04.02.

03 WORLD VIEWS & WORLD FAITHS

OUTLINE

CONFRONTING WORLDS
The Challenge
True World

MIND WORLDS
Inner worlds
Worldviews
Worlds within worlds
Distinct worlds
Touching worlds
Understanding worlds

DIVERGENT WORLDS
Animism: the primal powers
Dualism: the cosmic battle
Theism: the only God
Deism: the clockwork cosmos
Monism: the all is one
Humanism: the closed system
Nihilism: the meaningless maze
Existentialism: the authentic choice

TRANSFIGURED WORLDS
Christian worlds
Christian witness

APPENDIX

EVOLVING WORLDS
Exploring the New Age movement

Questions
Open Reflection
Reading & Resources

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 APOLOGETICS
When faith is challenged this should lead to a faith more fully understood.
Hostility to belief may come for many reasons, so a Christian response must
be sensitive, honest and clear. Here is an opportunity to think through hard
questions without feeling on the defensive, and to learn to dialogue with
growing confidence.
LEARNING GOALS:
Unit Objective: To enable learners to recognise and debate challenges to a
range of Christian behaviour and beliefs, including different perspectives on
moral and key issues in contemporary society
Module Objective: To enable learners to identify, debate and discuss
challenges to Christianity
Learners will:
Reflect on their own views
Access information on adversarial positions
Consider and present opposing views
Evaluate consequences of all ideas
Assess the use of biblical texts
Learners will acquire a knowledge and understanding of:
The task of apologetics
The areas of primary challenge
Arguments in the debate
The relationship between faith and reason
Specific case studies
Session Learning Goal:
Learners will discuss the argument that Christianity is not alone amongst
world faiths in having valid and truthful perspectives on existence.
Session Description:
Making sense of existence from how we each see the world

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 04.02.03 WORLD VIEWS & WORLD FAITHS

CONFRONTING WORLDS

The Challenge

People look at the world in a great variety of ways. These different

perspectives have given birth to the many religions and philosophies. The
Christian view is but one of many. On what basis can it claim to be exclusively
true? Dont other faiths have much to teach us? Are Christians not intolerant
by imposing their ideas upon people with different perceptions and
experiences?

True world

As Christians we do believe the foundations of our faith to be unique and our

understanding of the world to be true. We do not, however, expect people to
accept these claims simply because we say so. We believe our faith should
be rigorously examined and put to the test to see if it is valid, and how it
genuinely compares with other beliefs. Christians also recognise that much
can be learned from other faiths and cultures because they are vital
expressions of human personhood, experience and spirituality. Properly
understood our faith is indeed unique; but its truth cannot be restricted to any
one culture, and its expression is enriched through the multitude of cultures1.
Like Jesus, the Christian gospel confronts how we view the world, but its
ideas can never be imposed. They can only be freely accepted and received,
and as a result opening all eyes to a whole new world of being, seeing and
understanding.

We will begin to explain this, not with the traditional approach of comparing
the history and teachings of the great world religions, but by exploring the
questions of meaning as they express themselves in the inner depths of
personhood.

1
There are very close links between this session and Communicating: Culture & Truth
03.04.03.

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MIND WORLDS

Inner worlds

Each one of us has a deep inner sense and sensation that we exist. We then
look out from within ourselves to an existence beyond ourselves, which we
experience through our senses and influences our actions. This fragile
personal core of understanding is found at the epicentre of every human
being. It is from this essential base we begin to ask searching questions, like:-

What is reality?
What is human?
What is truth?
What is good?
What is society?
What is history?
What is death?

Questions like these spring from human experience, they are common and
relevant to every living person. Our responses to such questions create the
framework within which we interpret our existence.

Worldviews

This profoundly personal process of making sense of oneself and the

universe, has been described by behavioural scientists as formulating a
worldview. The whole idea of a worldview has something subtle about it. It is
more fundamental than a philosophy or theology. It is not an objective reality;
it is instead a way of thinking that shapes a person's understanding of what is
real. A worldview is: -

A central core of concepts, presuppositions and assumptions which

provide people with their understanding about the world and reality
A universe fashioned by words and concepts that work together to
provide a more or less coherent frame of reference for all thought
and action
A way of thinking; an instinctive structure of consciousness based
on ideas/beliefs more or less consistent with each other, more or
less consciously held, more or less true, generally unquestioned
and rarely mentioned, that enable an individual to make sense of
experience

A worldview is a mind world of profound significance. Very few people have a

thought out philosophy or theology that they could express in words; but
everyone has a worldview. Because it is essentially intuitive and rarely
articulated it tends only to be thought about when challenged. However, the
simple process of thinking can only take place within a worldview framework.
It is only with the assumptions of a worldview that we can reason. So it is
something to do with the very fabric of personhood; it is as unconscious as it
is conscious, it is as emotional as it is intellectual. To understand our own

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worldview, as Christians, is vital if we are to experience the wholeness of self-
awareness, self-knowledge and self-understanding, which God wants to give
us. To understand the worldview of others is essential if we are to know them
as people and share truth and meaning.

