Noun
A particular philosophy of life or conception of the world.
Naturalism: (Atheism;
Evolutionist; Agnosticism; Existentialism, Empericism)
Reality: The material universe is all that exists. Reality is
"one-dimensional." There is no such thing as a soul or a spirit.
Everything can be explained on the basis of natural law.
Man: Man is the chance product of a biological process of
evolution. Man is entirely material. The human species will one day pass out of
existence.
Truth: Truth is usually understood as scientific proof. Only that
which can be observed with the five senses is accepted as real or true.
Values: No objective values or morals exist. Morals are individual
preferences or socially useful behaviors. Even social morals are subject to
evolution and change.
Pantheism (Hinduism;
Taoism; Buddhism; New Age, Consciousness)
Reality: Only the spiritual dimension exists. All else is illusion,
maya. Spiritual reality, Brahman, is eternal, impersonal, and unknowable. It is
possible to say that everything is a part of God, or that God is in everything
and everyone.
Man: Man is one with ultimate reality. Thus man is spiritual,
eternal, and impersonal. Man’s belief that he is an individual is illusion.
Truth: Truth is an experience of unity with "the
oneness" of the universe. Truth is beyond all rational description.
Rational thought as it is understood in the West cannot show us reality.
Values: Because ultimate reality is impersonal, many pantheistic
thinkers believe that there is no real distinction between good and evil.
Instead, "unenlightened" behavior is that which fails to understand
essential unity.
Theism (Christianity;
Islam; Judaism)
Reality: An infinite,
personal God exists. He created a finite, material world. Reality is both
material and spiritual. The universe as we know it had a beginning and will have
an end.
Man: Humankind is the
unique creation of God. People were created "in the image of God,"
which means that we are personal, eternal, spiritual, and biological.
Truth: Truth about God
is known through revelation. Truth about the material world is gained via
revelation and the five senses in conjunction with rational thought.
Values: Moral values are
the objective expression of an absolute moral being.
Spiritism and
Polytheism (Thousands of Religions)
Reality: The world is populated by spirit beings who govern what goes on.
Gods and demons are the real reason behind "natural" events. Material
things are real, but they have spirits associated with them and, therefore, can
be interpreted spiritually.
Man: Man is a creation of the gods like the rest of the creatures on
earth. Often, tribes or races have a special relationship with some gods who
protect them and can punish them.
Truth: Truth about the natural world is discovered through the shaman
figure who has visions telling him what the gods and demons are doing and how
they feel.
Values: Moral values take the form of taboos, which are things that
irritate or anger various spirits. These taboos are different from the idea of
"good and evil" because it is just as important to avoid irritating
evil spirits as it is good ones.
Postmodernism
(Relativism)
Reality: Reality must be interpreted through our language and cultural
"paradigm." Therefore, reality is "socially constructed."
Man: Humans are nodes in a cultural reality – they are a product of
their social setting. The idea that people are autonomous and free is a myth.
Truth: Truths are mental constructs meaningful to individuals within a
particular cultural paradigm. They do not apply to other paradigms. Truth is
relative to one’s culture.
Values: Values are part of our social paradigms as well. Ideals such as tolerance,
freedom of expression, inclusion, and refusal to claim to have the answers are
the only universal values.
This list is adapted from Discovering God by Dennis McCallum
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