Bible Midterm

Worldview

A pattern of ideas, beliefs, convictions, and habitats that help us make sense of God, the world, and our relationship to God and the world

Religion

A system of belief that attempts to define the nature of God and how human beings can understand and interact with the divine; Any system of belief that prescribes certain responses to the existence (or nonexistence) of the divine

Theology

The study of design and purpose in nature

Philosophy

The study of knowledge, truth, and the nature of ultimate reality

Ethics

The study of moral conduct, values, duties, and goodness

Biology

The study of life and living organisms

Psychology

The study of the human mind (or soul)

Sociology

The study of human societies and institutions

Law

The study of ordinances designed to help citizens coexist peacefully

Politics

The study of community governance

Economics

The study of the management of resources

History

The study of past events

Tests of Reason

1. The Test of Reason
2. The Test of the Outer World
3. The Test of the Inner World
4. The Test of the Real World

Christianity

A theistic worldview centered on the person of Jesus Christ that derives its understanding of the world through the teachings of the Holy Bible

Basics of a Christian Worldview

We were CREATED in God's image, FALLEN in our sin, and REDEEMED through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God makes Himself known through general and special revelation

General Revelation

God's universal revelation about himself and morality that can be obtained through nature

Special Revelation

God's unique revelation about himself through the Scriptures, miraculous events, and Jesus Christ

Cosmological Argument

An argument for God's existence that begins with the premise that something caused the universe to exist and ends with the conclusion that God is the best explanation for the existence of the universe

Islam

A theistic worldview centered on the life of the prophet Muhammad that drives its understanding of the world through the teachings of the Quran, Hadith, and Sunnah

Islamist

A Muslim who embraces the full application of shariah law and who views jihad as a call to conquer nonbelieving nations

Shariah Law

Derived primarily from the Quran and Sunnah, it is the moral and legal code that governs the lives of Muslims; It addresses a wide variety of subjects, such as diet, hygiene, prayer, contracts, business, crime, and punishment

Jihad

From the Arabic word translated "struggle," it is both the inner spiritual battle of every Muslim to fulfiilll his or her religous duties and the outer, physical struggle against the enemies of Islam

Jihadi

An Islamist who embraces the use terrorism in pursuit of jihad

Ummah

From the Arabic word for "nation", it is the collective community of Muslims around the world

Quran

The central holy book of Islam that Muslims believed to be the literal word of God, recited verbatim from God to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel

Sunni Islam

The largest brand of Islam, this faction believes the Muhammad's successor should be chosen by consensus of Muslims

Shiite (or Shia) Islam

The second largest branch of Islam, this faction believes that Muhammad successors should be someone from his bloodline

Sufi Islam

A branch of Islam that arose as a protest to the worldliness invading the Muslim faith, this faction believes Allah has a personal and mystical nature

Shirk

The unforgivable sin of idolatry or polytheism in Islam. In Arabic it means to "partner with another God," meaning to worship anyone or anything besides Allah

Hadith

The oral history of Muhammad's teachings, rulings, and the actions of his early companions

Dhimmitude

A provision in shariah law that allows dhimmis (non-Muslims) to live in Islamic states in exchange for paying the jizya (tax)

Dhimmis

Non-Muslims living in Islamic state

Jizya

A tax imposed on dhimmis (non-Muslims) living in Islamic states

Shahada

The first pillar of Islam, it is the confession of faith: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet"

Salat

The second pillar of Islam, it is the act of praying five times per day facing Mecca

Zakat

The third pillar of Islam, it is the donation of 2.5% of Muslim's annual income

Sawm

The fourth pillar of Islam, it is a special time set aside for fasting during the month of Ramadan

Hajj

The fifth pillar of Islam, it is the mandatory pilgrimage to Mecca for all Muslims with the ability and means to take the journey

Sunnah

Part of the Hadith describing Muhammad's exemplary actions

Secularism

An atheist and materialistic worldview that advocates a public society free from the influence of religion

Materialism

The belief that reality is composed solely of matter

Monism

The belief that reality is ultimately composed of one essential substance

Naturalism

The belief that all phenomena can be explained in terms of natural causes

Secular Humanism

A religious and philosophical worldview that makes mankind the ultimate norm by which truth and values are to be determined; It is a worldview that reveres human reason, evolution, naturalism, and secular theories of ethics while rejecting every form of supernatural religion

Transhumanism

The humanistic movement that helps to advance humanity beyond its physical and mental limitations through the application and integration of biotechnology

Humanist Manifesto

The title of three manifestos laying out a Secular Humanist worldview; The central theme of all three is the elaboration of a philosophy and value system that do not include belief in God

Marxism

An atheistic and materialistic worldview based on the ideas of Karl Marx that promotes the abolition of private property, the public ownership of the means of production, and the utopian dream of a future communistic state

Communism

The Marxist ideal of a classless and stateless utopian society in which all property is commonly owned and each person is paid according to his or her abilities and needs

Capitalism

An economic system in which capital assets are privately owned, and the prices, production, and distribution of goods and services are determined by competition within a free market

Socialism

An economic system based upon governmental or communal ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods and services

State Capitalism

The practice of federal governments taking ownership and management control of private businesses