Worlds within worlds

Everyone recognises that something exists; that there is something rather

than nothing. But when it comes to saying what that something is;
innumerable voices respond, each with distinct replies. In practice we tend to
group people together according to the broad patterns of their response to the
essential questions of existence, calling these clusters of thought philosophies
and religions.

However, we must never forget that beneath the umbrella of any creed or
thought system there are multitudes of individuals each with their unique way
of viewing the world. The truth is that the totality of human consciousness
presents us with a kaleidoscope of worlds within worlds; each person, while
holding many things in common with others, has their own particular
perspective as personal as their fingerprint or DNA code. Quite simply there
are as many worldviews as there are people who view the world.

Distinct worlds

Nevertheless, however personal a worldview may be, major elements of it will

be shared by many other people as well. The lifestyle developed corporately
by people who hold a common worldview is what we call culture2. Culture is
worldview incarnated, just as philosophy and religion are worldviews
articulated. Culture expresses itself in dress and design, in food and
formalities, in music and manners, and so much more. When we look at a
society that shares a common culture our understanding of a worldview
becomes even clearer.

A collective worldview is expressed in:-

A system of values. Accepted as the basis of interpreting the world. If

culture is like a game then the worldview is like the invisible rules by which
it is played; if culture is like the leaves of a tree the worldview is like the
trunk and branches that give it shape. The worldview has been called the
soul of a culture.

A set of assumptions. Accepted as the obvious interpretation of the

world. If culture is how a particular people look to those on the outside,
then the worldview is how everything looks to the people on the inside. The
worldview is the way we see ourselves in relation to everything else.

A model of reality. Accepted as the practical basis for interpreting the

world. If culture is the means of providing equilibrium by giving fixed points
2
The whole subject of culture is dealt with in depth in 03.04.03; these notes should be read
in conjunction with this session.

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 to its people in an unstable world, then the worldview is like a gyroscope at
the centre of the society. The worldview is the grid against which unusual
and unpredictable experiences are laid to create a sense of order and
security.

A learned perspective. Accepted as the inherited interpretation of the

world. The worldview is like our mother tongue; we were not born with it but
it is so part of us we cannot remember learning it, but struggle with new
languages. The worldview is like learning to see through a pair of tinted
glasses, which when removed bring stress and a longing for the original
perspective.

Touching worlds

Our pluralist multicultural societies contain numerous worldviews, verbal and

conceptual universes, which constantly interact with one another. Touching
and being touched by other worlds is not a matter of choice, but a fact of life.
For those holding distinct worldviews it can be an experience of great stress.
Not only their customs, but their ideas, values and whole way of thinking are
challenged through employment, social contact, education, media and so
much more. It can cause tension in families where the parents think one way
and their children another. It can pressure people into leading double lives;
expressing one worldview in public while holding another in private. It can, as
we shall see, spawn new worldviews, creating fresh ways of thinking from
clearly established ideas.

As Christians we not only encounter other worlds by chance in the daily flow
of life, but also by choice in our obedient walk of discipleship. In touching
other worlds we must act with sensitivity and seriousness, with respect and a
desire to learn and understand. Humility and vulnerability are the watchwords.
A worldview shapes personhood so powerfully it is inevitable that people will
have the deepest commitment to it. Their mind world creates their whole
perspective. People will not change their worldview unless reason and
circumstances prove it is totally inadequate for them to live by. If we are to
touch another person's worldview creatively we must do it in an environment
in which they can relax and share freely. Criticism and incredulity on our part
will destroy essential trust and confidence. We must recognise that other
perspectives of reality are valid and reasonable even if we do not believe
them as true in the ultimate sense.

Understanding worlds

In beginning to understand another persons worldview we must start with

those, afore mentioned, questions about existence with which every living
person is confronted: -

What is reality? [Cosmos]

What is human? [Selfhood]
What is truth? [Knowing]
What is good? [Value]
What is society? [Community]

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 What is history? [Time]
What is death? [Destiny]

Each individual must find some answer to these questions; they must draw
some conclusion or other. The answers to these questions will be the fabric
out of which the persons worldview is shaped. In order to touch another
persons mind world and understand its practical consequences, it is helpful to
ask a further set of questions: -

What are their beliefs? [Ideas]

What are their customs? [Values]
What are their offences? [Ethics]
What are their rituals? [Essentials]
What are their anxieties? [Pressures]
What are their art forms? [Expressions]
What are their exemplars? [Models]

Here we see their values, concepts, and presuppositions clothed in life. The
answers to these questions help us to understand the other person and their
world in a multi-dimensional way. This process of touching and understanding
another's world is a vital step in helping us to understand our own worldview
better, and is essential if we are to share what we know of truth with them and
receive much in return.

