Studied by 8 peopleWorldview
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
The Test of Reason
The Test of the Outer World
The Test of the Inner World
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
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