It's Good to Know - February 2008

     What do various worldviews say about God and, more importantly, what does it matter? As Christians, it would seem that we have a solid understanding concerning God; but, as we understand more about other worldviews, we can begin to see their ideas finding influence among us.

     Islam is a major worldview player which says much about God. Contrary to popular sentiment, even among professed Christians, Islam and Christianity do not worship the same God. Islam rejects the trinity which, while beyond our ability to fully comprehend, presents to mankind the idea of unity with diversity. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit existing as one, yet distinct from each other, they allow for unity without demanding uniformity. Islamic countries show less tolerance for diversity as a result.

     Another aspect of Islam's view of God is that He is distant and impersonal. Allah determines each person's fate leaving mankind without free will. The circumstances of life are simply to be accepted as Allah's will. The idea that God would suffer and die to come to the aid of fallen mankind is rejected by Islam and seen as weakness unbecoming Allah. In the end, a person faces the Day of Judgment where his life's work will be weighed. Paradise is for those whom Allah deems as having good works which outweigh the bad. Again, Allah is indifferent to the eternity of the individual.

     Atheism, which is the view of God for both Secularism and Marxism believes that there is no God. As a result, mankind is the ultimate authority. What is right, what is good and other such standards are not found in some objective outside of man, but are determined by mankind himself. This means that right and wrong are determined by the situation. Is lying wrong? It all depends on what mankind wants it to be. Without a higher Moral Authority, man becomes his own authority accountable only to himself.

     In a world without God, where life consists only of the here and now, fulfillment is therefore confined to the experiences a person can gain in the span of his lifetime. At death there is no reward, there is also no recompense for injustice suffered. All this must be attained while on earth or lost forever. Any purpose to life is left up to each individual to determine for him or herself as life is viewed not as a gift from God to bring Him glory, but rather a series of accidental mutations.

      New Age affirms the belief in God, but differs in how the believers define Him. For the New Ager, God is not a person, but an impersonal power found in the universe. Mankind is not separated from God, for God is found inside in the life of each person. All people then are connected to each other as a part of the greater force and must strive for harmony with each other; for in unity is well-being found. But New Agers believe that God is not only in every person, but also in every animal, tree, star, everything in existence. Life's purpose then is to live in harmony with your neighbor, the bear, the tree and the river, thereby connecting together these various sources of life for the benefit of all.

But for there to be harmony, there must be an objective moral standard. While the New Ager would affirm an objective standard of morality for the whole of the universe, that objective standard is determined by listening to the god within each of us. Each man determines what is right in his own eyes.

     Postmodernism with its belief that nothing can be known for certain, will neither confirm nor deny the existence of God. Instead, God is a matter of preference. You can prefer to believe in the existence of God or not. All religions, even atheism, are given equal weight. While Atheism sees man in control of his destiny, the postmodernist sees the individual as merely the product of his or her experiences up to this point in his or her life. Who is to say that a Christian living in Texas would not instead be a Hindu if he were born instead in India? Any meaning to life is determined by the individual; whether that be in the form of Christianity, New Age or Secularism, it is the individuals preference.

     As Christians we must guard ourselves against these empty and deceptive ideas. We reject the idea that God views us impersonally and strips us of free will leaving us to the whims of fate. We reject the idea that there is no meaning to our lives and that there is no hope or joy beyond what we can attain through our own efforts. We reject the idea that mankind can find ultimate peace and harmony through tolerance and compromise. We reject the idea that there is no meaning to life only preferences derived from the experiences of our lives. Instead, we embrace the idea that there is a God who desires to be known by us, who has given our lives meaning and purpose, and who is at work to help us bring that meaning and purpose about. The consequence is that we embrace the faith that lasting hope and joy will be known for those who have relationship with Him.