DIVERGENT WORLDS

We have stated already that there are as many worldviews as there are
people who view the world. Nevertheless, there are broad groupings of ideas
that are important for us to understand. These views are neither isolated nor
static; each have been shaped by the past and face challenge in the present,
but as we shall see their essential elements are distinct. They are: -

Theism

Deism Dualism

Monism Animism
- pantheism - - polytheism-

Atheism
- Humanism -
- Nihilism -
- Existentialism -

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Animism: the primal powers

Animists consider that the universe is a continuum of spirit and matter, and a
total unity. There is no division between the spiritual and material dimensions
of being. The cosmos is created and continually influenced by spiritual beings
that are part of the unseen world; it is an open system. There is usually the
polytheistic concept of a High God or Creator with many lesser spiritual
beings beneath, often in a hierarchy, who more directly influence people.
These spiritual beings display various temperaments from the vicious to the
beneficent. There are nature spirits everywhere, nature is considered to have
a life of its own. People live in a complex and dangerous world of seen and
unseen powers and beings. They must live their lives by taking account of
these spirits, or risk disturbing the balance of nature; placating or wooing them
by gifts, offerings, ceremonies and incantations. Witch doctors, sorcerers and
shamans have learned some control over the spirit world through long and
arduous training and the primal community depends upon their power to cast
out spirits of sickness or end a drought.

Animists emphasise society rather than the individual; a persons worth and
sense of self is linked with that of their family and dead ancestors. Death is
simply passing from the world of the living to the world of the ancestors; the
living dead. Knowledge is expressed in myths and taboos that pass on truth
and protect the balance and rhythms of nature. Ethical values are those that
sustain the tribe and its traditions. Time emphasises present and past; living
out the present in the traditions of the past will take care of the future.

Animists are secure in an environment that faces very few changes, but their
worldview is fragile when it is challenged by more complex religions and
cultures. The polytheism of a primal worldview can also make it adaptable to
other religions with the result that people may call themselves Hindu, Muslim
or Christian but retain many of their animist attitudes and perspectives.

Dualism: the cosmic battle

Dualists are distinct from animists in believing in two distinct and eternally
existing powers. God is the power of absolute goodness and dwells on high in
perfect light. The Devil is the power of hideous evil and dwells below from
eternity in an abyss of darkness. It was inevitable that there would be a
universal battle between these two primal spirits. The God of goodness and
light created the heavenly and material worlds to help him in the battle against
evil; so the material world is not evil but the visible tangible manifestation of
spiritual creation; it is good. The Devil has tried to destroy the good creation
by afflicting it with misery, suffering, disease and death; which has distorted it.
The Devil tried to escape the earth but became trapped within it so that the
cosmic battle between good and evil is fought out in the arena of world
history. The powers appear to be equally matched in their struggle but
humanities embracing of the truths of the God of goodness and participating
in the struggle means that the final overthrow of evil is assured.

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Dualists believe that because people are a divine creation they should work to
see the overthrow of evil. This is done by making their body a dwelling place
of goodness and rejecting negative choices. There is great emphasis on
personal freewill and at death judgment will be a weighing of good deeds
against evil; there is punishment if the evil predominates but ultimate salvation
is assured as evil must not finally win. Dualists are to keep the spiritual and
material sides of their nature in balance. It is their religious duty to expand
material creation through children and agriculture. Evil is associated with
death and decay in the material world and so strict hygiene is very important
in life.

Dualism, as described above, is that believed and practiced by the

Zoroastrians [Parsis]. They are the truest in dualist belief. Dualism in Gnostic
form is world denying and escapist and has much more to do with Monism
that is discussed below.

Theism: the only God

Theists are distinct from dualists in affirming the existence of only one God.
The God of monotheism is infinite, both limitless and greater than can be
imagined or conceived; eternal, without having either beginning or end.
Transcendent, both supreme in being and distinct from creation, while at the
same time immanent, pervading everything. God is omniscient and
omnipotent; all knowing and all-powerful. All beings must obey God, and the
universe is ultimately under divine control. God created the cosmos out of
nothing to operate with a uniformity of natural causes in an open system;
there is the possibility of divine intervention.

