The Universe Next Door: Chaps 2-8 Study

Worldview question 1

What is prime reality - the really real?

Worldview question 2

What is the nature of external reality, that is, the world around us?

Worldview question 3

What is a human being?

Worldview question 4

What happens to a person at death?

Worldview question 5

Why is it possible to know anything at all?

Worldview question 6

How do we know what is right and wrong?

Worldview question 7

What is the meaning of human history?

Worldview question 8

What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?

Christian Theism: What is prime reality?

Prime reality is the infinite, personal God revealed in the Holy Scriptures. This God is triune, transcendent and immanent, omniscient, sovereign, and good.

Deism: What is prime reality?

A transcendent God, as a First Cause, created the universe but then left it to run on its own. God is thus not immanent, not triune, not fully personal, sot sovereign over human affairs, not providential.

Naturalism: What is prime reality?

Prime reality is matter. Matter exists eternally and is all there is. God does not exist.

Atheistic Existentialism: What is prime reality?

Matter exists eternally; God does not exist.

Theistic Existentialism: What is prime reality?

Prime reality is the infinite, personal God revealed in the Holy Scriptures. This God is triune, transcendent and immanent, omniscient, sovereign, and good. (existentialism)

Eastern Pantheistic Monism: What is prime reality?

Atman is Brahman; that is, the soul of each and every human being is the Soul of the cosmos (ultimate reality). Some things are more one than others. Many (if not all) roads lead to the One. To realize one's oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond personality. To realize one's oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond good and evil; the cosmos is perfect at every moment.

New Age: What is prime reality?

Whatever the nature of being (idea or matter, energy or particle), the self is the kingpin, the prime reality. As human beings grow in their awareness and grasp of this fact, the human race is on the verge of a radical change in human nature; even now we see harbingers of transformed humanity and prototypes of the New Age.

Christian Theism: What is the nature of external reality?

External reality is the cosmos God created ex nihilo to operate with a uniformity of cause and effect in an open system.

Deism: What is the nature of external reality?

The cosmos God create is determined, because it is created as a uniformity of cause and effect in a closed system; no miracle is possible.

Naturalism: What is the nature of external reality?

The cosmos exists as a uniformity of cause and effect in a closed system.

Atheistic Existentialism: What is the nature of external reality?

The cosmos is composed solely of matter, but to human beings reality appears in two forms - subjective and objective. The highly wrought and tightly organized objective world stands over against human beings and appears absurd.

Theistic Existentialism: What is the nature of external reality?

External reality is the cosmos God created ex nihilo to operate with a uniformity of cause and effect in an open system (existentialism)

Eastern Pantheistic Monism: What is the nature of external reality?

Atman is Brahman; that is, the soul of each and every human being is the Soul of the cosmos (ultimate reality). Some things are more one than others. Many (if not all) roads lead to the One. To realize one's oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond personality. To realize one's oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond good and evil; the cosmos is perfect at every moment.

New Age: What is the nature of external reality?

The cosmos, while unified in the self, is manifested in two more dimensions: the visible universe, accessible through ordinary consciousness, and the invisible universe (or Mind at Large), accessible through altered states of consciousness.
Three distinct attitudes are taken to the metaphysical question of the nature of reality under the general framework of the New Age: (1) the occult version, in which the beings and things perceived in states of altered consciousness exist apart from the self that is conscious, (2) the psychedelic version, in which these things and beings are projections of the conscious self, and (3) the conceptual relativist version, in which the cosmic consciousness is the conscious activity of a mind using one of many non-ordinary models for reality, none of which is any "truer" than another.

Christian Theism: What is a human being?

Human beings are created in the image of God and thus possess personality, self-transcendence, intelligence, morality, gregariousness and creativity. Human beings were created good, but through the Fall the image of God became defaced, though not so ruined as not to be capable of restoration; through the work of Christ, God redeemed humanity and began the process of restoring people to goodness, though any given person may choose to reject that redemption.

Deism: What is a human being?

Human beings, though personal, are a part of the clockwork of the universe.

Naturalism: What is a human being?

Human beings are complex "machines"; personality is an interrelation of chemical and physical properties we do not yet fully understand.

Atheistic Existentialism: What is a human being?

Human beings are complex "machines"; personality is an interrelation of chemical and physical properties we do not yet fully understand. For human beings alone existence precedes essence; people make themselves who they are. Each person is totally free as regards his or her nature and destiny. The highly wrought and tightly organized objective world stands over against human beings and appears absurd.

Theistic Existentialism: What is a human being?

Human beings are created in the image of God. Human beings were created good, but was broken through the Fall. Human beings are personal beings who, when they come to full consciousness, find themselves in an alien universe; whether or not God exists is a though question to be solved not by reason but by faith. The personal is the valuable.

Eastern Pantheistic Monism: What is a human being?

Atman is Brahman; that is, the soul of each and every human being is the Soul of the cosmos (ultimate reality). Some things are more one than others. Many (if not all) roads lead to the One. To realize one's oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond personality. To realize one's oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond good and evil; the cosmos is perfect at every moment.`

New Age: What is a human being?

