Everybody has a worldview whether they are aware of it or not. A worldview is a system of beliefs by which people live their lives. Sometimes a person will question a part of their system and may even change what they believe if presented with new and compelling evidence.
Many times, these changes occur because of a tragic or life-altering event. It is in these times of doubt and uncertainty that people begin to wrestle with their beliefs and seek to answer the questions their soul is in anguish about.
Regardless of what you believe, a comprehensive worldview should include beliefs in at least five major areas: God, reality, knowledge, morality, and humankind. These can be broken down further into areas such as purpose, destiny, governance, and so on; but let’s look at these five major areas.
God
The most important part of any worldview is what it says or does not say about God. Worldviews can differ greatly on this subject. They ask such questions such as: Does God exist? Is there only one true God? What is the nature of God? Is God an impersonal force or power; or is God a personal being who we can know and who loves us?
Due to the conflicting views about the nature of God, major systems such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, and Zoroastrianism are not just a different religion but hold to different worldviews. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are monotheistic and would have more in common with each other than with dualistic or polytheistic systems. Thus, an essential piece of a worldview is its view of God.
But what about atheism?…
This system should not be an exception to the rules. Reason being, if a person’s God is to be that which is one’s ultimate concern, then there really is no such thing as an atheist. The difference between a concern and an ultimate concern is “what is something you love or worry about (such as family, sports, war and peace, etc)?”, verses “what is so important that you are willing to sacrifice almost anything for it (money, fame, the way one looks, etc)?” It is also worth noting that objects of ultimate concern may change over time.
This thought is nothing new. In 2019, there was an opinion piece that came out of the Wall Street Journal that suggested there is no such thing as a nonreligious person. John Calvin, the famous French theologian in the 1500s, also observed that,
“every human being is incurably religious. It is our nature to give ourselves whole-heartedly and unreservedly to something, even if on occasion that something may be nothing more than the betterment of self. But whatever that object of ultimate concern is for us, that will be our god.”
Unfortunately, if that is the case, all people would fall under the judgment of the First Commandment in the Bible which says, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).
Reality
The subject of reality is often discussed under the term Metaphysics and is another essential part of a worldview. Metaphysical beliefs are included in any person’s worldview regardless of how complicated the system is or not. It asks such questions as,
- What is our place in the universe?
- Is there a purpose to the universe?
- Why is there something, rather than nothing?
- What is the relationship between God and the universe?
- Did an eternal, personal, omnipotent God create the world?
- Is the cosmos ultimately material or spiritual or something else?
- Can a supernatural reality (a being beyond the natural order) act causally within nature?
- Are miracles possible?
You may have asked some of these difficult questions yourself and have some sort of opinion about it. It is encouraging that you don’t need a PhD to learn what you believe about the universe and God. For example, the Bible clearly answers these questions and anyone reading the book can find the answer they are looking for without becoming a fulltime philosopher.
Knowledge
A third element of any worldview is one’s view of knowledge. To get a sense of what a person believes about this matter you can simply ask, “Is knowledge about the world possible?” Most people hold some sort of belief on this matter.
Epistemology is the branch of study concerned about knowledge and seeks answers to questions such as:
- Can we trust our senses?
- Is truth relative, or must truth be the same for rational beings?
- What is the relationship between religious faith and reason?
- Is knowledge about God possible? If so, how?
- Is the scientific method the only method of knowledge?
- Can God reveal information to human beings?
- Can we trust what the Bible says is true?
The book of Proverbs answers the questions of what is knowledge, as well as what is wisdom, and what is understanding. The answer is the “fear of the LORD” (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). Proverbs also offers many insights on how one should act morally.
Morality
Most people are mindful of the ethical side of their worldview more so than their beliefs in epistemology and metaphysics. Moral judgements are made daily about the actions of individuals and how their nation should act. However, to make moral judgements in these circumstances is the easier part of ethics. Most will agree that what Adolf Hitler did in World War II was morally wrong; but the worldview side of ethics asks the question of why certain actions are wrong?
Ethics also seeks to answer questions such as:
- Are there moral laws that govern human conduct?
- Where do moral laws come from?
- Are moral laws discovered or constructed by society?
- Why are moral laws important?
- Are moral laws absolute or relative?
- Why do actions differ between cultures?
- Does morality transcend cultural, historical, and individual boundaries?
Answering the questions of ethics and how an individual should act in society, naturally should transcend to how the government should rule their nation. However, even in politics, worldviews differ and not everyone will agree with some of the laws they make. This can be seen as the socio-political side of ethics.
Humankind
There are many complicated questions that a worldview asks about humankind. Several branches of study dedicate their efforts to answer our questions such as anthropology, psychology, philosophy, and even religion. These questions include:
- Do humans have free will?
- What is the human soul or mind, and how is it related to the body?
- What is consciousness?
- Are human beings only mind or body too?
- Is physical life on earth the only life a person has?
- Is there life after death?
- Does heaven and hell exist?
- Are there rewards and punishment after death?
Summary
It is important to note that the five major areas of a worldview – God, Reality, Knowledge, Morality, Humankind – are not the only components of what make up a worldview. There are less common beliefs such as ideologies – how a person thinks things should be. These set of ideals are a combined function of the five major areas of a worldview and can produce a gap between the way things are (God, Reality) and the way things ought to be (Ethics, Socio-Politics).
If you are curious about what it means to be a Christian or to accept its worldview, check out the article “The Ultimate Guide to Salvation in Jesus Christ.”
Resources
Your Religion Is Your Object of Ultimate Concern – Wall Street Journal article – https://www.wsj.com/articles/your-religion-is-your-object-of-ultimate-concern-11570470071
For Further Study
Worldviews in Conflict – Ronald H. Nash – Buy it here!
Life Beyond the Sun: Worldview and Philosophy through the Eyes of Ecclesiastes – Christopher Cone – Buy it here!
“What are the four components of a worldview“