Theists believe that God is personal, no mere force or power. Human beings
are created in a way that reflects divine personhood, and so possess
personality, self-transcendence, intelligence, morality, community and
creativity. The purpose of their existence is to worship God. They have the
ability to know both the world and God who communicates with them. Divine
revelation is central and true knowledge about God is dependent upon it. It
comes through individuals who hear words, see visions or observe events and
is written up in scriptures that hold special authority. God is good; evil springs
from the fact that rebellion against God has taken place. Salvation is
dependent solely on gracious action on Gods part. Death faces individuals
with the inescapable fact of divine judgment. Ethics are transcendent, based
on the character of God. History is linear and is unfolding to fulfil Gods
purposes which is viewed as concluding in creative cataclysma.

Theists have a worldview that has had the greatest and most sustained
impact upon world history. Theism expresses itself in the great religions of
Judaism, Christianity and Islam. While they share a great deal of common
ground they clearly have distinct emphasises.

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Deism: the clockwork cosmos

Deists are distinct from theists in being sceptical of any suggestion that there
is a God who can be known. Nevertheless, they insist that creation must have
a first cause. There must be a transcendent force that brought the universe
into being. The fact that the human mind recognises the cosmos as a well
ordered whole, seeing uniformity in cause and effect, suggests that the power,
behind all things must have a rational creative mind like a great watchmaker
or architect. The centrality of cause and effect also suggests to them that the
universe has been created as a self-perpetuating system containing all it
needs to run on its own, without interference from outside, like some great
clockwork mechanism.

Deists insist that the attention of the Creator is now elsewhere, unknowable
apart from human reason reflecting upon creation. Nature is as it was created,
and so all that can be known about God will be discovered by observing the
universe. There can be no special revelation whether in word, vision,
incarnation or scripture. God cannot be worshipped; only recognised as an
intellectual force with who there can be no relationship. God may be rational
but not personal. Because creation is a complete system, it has no need to be
re-ordered and so no miracle is possible. People are personal but they are
enclosed within the mechanics of nature. Morality is part of the created nature
of humans, but it cannot be said to reflect Gods character. Ethics are
developed by observing creation that reveals in its mechanisms what is right.
There is no objective evil, and sin is only what conflicts with the natural
rhythms of creation. History of course is simply determined by creation.

Deists, from different cultures and in various guises, are found wherever
people cling to a belief in a creative being behind a world that appears
autonomous. They often tend to be intellectual in approach and sceptical in
temperament. They are either unable to accept the creeds of particular
religious traditions or unwilling to embrace the implications of a relationship
with a personal God.

Monism: the one is all

Monists [or pantheists] are distinct from deists in affirming that only one
impersonal element constitutes reality. Whether this One; this infinite,
impersonal essence, which is ultimate reality, can be spoken about as God is
open to conjecture. This important oriental worldview teaches that the
essence of each individual being is the essence of the cosmos. There is only
One; it is the cosmos and the cosmos is it. Therefore the human impression
that other objects and beings exist separately is an illusion that alienates. It is
only in recognising oneness with the One that there is reality. Ultimate reality
is beyond distinction; it simply is. You cannot express it, only realise it. Some
things are more one than others; inanimate matter is locked into the furthest
reaches of illusion, while consciousness is an aid to oneness, but will be
discarded when one is finally one with the One. There are many paths from
illusion to reality; what is important is technique rather than doctrine, and
techniques vary. The basic requirement is discipline and perhaps solitude.

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Monists speak about realising reality as enlightenment. This transcends
personality to enter pure consciousness in which there is no duality, with
subject and object. It transcends knowledge, as no doctrine can be really true,
language can only express partial truth; truth disappears as a category.
Enlightenment even transcends good and evil. The material form in which
people find themselves is the consequence of their past actions; karma is the
principle by which this is decided, it is a matter of you reap what you sow.
Individuals work out the consequences of past sin and at the same time
shape their future state. Death is linked to karma and reincarnation. Death
ends the embodiment of a person but their essence is indestructible, so it is
either reincarnated or absorbed into the One; so there is immortality but it is
not personal. History is the cyclical wheel of becoming, the meaningless
medium of illusion, but enlightenment transcends both history and time.

Monists stand before the shifting paradoxes and contradictions that veil the
One; history is cyclical, knowledge is ignorance, time is eternal, reality is
unreal, evil can be good. These ideas lie at the heart of faith like Hinduism
and Buddhism, they haunt the philosopher and holy man, and can cloth
themselves more popularly in forms of animism, polytheism or even theism.

