atheist worldview, and even a Christian worldview. Just to be clear, there is a sense in which one can speak in these terms, but careful distinctions need to be made in doing so to avoid errors in understanding and eliminate confusion.
My preference is to refer to religions, cults, and philosophies as “belief systems” – as opposed to “worldview systems.” The reason for this is that, in the truest sense, a worldview system is a foundational, or underlying, set of beliefs. “Belief systems” are more obvious outward expressions. Belief systems are built upon the foundation of a worldview system. As such, a single worldview can be the unseen root of many different belief systems.
Just to give an example:
For example, Theism is a worldview system which asserts that a transcendent Creator God exists. This “worldview system” forms the basis for many different “belief systems.” Some of the more well known theistic systems include Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Judaism, and, of course, Christianity. While the understanding of who God is and what he is like is very different in each of these, they all do share the common belief in a transcendent creator God. This does not imply, in any sense, that a given theistic belief system’s understanding of God is true, only that it believes that a transcendent God exists.
Worldviews Are Not Cross Cultural Differences
Another common mistake many make when talking about worldview is to equate it with a set of cultural distinctives. As such, you will sometimes hear people refer to a Japanese worldview, an African worldview, a Western worldview, or an American worldview.
There are, of course, quite interesting and distinctive cultural differences between various nationalities. Along with that, many of the cultural distinctions that are found in various countries or regions are rooted in particular religious beliefs. Thus, worldview beliefs absolutely can, and often do, influence the way a culture is expressed in various places. That said, a cultural distinction is not a worldview.
So, Just What Is a Worldview?
To get right to the point, the definition of a worldview is: The assumptions people make about the nature of reality. That is, people live life based on a set of beliefs they assume to be true, even though they are unverified and, most of the time, even unconscious. Typically, people do not even question their beliefs at a worldview level, because anything that goes against those kinds of beliefs are considered not real – a fantasy. Why, after all, would anyone entertain beliefs that “everyone knows are not real.” For instance, a person who believes in the God of the Bible, thinks those who worship idols live in a fantasy world – and vice versa. Further, those who believe God does not exist, look at Christians as living in “la-la land” – and, of course, vice versa.
People’s worldview beliefs get right down to the very core of what they believe is objectively real and not real. As such, each of the four worldview categories literally contradict every other one at such a fundamental level, that they cannot, in any way, consider those other beliefs to be true. Each worldview defines reality in a particular way that excludes every other understanding.
For example, the four worldview categories define ultimate reality as follows:
1. Naturalism – The only thing that exists is the natural universe.
2. Animism – Reality is divided into two parts – physical and spiritual – which interact with each other in a symbiotic relationship.
3. Far Eastern Thought – Ultimate reality is an immaterial and impersonal life force. Material reality consists of a part of the life force which has spun off of the main body, and is far enough removed that it has taken on a material and personal appearance. As such, the material universe is considered illusory in the sense that it does not express the immaterial and impersonal nature of actual reality.
4. Theism – A transcendent God exists who is the creator and sustainer of the material universe.
- So, to clearly show the contradictory nature of these worldview systems let’s put some of the implications side by side.
It is impossible for a transcendent reality to exist and not exist at the same time. Thus Naturalism and Theism cannot both be true. The same can be said for Naturalism and Far Eastern Thought, and Naturalism and Animism. - It is impossible for ultimate reality to be personal and impersonal at the same time. Thus, Far Eastern Thought and Theism cannot both be true. By the same token, Far Eastern Thought and Animism cannot both be true.
- It is impossible for God to be the creator and sustainer of all of reality, yet spiritual and material reality be symbiotically connected. Thus, Theism and Animism cannot both be true.
There is one other important thing to understand about worldview systems – they are either true or false. There is no in-between. Reality is structured in some objectively real way, and it is not structured in any other way. Whatever the ultimate truth about reality, it is not something else. That means, every worldview which is not objectively real (along with every belief system that uses it as a foundation, is, simply, a false belief. (As a side note: This does not mean that every belief system which is an expression of the true worldview foundation must also true. There can be (and are) false belief systems built upon the true worldview foundation.)
The value of understanding worldview concepts is that it helps us get at the actual structure of reality – the Truth about what exists. Of course, in order to go deeper and drill down to the ultimate truth about reality (our Christian faith), we have to make certain other distinctions which are beyond the scope of this article. But as a starting point, understanding what a worldview system is and is not is important to apprehend. Knowing this helps us to grasp the essential distinctions which allow us to understand the conflict that is going on in our world, and its ultimate solution.
© 2016 Freddy Davis