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BSM Unit 1 Assessment Study Guide
What are the 7 questions every worldview has to answer?
Who or what is God?
What is the nature of the universe?
What is a human being?
How can we know anything at all?
How do we know what is right and wrong?
What happens to a person at death?
What is the purpose of human history?
Two scriptures memorized.
Psalm 23:1 - The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing
Malachi 3:6 - I the Lord do not change, so you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed
One definition of worldview.
A worldview is a collection of attitudes, values, stories, and expectations about the world around us.
According to the Biblical Worldview, who or what is God?
God is infinite, triune, personal, transcendent, immanent, omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign, hates sin, holy
According to the Biblical Worldview, what is the nature of the universe? Give at least two points.
God is part of the universe (open system). The universe is created by God.
According to the Biblical Worldview, what is a human being?
Made in the image of God, possess personality, intelligence, morality, creativity, self-transcendence
According to the Biblical Worldview, how can we know anything at all?
Humans can know the world around us and God Himself, God created this capacity and has an active role into communication with us
According to the Biblical Worldview, how can we know what is right and wrong?
Humans were created good, the Fall defaced God’s image, God redeemed humanity/began restoring goodness, some choose to reject God
According to the Biblical Worldview, what happens to a person after death?
Paradise is heaven, which is a beautiful, harmonious, place with no suffering. with God and his people or eternal separation Chief pleasure is relationship with God
According to the Biblical Worldview, what is the purpose of human history?
History is linear, a meaningful sequence of events leading to the fulfillment of God’s purpose of humanity.
According to Deism, who or what is God?
God created the universe, but then left it to run on its own. God is not: fully personal, sovereign, immanent.
According to Deism, what is the nature of the universe?
God created the cosmos, created uniformity of cause and effect in closed system, no miracles are possible
According to Deism, what is a human being?
Human beings, though personal, are part of the clockwork of the universe
According to Deism, how can we know anything at all?
Cosmos is normal, not fallen or abnormal. We can know the universe and determine what God is like by studying.
According to Deism, how can we know right and wrong?
The universe is normal, and reveals what is right.
According to Deism, what happens to a person after death?
Unknown - can only be observed through reason and nature.
According to Deism, what is the purpose of human history?
History is linear, the course of the cosmos was determined at creation.
According to Naturalism, who or what is God?
Matter exists eternally and is all there is. God does not exist (cosmos is eternal)
According to Naturalism, what is the nature of the universe?
Cosmos exists as a uniformity of cause and effect in a closed system (no God)
According to Naturalism, what is a human being?
Complex “machines”. We don’t understand personality. We are objective beings.
According to Naturalism, how can we know anything at all?
Rationality is developed over eons of time.
According to Naturalism, how can we know right and wrong?
Culture, family, or individual decides what is right or wrong. Good harmony - good, bad harmony - bad.
According to Naturalism, what happens to a person after death?
Death extinguishes your personality and individuality.
According to Naturalism, what is the purpose of human history?
There is no overarching purpose, but it is a linear stream of events linked by cause and effect.
According to Nihilism, who or what is God?
There is no God. Matter is all there is, and it is eternal.
According to Nihilism, what is the nature of the universe?
The universe operates on cause and effect in a closed system (human beings are not part of the system)
According to Nihilism, what is a human being?
Matter.
According to Nihilism, how can we know anything at all?
We can never really know. Humans pursue knowledge that forever recedes before them
According to Nihilism, how do we know what is right and wrong?
Any argument we come up with implies truthfulness, which is an argument in itself.
According to Nihilism, what happens to a person after death?
Nothing.
According to Nihilism, what is the purpose of human history?
Argues that life is without meaning, purpose, or value.
According to the New Age, who or what is God?
There is Sky God (not personal) who is inhabited by countless spiritual beings.
According to the New Age, what is the nature of the universe?
slow changes of spirit and matter over time.
According to the New Age, what is a human being?
Made in the image of God. The soul/central essence of person is prime reality.
According to the New Age, how can we know anything at all?
Cosmic consciousness, where time, space, and morality tend to disappear.
According to the New Age, how can we know right and wrong?
No strict rules. Must give gifts and offerings to good/evil spirits.
According to the New Age, what happens to a person after death?
Death is not the end, reincarnation exits.
According to the New Age, what is the purpose of human history?
Unknown.
According to Postmodernism, who or what is God?
There is no universal God. Reality (meta narrative) is subject to change based on time, place, etc.
According to Postmodernism, what is the nature of the universe?
Truth about reality is hidden from us, we can only tell stories.
According to Postmodernism, what is a human being?
No substantial self. Human beings make themselves who they are by languages they construct about themselves.
According to Postmodernism, how can we know anything at all?
Subjective experience of mediative customary practice.
According to Postmodernism, how can we know what is right and wrong?
Social good is whatever society takes it to be.
According to Postmodernism, what happens to a person after death?
Unknown, can’t be proven. If it can be proven, it is obsolete.
According to Postmodernism, what is the purpose of human history?
We are permanently stuck in a crisis of meaning.
According to Hinduism, who or what is God?
There is the Divine Mother: a Godhead with about 330 million forms.
According to Hinduism, what is the nature of the universe?
Creation is cyclic. No start/no end. Closed system.
According to Hinduism, what is a human being?
A human is an Atman (the True Self)
According to Hinduism, how can we know anything at all?
Lower knowledge: study of sacred texts, religion, astronomy
Higher knowledge: knowledge of the soul
According to Hinduism, how can we know what is right and wrong?
Deeds are right if they produce good, wrong is they produce wrong. They must follow Dharma
According to Hinduism, what happens to a person after death?
Actions in the present life
According to Hinduism, what is the purpose of human history?
To obtain liberation: by ascending through orders of reincarnation in order to be united with the Divine Power.
According to Buddhism, who or what is God?
God is a recognition of a Transcendent Truth.
According to Buddhism, what is the nature of the universe?
Creation is cyclic. No start/no end. Closed system. Wheel of suffering, all attached through rebirth. World operates by cause and effect.
According to Buddhism, what is a human being?
There is no evidence to support the idea of an individual soul or self.
According to Buddhism, how do you know anything at all?
Conceptual understanding/experiences lead to actual realization (direct insight)
According to Buddhism, how do you know what is right and wrong?
4 Noble Truths: Life is sorrow, caused by desires, defeat desires, eightfold path
According to Buddhism, what happens to a person after death?
Existence transforms into: human, divine, animal. Depends on behavior of past life.
According to Buddhism, what is the purpose of human history?
Nirvana. Life is suffering, reincarnation is gives opportunity for oneness by denial of desires.
According to Islam, who or what is God?
God is infinite, transcendent, eternal, but not personal or immanent.
According to Islam, what is the nature of the universe?
God created it, cause and effect, open system.
According to Islam, what is a human being?
God made man in His spiritual image, however, He is not man because God is not a person and not a spirit.
According to Islam, how can we know anything at all?
Humans can know the world, but not God Himself.
According to Islam, how can we know what is right and wrong?
There was no Fall (Adam repented). Man is born with good nature, but is weak and forgetful of God’s law.
According to Islam, what happens to a person after death?
Those predestined by God will enter paradise. Beautiful place, chief pleasure is food and sex. God is not around.
According to Islam, what is the purpose of human history?
History is set in order and has an end.
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Flashcard (23)