Humanism: the closed system

Humanists are distinct from deists in believing that matter alone exists. There
is no God; the cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be. In some form the
matter of the universe has always been; a single substance with various
modifications. The cosmos exists as a closed system; a continuity of space,
time and matter held together from within. Human beings are viewed simply
as complex organisms or bio-machines. Personality is no more than an
interrelation of electro-chemical properties; self-consciousness is the product
of evolutionary chance. The human sense of wonder and emotion is simply
the result of mechanical complexity. Ethics are no more than patterns of
behaviour based on human experience, the product of reason and
imagination. There is no natural law; human morality is autonomous and
situational, rooted only in need and interest. Good can only be group
approved, survival promoted action. Values will differ with historical culture;
usually affirming dignity, love and honesty, while permissive towards sex,
abortion, euthanasia and suicide. Death is the extinction of personality and
individuality; human destiny being no more than an episode between two
oblivions [Nagel].

Humanists see history as a linear stream of events without any overall

purpose. People are merely the product of evolution, not its goal, for it can
have no goal. The idea of history is no more than a phenomenon human
consciousness that will expire with the last human thought, though matter in
other forms will continue. There has developed, however, within a humanist
worldview a strong pragmatic view of history. Marxism is a philosophy which
endeavours to harness political and economic forces in order to overthrow all
those conditions in which humans are an abased, enslaved, abandoned,
contemptible beings. History is simply the story of the human struggle against

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matter, progress comes through the conflict of opposing forces. The goal of
history is to create an ideal society.

Humanists, whose ideas are also called secularism and naturalism, have
had a huge impact on global society through education and media amid the
collapse of traditional patterns of thinking and the advance of science and
technology. Humanism has such influence because it endeavours to be
rational, puts people centre stage, removes any belief in the divine and
appears to prove its case with the amazing examples of human ability.

Nihilism: the meaningless maze

Nihilists are distinct from humanists in declaring that nothing at all has
meaning. They deny knowledge, ethics, beauty and reality. If the universe is a
closed system, as the humanists say, the fact that everything is determined by
cause and effect must mean freedom is an illusion. People can only be
reactors; self-consciousness is no more than part of the machine looking at
the machine. Change is the product of chance; that irrational causeless
cause, which nonetheless becomes a cause. Chance therefore opens the
universe to absurdity. There is no freedom; only self-consciousness subject to
caprice. If consciousness is the consequence of random chance then reason
has no meaning. Knowledge has no certainty. Scientific enquiry can be no
more than a consistent illusion. Truth is meaningless; even the existence and
reality of the universe is called into question.

Nihilists, standing without freedom or knowledge, have no reason to behave in

any particular way. The autonomous universe provides no moral standard to
guide or restrain. The ethical silence may stir deep emotions, but this simply
comes from cultural conditioning. They are no more than a sense of guilt
about guilt, nothing else. All there is meaninglessness.

Nihilists cry out with a terrifying honesty about the conclusions of humanism.
While holding their ideas demands courage few have the emotional strength
to live by absurdity. Nihilism can lead to psychiatric illness as a result of
despair. Others hold nihilism intellectually while in practice building their lives
within a disciplined framework. A few turn to forms of anarchy or vent their
anger in violence.

Existentialism: the authentic choice

Existentialists are distinct from nihilists in seeking to affirm human significance

in an enigmatic world. It does not matter whether the universe appears to
display structure or chaos, it is none the less absurd. What is remarkable,
however, is that within this random cosmos there exist conscious beings who
can distinguish between themselves and matter. These beings seem
determined to decide their own destiny; to question, ponder, wonder, to seek
meaning and be human. So there exists a fundamental disunity between
external cosmos and internal consciousness. The guiding principle of
existentialism is that, for human beings alone existence proceeds essence.
People make themselves what they are by their power of thought and choice.

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Existentialists believe that each person has complete freedom in terms of their
nature and destiny. This freedom and value is within. Individuals become
authentic within an absurd world only by creating value through their choices.
Because good is an essential part of our being, to choose is good. The only
evil is not to choose. The external world presents us with absurdity, the
greatest of which is death. As a consequence each individual lives out their
lives in a tension between the love of life and the certainty of death.

Existentialists pluck meaning from madness by the exercise of choice; a

flickering light in the darkness of nihilism. Interestingly, existentialism has lead
some people towards theism, making a leap of faith towards God through the
darkness of existence. Others have vitalised dead doctrines by focusing on
meaning rather than text.