Dialectical Materialism

The belief that only the material world exists and that class struggles are the mechanism behind social and economic progress (e.g., the current economic clash between the proletariat and bourgeoisie will eventually give way to socialism and the end of capitalism)

Economic Determinism

The belief that economics determines the entire course of human history, ultimately and inevitably leading to a communist future

Bourgeoise

A term used in Marxist theory to describe those who own the means of production

Proletariat

A term used in Marxist theory to describe the working-class wage earners who do not own the means of production

Class Consciousness

The belief that the working class is becoming increasingly aware of its position in society and its oppression by the bourgeoisie

Proletariat Morality

The belief that whatever advances the proletariat and communism is morally good, whatever hinders the proletariat and communism is morally evil

Progressivism

The belief in human progress; It is the belief that political systems can be used to create economic prosperity, minimize risk, and advance society

Communist Manifesto

Commissioned by the Communist League and written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, it is the 1848 political tract outlining the league's goal and means for eliminating capitalism and achieving a communist society through a proletariat revolution

Karl Marx

The father of communism and writer of the Communist Manifesto, his analysis of history led to his belief that communism would replace capitalism as it replaced feudalism; Believed in a classless society

Mao Zedong

Leader of the Communist Party in China that overthrew Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists; Established China as the People's Republic of China and ruled from 1949 until 1976

Vladimir Lenin

Leader of the Bolshevik Party and leader of the Russian Revolution, bringing Communism and Marxism to Russia; Also was the first head of the USSR

Joseph Stalin

Russian leader who succeeded Lenin as head of the Communist Party and created a totalitarian state by purging all opposition; Continued the Marxist state in Russia

Pol Pot

Leader of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, who terrorized the people of Cambodia throughout the 1970's by bringing Marxism to Cambodia

Fidel Castro

Cuban socialist leader who overthrew a dictator in 1959 and established a Marxist socialist state in Cuba; Brough Marxism to Cuba

New Spirituality

A pantheistic worldview that teaches everything and everyone are connected through divine consciousness

Transcendentalism

A religious and philosophical movement that arose in the early 1800s as a reaction against rationalism and organized religion, it teaches that human beings are inherently good and that nature is fundamentally divine

Consciousness

The belief in a divine interconnected essence of reality

Pantheism

The belief that everything in the universe is ultimately divine

Karma

A concept found in Eastern religions, it is the belief that good is returned to those who do good, and evil is returned to those who do evil (either in this life or the next)

Nirvana

A concept found in Indian religions, it is the transcendent state of ultimate peace and highest happiness achieved through one's release from the bondages of karma, suffering, worldly desire, and individual consciousness

Gaia Hypothesis

Postulated by James Lovelock, it is the theory that all living organisms form a collective, self-regulating living entity

Ecofeminism

A political philosophy that links the oppression of women and the exploitation of the environment with the values inherent in what advocates referred to as Western patriarchal society

Deep Ecology

An environmental philosophy based on the idea that all living beings form a spiritual and ecological interconnected system, which is presently threatened by the harmful impact of human beings; It is a philosophy that advocates a radical resurrecting of society toward environmental preservation, simple living, legal rights for all living creatures, and a reduction in the human population

Mediation

The art of focusing one's mine to induce a higher state of consciousness

Channeling

The practice of communicating with disembodied spirits through a medium

Monomyth

Popularized by Joseph Campbell, it is a theory that cultures throughout time have shared a common theme within their popular stories - The "hero's journey," which unfolds in three distinct acts: the hero's departure, initiation, and triumphant return

Postmodernism

A skeptical worldview, founded as a reaction to modernism, that is suspicious of metanarratives and teaches that ultimate reality is inaccessible, knowledge is a social construct, and truth claims are political power plays

Modernism

A broad term used to describe a range of arts, attitudes, philosophies, and cultural moods that emerged following the eighteenth century Enlightenment; It is characterized by a strong belief in rationalism, empiricism, science, and technological progress, as well as skepticism towards the supernatural, special revelation, and the authority of religion

Nihilism

The view that the world and human existence are without meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value

Sophism

A pre-Socratic school of philosophy that taught the art of rhetoric and held skeptical views of truth, knowledge, and morality; It is a derogatory term used to describe a specious argument intended to manipulate, trick, or deceive

Structuralism

An intellectual movement that believes human knowledge is not based on an accurate understanding of reality, but is the product of linguistic constructed forms or grammars that societies have developed over time

Poststructuralism

An intellectual movement that agrees of structuralism - it is more important to study language in relationship because it is impossible to have knowledge of objective reality - but progresses further by contending that human communication is not really about things but about the views and motivations of those involved in the conversation

Deconstruction

A method of literary analysis that questions the ability of language to represent reality adequately and seeks to discern and expose the purported underlying ideologies of a text

Metanarrative

A single, overarching interpretation, or grand story, of reality

Anti-Realism

The denial of the existence or accessibility of an objective reality

Pragmatism

The belief that positions do not mirror reality instead therefore be treated as tools and judged only by their practical consequences

Christian Postmodernism

A hybrid worldview that incorporates elements of postmodern philosophy and Christian theology