Worldview means an intellectual perspective through which a person views the world. Every human being has created their worldview and interacts with their surroundings based on that worldview. Children’s worldview is initially formed by their parents, but as they grow older, they start to develop their worldviews based on their personal beliefs and experiences. I also have a worldview that helps me make decisions, and through this, I was led to study nursing. In this essay, I will be discussing ten ways that I perceive the world and how this has shaped my worldview.
“Theology is the study of God” (Myers & Noebel, 2015a); this statement makes it extremely clear that to know God, one must study every aspect of him. God is everywhere, as His presence in everything leads people to search for him and to know all about him. “Science is not the only way, or even the best way, of knowing the truth, but it can reveal something about God to us” (Myers & Noebel, 2015b). God is enlightenment that only those who search for him can receive, and when they find him, they can find themselves. When I want to find God, I try to connect with Him through my faith, as it is one way that He has taught us to find Him. The Bible provides an intensive understanding of God, and it teaches us everything that there is to know about Him. According to the Bible, God is knowable, and yet, at the same time, He is incomprehensible. Although this is a contradictory statement, through the wisdom of scholars, this contradictory statement can be understood. He is knowable to those who search for him and reveals Himself to them slowly so that they can understand every aspect of God. The reason that he is incomprehensible is so that people would search for Him and know “Who is God?” people must take a spiritual journey that would allow them to not only find Him but also find themselves. God is eternal, so He is always going to be there for those who need Him, and this is personally true for me as I have found comfort in the fact that He is always there. This feeling has helped me through many difficult times, giving me the strength to carry on. Defining “Who is God?” is not an easy task as He is everything, so defining such a vast and eternal being can be overwhelming as only a fraction of His being can be described by a human.
Knowledge can be acquired through learning; however, wisdom is attained through experiencing life. Love of wisdom means the desire to unravel the secrets of the universe, attaining the ultimate knowledge of existence and reality. This pursuit is called philosophy, and many philosophers have spent their entire lives trying to understand God. “A little philosophy inclines man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy brings men’s minds about to religion” (Myers & Noebel, 2015c). They spent their entire lives in the pursuit of wisdom so that they may know why everything exists and what the purpose of existence is. “Christian philosophy says that what we know things because they are actually there – reality actually exists for us to know” (Myers & Noebel, 2015c).
The definition of a good life may differ for everyone; my understanding of a good life is that leading life is moral and ethical. “At the core of every moral code, there is a picture of human nature, a map of the universe, and a version of history” (Myers & Noebel, 2015d). Making decisions that are not only beneficial for me but also for others contributes to leading a good life, as sometimes decisions that benefit oneself may impact others negatively. Living a life that is beneficial for others while also allowing me to be happy is, in my opinion, a good life.
The natural world indicates that initially, there was nothing, but then there was a big bang, and the universe was created in which the planet Earth carried life. Through millions of years, life on Earth evolved from a single cell to more complex life forms. This evolution led to the existence of human beings who slowly developed the world and made technological advancements. I believe that God seamlessly integrated everything into the natural world so that only the chosen few would be able to find it, and evolution was His way of revealing Himself and keeping Himself hidden. This way, people would search for Him in every creation. “We humans have a longing for God, something we know nature cannot provide” (Myers & Noebel, 2015e).
“We are searchers for truth. But who are the “we” doing the searching? What does it mean to be a person?” (Myers & Noebel, 2015f). Human beings are complex entities, and this complexity exists due to their emotions and intelligence. The ability to show kindness and care to those who might be suffering is what gives people their humanity. If people had not learned to live together in societies, then they would have ceased to exist, but God guided them so that they could achieve greatness.
Humans are social creatures and cannot live alone for a long time; for this reason, they raised societies so that they could coexist. “The Christian sociological claim becomes simple: society functions best when organized around the family (father, mother, and children) and the institutions naturally flowing from it” (Myers & Noebel, 2015g). When living in a community, we should try to be useful to the other members of the community. For instance, I am training to become a nurse as I feel that I will be able to provide value to my community by caring for the sick.
Law is a set of agreed-upon rules within every society which, if broken, are punishable by society. “Nothing happens in our communities without laws establishing order” (Myers & Noebel, 2015h). There are man-made laws, and then there is the law set by God. The laws of God are there to help people live morally, but man-made laws help people coexist in society by upholding morals. There are consequences if these laws are not abided by. I try to abide by both laws so that I can be a responsible person.
The ultimate sovereignty lies with God, but earthly matters are solved by humans; for that reason, the people may choose the person or people that may have governing power. I believe that in a societal setting, power should be given to the government and elected by the people, but ultimately, true authority is God’s authority. “The essential Christian political worldview is this: citizens of the kingdom of heaven should be the best citizens in the kingdom of the world because their allegiance is to something higher than the state” (Myers & Noebel, 2015i).
“A well-functioning economy is based on time-tested building blocks of success” (Myers & Noebel, 2015j). A society can be productive when every person is playing their part by contributing to society. This way, the economic state of the society remains optimal. Every person must find a way to use their strengths to make the lives of others easier. I am practising to become a nurse as I believe that I would be able to be a more productive member of society by doing so.
“From the Christian perspective, history is an epic unfolding of God’s ultimate plan for all humanity” (Myers & Noebel, 2015k). The history of humankind is wrought with bloodshed and mistakes. We can study these historical events to learn the mistakes that our ancestors made and try not to repeat them. We should also take inspiration from different people who contributed to society by introducing inventions that made lives easier; this way, humans can flourish.
These ten perspectives have helped me develop my worldview, which, in turn, has helped me manoeuvre through life and make decisions that have made my life better. Having a worldview allows you to experience the world in a way that can be unique to you.
References
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015a). Chapter 8: Theology. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 181). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022856/mi/570876933?cfi=%2F4%5Bthe_times-19%5D%2F2%2F2%5B_idParaDest-11%5D%2C%2F1%3A0%2C%2F1%3A0
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015b). Chapter 8: Theology. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 191). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022856/mi/570876933?cfi=%2F4%5Bthe_times-19%5D%2F2%2F2%5B_idParaDest-11%5D%2C%2F1%3A0%2C%2F1%3A0
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015c). Chapter 9: Philosophy. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 223). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022858/mi/570876952?cfi=%2F4%5Bthe_times-21%5D%2F4%2C%2F242%2F2%2F1%3A0%2C%2F252%2F2%2F2%2F2%2F1%3A3
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015d). Chapter 10: Ethics. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 235). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022860/mi/570876955
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015e). Chapter 11: Biology. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 266). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022862/mi/570876969
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015f). Chapter 12: Psychology. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 294). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022864/mi/570876944
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015g). Chapter 13: Sociology. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 338). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022866/mi/570876966?cfi=%2F4%5Bthe_times-29%5D%2F4%2F264%2F2%2C%2F1%3A0%2C%2F1%3A0
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015h). Chapter 14: Law. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 353). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022868/mi/570876947
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015i). Chapter 15: Politics. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 398). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022870/mi/570876967
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015j). Chapter 16: Economics. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 417). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022872/mi/570876953
Myers, J., & Noebel, D. A. (2015k). Chapter 17: History. In Understanding The Times: A Survey of Competing Worldviews (p. 462). Summit Ministries. https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/476551/sp/179022874/mi/570876964
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