TRANSFIGURED WORLDS

Christian worlds
Do not be moulded by this age,
but be transfigured by a new mind.
[Roman 12:2]

Becoming a disciple of Jesus involves a worldview transformation and

transfiguration. Christians stand within the theistic framework of thinking;
believing in one God, recognising reality as material and spiritual within an
open universe. The crisis which makes so unique is the belief that God has
not only revealed himself in words and actions but in person; an incarnation
which demonstrates the behaviour God requires and makes it a possibility
through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The uniqueness of the Christian worldview is found in its freeing, empowering

and validating nature. The onus is not on the individual to grope after
meaning, or shape their own way of salvation, but to receive the gift of life. Its
values of love, justice, peace, joy, goodness and so much more are not
abstractions but incarnations. Its truth cannot be restricted to any one culture,
and its expression is enriched through the multitude of cultures.

Christian witness

In dialogue with people of other worldviews we need to have great sensitivity.

We need to allow people to understand their own current worldview, and its
implications, more clearly. We must recognise that a worldview exists to meet
very significant needs: -

Rational needs: questions of knowing and believing. It must be

able to explain existence in a way that has inner intellectual
coherence; its propositions must be logically consistent.
Practical needs: questions of living and surviving. It must be able
to meet physical and social requirements in a way that is functional;
if it cannot work in reality it is false.

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 Emotional needs: questions of being and belonging. It must be
able to fulfil deep spiritual and psychological demands in a way that
brings real satisfaction; it must touch the heart as well as the mind.
Ethical needs: questions of choosing and behaving. It must be
able to handle moral questions and actions in a way that has
acceptable authority; people must be able to decide whether
behaviour is good or bad, and why.
Crucial needs: questions of change and crisis. It must be able to
adapt to new or unexpected experiences in a way that has meaning
as well as flexibility; a rigid worldview will break under the strain of
social change.

We need to get them to examine how adequately their current worldview

actually meets these needs, where are the areas of weakness and anxiety.
Contrast this with the Christian worldview to see where it offers greater
fulfilment.

With so many different worldviews it is easy to imagine that there are an

infinite number of possibilities, but in fact they are made up of answers to
questions that have only a limited number of possible answers:-

Reality: is either a divinely created or self existent cosmos

Humanity: is either naked ape, divine image or spirit/soul
Truth: is either possible or impossible knowledge
Good: is either social contract or divine standard
History: is either linear or cyclical time
Death: is either extinction, transformation or reincarnation

In reality there are only a few genuine options open. These need to be
examined carefully, assessed rationally, emotionally and spiritually. While
giving thought out reasons for your worldview is vital to change your
worldview is a clear step of faith. As Christians we see rational debate
alongside the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit, bringing
creative transfiguration to their worlds.

APPENDIX

EVOLVING WORLDS

People are engulfed in continual social and cultural change that often has
profound effects on their worldviews. This change can result in fresh ideas
springing up spontaneously within the society, or coming through influences
from outside. The reason for change can be due to people feeling
demoralised in the face of external ideas, or as a result of out right conversion
to a new worldview taking place. Change may also take place through a
process of syncretism, or through the original worldview being revitalised to
form a new religious movement. The phenomenon of evolving worlds is in
constant process. As an example we shall make a case study of what has
become known as the New Age Movement, which is influencing western
society in a significant way.

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New Age origins

Talking about the New Age as a distinct movement is somewhat confusing

because it gives the impression of there being one clearly identifiable
framework of thought, but this is not so. Inasmuch as the phrase New Age
has any value, it is as an umbrella term to draw together many different
streams of thinking that share some common sources. Essentially the term
New Age is a biblical term identifying the age to come in which God is going
to establish at the end of this age. However, it is Alice Bailey [1880-1949], a
Theosophist, who is credited with coining the phrase New Age in its current
sense. Here it looked forward to the coming of the age of Aquarius, the
astrological age which is said to replace the age of Pisces around the year
2000. Aquarius symbolises water, love, light and the minds true liberation.

The roots and reasons for the emergence of the New Age movement lie far
deeper than mere astrology. On one hand, it rises out of influences and
attitudes that have been present in Western society for the past 100 years. On
the other hand, it is very much a child of the post-war decades and the social
revolutions of the 1960s. Therefore a more accurate title for the New Age
phenomena would be the Post-industrial Age.

The New Age is a rejection of: -

Secular humanism with its emphasis on scientific empiricism

Individualism with its emphasis on materialism and competition
The church with its powerlessness and perceived dualism

The New Age has been influenced by:-

A desire for life that is more than just the material

A spirituality rooted in eastern and primal religion
A development in techniques to realise human potential

New Age perspectives

While there is no unanimity in detail among the people who identify with the
New Age there are basic premises which are common to their thinking:-

Nature is holistic. The universe must be understood as a whole; the

emphasis should be on inter-relationship not dissecting things into parts
[the sum is greater than the parts]. The material and spiritual must
interlock.

