Definition of World View

Definition of World View

World view refers to a set of beliefs concerning vital aspects of reality that impact the way a person perceives, thinks, knows, and does things. World view refers to the philosophy of life, mindset, and outlook. It is the formula that is used to perceive life, ideology, faith, and religion. There are various world views of a person’s beliefs in diverse aspects of reality, such as epistemology, metaphysics, cosmology, teleology, anthropology, and axiology. World views regarding these elements influence the answers that people give for different aspects.

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Part II

The Question of Origin

God created the universe. The Bible gives an account of how the earth and heavenly bodies were created (Wilson, 2013).  According to the account of creation in Genesis 1 (New International Version), the universe was created in six days. God started with commanding light that ruled during the day (sun) and during the night (moon) to colonize the darkness that filled the earth. He went on with creation until the sixth day (Gen 1:1-24 New International Version). On the sixth day, God created animals and man and charged the man with the responsibility of naming the animals. After seeing that man was lonely, he created for him a helper (woman). The two were the origin of humanity (Gen 1:27 New International version).

The Question of Identity

Human beings were created in the image of God (Gen 1: 27 New International Version). Therefore, being human means bearing the image of God. Even though humanity is not divine, they reflect divinity. God has a mind, emotions, and volition. Humans also have intellect, emotions, and will. Humans, therefore, can discover, integrate, and assemble things of different art. Humans are more important than other creatures because they have a body and a spiritual component, unlike other creatures. They have the body, the soul, and the spirit. They have an immaterial aspect that governs them. This makes humans more superior than other animals, and that’s why they were given the responsibility of naming them (Gen 2:19-20 New International version).

The Question of Meaning/Purpose

God created man so that he could be fruitful and multiply. After the man was created, he was told to subjugate and fill the earth. In other words, he was to have dominion (Gen 1:28 New International version). This means that the purpose for which God created man was to multiply, that is, in terms of having children and also reproducing spiritually. Spiritual multiplication is in terms of bearing fruits to the Lord, such as joy, peace, love, and unity (Gal 5:22-23 New International version). God also created man so that he could worship Him. For this reason, God would visit Adam, and even in the cool of the day (Gen 3:8 New International version). This was a form of fellowship with God.

The Question of Morality

The Bible has given the ten commandments that help in explaining what is good and what is wrong. However, many other aspects are not accommodated in the ten commandments, and this requires that a person uses wisdom and discernment so that they can know what is right and what is wrong. For example, there is no explicit verse that focuses on gambling in the Bible, but there are scriptures that talk about loving money (Tim 3:2 New International version). Morality is determined by the standard that God has set for humanity in the Bible. The ethical order of God is the only source that helps Christians to determine morality. The physical order is temporal, but the unseen order is eternal (2 Cor 4:18 New International version). The invisible order is the image of the nature and character of God.

The Question of Destiny

When a person dies, he goes to sleep. In John 11:11-14 (New International Version), Jesus described Lazarus as one who had slept. This meant that Lazarus was not in heaven or hell. He was not meeting the ancestors such as Abraham or being reincarnated, but he was resting in death.  Stephen also fell asleep when he was stoned to death (Acts 7:60 New International version). Paul also talked about falling asleep of those who had died (1 Cor 15:6 New International version). Therefore, after death, a person sleeps waiting for the judgment day where they will either enjoy everlasting life or fire in hell (John 11: 25 New International Version).  Those who will die while having believed in the Lord will enjoy eternal life while those who will die while still sinners will be condemned to the lake of fire. Every person is given the freedom to choose while they are still alive so that when they die, they have known where they will spend their eternity. When a person dies, no more choices but to wait for the day of judgment (Sivananda, 1999).

Part III

How Biblical World View Influences Vote in Local or National Elections?

Christian world view would influence the way we vote significantly. One of the first considerations to make when going to vote is to determine whether the person being elected has virtues, or they are going to champion a wrong course. When the people who are righteous rule, the people will be happy, but when the wicked rule, the people will be in pain (Prov 29:2 New International version). The rulers have the authority that all the people should obey failure to which they will face their wrath. This means that as voters, we have a duty of ensuring that we select the people we are voting for carefully, having assessed them for the right qualities. These candidates should know the issues affecting us but not foreigners who do not know. They should note be people who derail society or those who amass a lot of wealth to themselves at the expense of society. They should be people who are governed by the rule of law and not people who go against the law (Duet 17:14-20 New International Version).

How biblical world view influences treat/interact with the environment and non-human creation?

From the Christian worldview, the man was supposed to take care of the garden of Eden. After the man was created, he charged with the responsibility of taking care of the garden of Eden. He was supposed to ensure that it is kept (Gen 2:15 New International version). This places the responsibility to all the Christians that they should be sensitive to the environment by ensuring that it is safe and not polluted. As a Christian, I have the responsibility of taking care of the plants, air, and water sources that surround me. I should not benefit from them, and then pollute whatever I no longer need. Everything has to be treasured and taken care of because of sustainability and posterity. This means that I should not cut down trees without replacing and should ensure that air and water should be clean for the survival of the non-human creatures (Eek 34:18 New International version). The Bible advocates that we should take care of the other creatures, such as not killing the birds and their young ones. This means that I should be sensitive to the wellbeing of other non-human creatures (Deu 22:6 New International version).