Change is non-linear. Parts interact in unpredictable ways and with

increasing complexity, often inexplicable simply in terms of small steps
[cause and effect]. The material and spiritual must interact.

Truth is intuitive. Scientific measurement and analysis is only one limited

way of knowing; much of life is untouched by this method [eg relationships,

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 beauty]. Imagery, symbolism, contemplation are vital. The material and
spiritual give insight.

Relationship is cooperative. Discovering new ways of living and relating

are necessary; lifestyles need to be simple, gentle and supportive - without
hierarchies. The material and spiritual must be shared.

New Age consciousness

Under girding these perspectives is a broadly accepted consciousness

amongst the majority in the New Age community, which sets the backdrop to
the various expressions of the worldview:-
Reality is pantheistic. The maxim of monism, that All is One, brings the
mystical experience of wholeness that encompasses all separation.
Consciousness is not confined to human beings but applies to all reality;
best described in impersonal terms like, Mind, Power and especially,
Energy. This reduction of all reality to energy comes from metaphysical
speculation on the theories of quantum physics about matter and light.
Humanity is all one. You are the only thing that is real; humans are an
extension of the Oneness. There are not many selves but the One self.
This is cosmic humanism; we are one with the One and so have access to
unlimited potential. There are no victims in this life or any other, no
mistakes, no wrong paths, no winners, no losers. Accept this fact and then
take responsibility for making your life what you want it to be.
You are God. All is One, we are all One. All is God and we are God. I am
God, because God is everything, and there is nothing that is not God. We
notice that the emphasis of oriental monism, which focused on the All, has
been reversed to focus on the I. People are a mode of God, who is a
principle, a consciousness, a life force, and infinite intelligence. The saviour
out there is replaced by the hero in here.
Religions are all one. The great world religious teachers like Jesus,
Krishna, Buddha, Lao-tse, Muhammad and others all taught the same
thing; how to become one with the One. Reincarnation is the universally
accepted process through which a person progresses towards merging
with the cosmos. Karma is the rule by which this procedure is governed.
Human dilemma is ignorance. Humanity is gripped by metaphysical
amnesia, which has caused us to forget our true identity. Western culture
in particular has had a numbing influence, emphasising personal limitation,
branding people as failures when in fact they can be like God. But a new
order, the Age of Aquarius, is breaking out to replace rationalism with a
mystic way of knowing.
Salvation is awakening. Individuals must come alive to the experience of
taking part in conscious evolution. They must begin to see holistically
rather than dualistically. Humanity is deified and death is denied. It is
ignorance, and not evil, that is the enemy. Jean Huston has been argued
that we need a psychonaught programme to put the first man on earth.

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New Age expression

Personal transformation. This is the first step on the path of the New Age
through altered consciousness. The source of this transcendence is of
course that three pound universe we call the brain, and in particular the
creative right hemisphere. Each individual may actualise their divine nature
or higher self by using a multitude of techniques: meditation, yoga,
chanting, mood-altering music, mind expanding drugs, esoteric systems of
religious mysticism and knowledge, guided imagery, balancing and aligning
energies, hypnosis, body disciplines, fasting, martial arts, mechanical
devices that measure and alter bodily processes, and mental programmes
ranging from contemporary psychotherapies to radical seminars designed
to obliterate former values and bring about the New Age mindset. Here is
the spiritual tech to lead the individual to psycho-spiritual power and
enlightenment.

Planetary transformation. This is the second step on the path of the New
Age through power filled, self realised individuals. They will be equipped to
instigate a new human agenda with mass enlightenment and social
evolution. They will work for an ecology which harmonises matter and
spirit, an androgyny that sees male and female distinctions as irrelevant as
all is One. They will work for world peace and disarmament, encourage
natural foods and healing processes. They will endeavour to humanise
technology; replacing economic monoliths with smaller industrial and
agricultural bases, run as collectives, and encourage cooperative living
styles. Many hope to reorganise global politics with united nations
becoming a reality, while others would foresee a world religion based on
oriental patterns. However, this is not some Aquarian conspiracy with an
insidious manipulated plan to take over the world; the kind of centralised
hierarchies that would require this are abhorrent to New Age thinking. The
conspiracy here is simply one of breathing together in networks to achieve
a shared vision.

New Age evaluation

The spiritual awakening and hunger that is expressed in the New Age
movement is something that should excite Christians, and is a wonderful
opening and opportunity for the church. There is much in New Age thinking
that echoes the Christian vision; in broad terms it shows their agenda
matches the manifesto of the kingdom of God. It shows that the gospel, rightly
incarnated and communicated, can fulfil the deepest longings being
expressed. Some of the significant areas of common ground between
Christians and the New Age, which need to be identified and positively
exploited, are: -

Cooperation: personal support and shared lifestyles;

Networking: building community and links with others;
Peace: non-violence and promoting reconciliation;
Gloalism: having an international perspective;
Ecology: conservation of bio-systems and resources;
Environment: the development of gentle sustainable lifestyles;

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 Health: good diet and physical wellbeing;
Creativity: quality, spontaneity and innovation;
Potential: encouraging positive attitudes and fulfilment;
Transformation: a total change of mind and thought.

However, New Age thinking is also a challenge to Christians. It is developing

within a worldview that is completely foreign to biblical revelation. While many
parallels can be drawn between the New Age and the Christian vision, much
in the New Age movement is error, dangerous and even evil. Some of the
most clearly identifiable areas of concern are: -

Monist thinking: the notion that I am God is at its most

dangerous with the amorality it spawns; no mistakes, no wrong
paths, opens the door to a morality where anything goes.
Mental programmes: the psychological techniques and seminars
for reconstructing ways of thinking and enforcing new values can
seriously undermine some people.
Primal rituals: the exploration of the animist experience opens the
door to powerful spiritual forces and changes in behaviour which
become fixed and reinforced through ritual actions and words.
Occult practice: the experience of channelling, I-Ching,
horoscopes, pendulums, crystals and so much more, open the
personality to destructive spiritual powers.
Witchcraft: the interest in religious experience has led to the
exploration of ancient rites leading some directly into black magic
and all its attendant evils.

There is no place for fear in the Christian reaction to the New Age, simply
wisdom. It attempting to meet a very real spiritual need, it is becoming all-
pervasive and is sometimes well marketed. The only answer to the counterfeit
is the real thing.

Questions

1. Why do you think it is much more important to begin a dialogue about

philosophies and religions with the idea of worldviews rather than with
doctrines?

2. How do you think Christians should respond to the New Age movement?

3. How do you think understanding worldviews should influence our

evangelism?

Open Reflection

We only make sense of the world by asking questions about it, and what our
existence in it really means. Choose five questions that you think it is
essential to ask in order to try and make sense of our existence. Explain why
you have chosen these particular questions and their significance. Very briefly
summarise what you think makes up a Christian worldview.

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Reading and Resources

R Beaver [Ed etal] The Worlds Religions pub Lion 1982

HJ Blackham Humanism pub Penguin 1968
D Burnett Unearthly Powers pub Monarch 1988
D Burnett Clash of Worlds pub Monarch 1990
D Burnett Dawning of the Pagan Moon pub Monarch 1991
D Burnett The Spirit of Hinduism pub Monarch 1996
D Burnett The Spirit of Buddhism pub Monarch 1996
R Chandler Understanding the New Age pub Word 1988
O Cole & P Sambhi The Sikhs: Their Religious Beliefs and Parctices
pub Routledge & Kegan Paul
E Conze Buddhism: Its Essence and Development pub Faber 1963
K Cragg The Call of the Mineret pub Oxford 1967
J Drane What is the New Age Saying to the Church? pub Marshall
Pickering1991
J Drane Jesus and the Gods of the New Age pub Lion Hudson 2001
I Epstein Judaism pub Penguin 1960
M Ferguson The Aquarian Conspiracy pub Paladin 1980
I Fishman Introduction to Judaism pub Vallentine Mitchell 1964
RA Gard Buddhism pub Prentice Hall 1961
HAR Gibb Islam pub Oxford1969
A Guillaume Islam pub Penguin 1956
H Hawton Humanist Revolution pub Pemberton 1963
J Hinnells & E Sharpe Hinduism pub Oriel 1972
W Howells The Heathens: Primitive Man and His Religions pub
Doubleday 1962
C Humphreys Buddhism pub Penguin 1955
T Ling A History of Religion East and West pub Macmillan 1968
B Malinowski Magic Science and Religion pub Doubleday 1955
JS Mbiti African Religions and Philosophy pub Heinemann Educational
1969
K Mouat An Introduction to Secular Humanism pub National Secular
Society 1972
EG Parrinder What the World Religions Teach pub Harrap 1968
W Rahula What the Buddha Taught pub Gordon Fraser 1967
L Roth Judaism: A Portrait pub Faber 1960
KM Sen Hinduism pub Penguin 1969
T Singh Sikhism: Its Ideals and Institutions pub Orient Longmans 1964
JW Sire The Universe Next Door: A Guide Book to World Views pub IVP
1988
M Watt Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman pub Oxford 1961

Workshop notes are copyright to Anvil Trust and may not be reproduced without permission 04.02.03.19