The self is the kingpin, the prime reality. As human beings grow in their awareness and grasp this fact, the human race is on the verge of a radical change in human nature.

Christian Theism: What happens to a person at death?

For each person death is either the gate to life with God and his people or the gate to eternal separation from the only thing that will ultimately fulfill human aspirations. (christian theism)

Deism: What happens to a person at death?

Human beings may or may not have a life beyond their physical existence.

Naturalism: What happens to a person at death?

Death is extinction of personality and individuality.

Atheistic Existentialism: What happens to a person at death?

Death is extinction of personality and individuality. The highly wrought and tightly organized objective world stands over against human beings and appears absurd.

Theistic Existentialism: What happens to a person at death?

For each person death is either the gate to life with God and his people or the gate to eternal separation from the only thing that will ultimately fulfill human aspirations. (theistic existentialism)

Eastern Pantheistic Monism: What happens to a person at death?

Believes in reincarnation. Death is the end of individual, personal existence, but it changes nothing essential in an individual's nature. The soul, Atman, is indestructible. Nothing that is real (no soul) ever passes out of existence.

New Age: What happens to a person at death?

Physical death is not the end of the self; under the experience of cosmic consciousness, the fear of death is removed.

Christian Theism: Why is it possible to know anything at all?

Human beings can know both the world around them and God himself because God has built into them the capacity to do so and because he takes an active role in communicating with them.

Deism: Why is it possible to know anything at all?

Through our innate and autonomous human reason and the methods of science, we can not only know the universe but we can infer at least something of what God is like. The cosmos, this world, is understood to be in its normal state; it is not fallen or abnormal.

Naturalism: Why is it possible to know anything at all?

Through our innate and autonomous human reason, including the methods of science, we can know the universe. The cosmos, including this world, is understood to be in its normal state.

Atheistic Existentialism: Why is it possible to know anything at all?

Through our innate and autonomous human reason, including the methods of science, we can know the universe. The cosmos, including this world, is understood to be in its normal state. In full recognition of and against the absurdity of the objective world, the authentic person must revolt and create value.

Theistic Existentialism: Why is it possible to know anything at all?

Knowledge is subjectivity; the whole truth is often paradoxical.

Eastern Pantheistic Monism: Why is it possible to know anything at all?

To realize one's oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond knowledge. The principle of noncontradiction does not apply where ultimate reality is concerned.

New Age: Why is it possible to know anything at all?

The core experiences of the New Age is cosmic consciousness, in which ordinary categories of space, time and morality tend to disappear. Human beings can understand reality because in a state of God-consciousness they directly perceive it. Nonetheless, when New Age teachers present this view to others, they often cite the authority of ancient Scriptures and other religious teachers.

Christian Theism: How do we know what is right and wrong?

Ethics is transcendent and is based on the character of God as good (holy and loving).

Deism: How do we know what is right and wrong?

Ethics is intuitive or limited to general revelation; because the universe is normal, it reveals what is right.

Naturalism: How do we know what is right and wrong?

Ethics is related only to human beings. Moral values derive their source from human experience. Whatever promotes harmony is good; whatever does not it bad. Human beings are makers of value.

Atheistic Existentialism: How do we know what is right and wrong?

Ethics is related only to human beings. The good is whatever a person chooses; the good is a part of subjectivity; it is not measured by a standard outside the individual human dimension. We create value by choosing it, which is good, and thus can never choose evil. Evil is passivity, living at the direction of others, not recognizing the absurdity of the universe. Good is in choosing.

Theistic Existentialism: How do we know what is right and wrong?

Ethics is transcendent and is based on the character of God as good (holy and loving). The personal is the valuable.

Eastern Pantheistic Monism: How do we know what is right and wrong?

To realize one's oneness with the cosmos is to pass beyond good and evil; the cosmos is perfect at every moment. Still refuses to deny morality. Karma: one's present fate is a result of past action. Sin must and will be worked out.

New Age: How do we know what is right and wrong?

The core experiences of the New Age is cosmic consciousness, in which ordinary categories of space, time and morality tend to disappear.

Christian Theism: What is the meaning of human history?

History is linear, a meaningful sequence of events leading to the fulfillment of God's purposes for humanity.

Deism: What is the meaning of human history?

History is linear, for the course of the cosmos was determined at creation. Still the meaning of the events of history remains to be understood by the application of human reason to the data unearthed and made available to historians.

Naturalism: What is the meaning of human history?

History is a linear stream of events linked by cause and effect but without an overarching purpose. (naturalism)

Atheistic Existentialism: What is the meaning of human history?

History is a linear stream of events linked by cause and effect but without an overarching purpose. (existentialism)

Theistic Existentialism: What is the meaning of human history?

History as a record of events is uncertain and unimportant, but history as a model or type or myth to be made present and lived is of supreme importance.

Eastern Pantheistic Monism: What is the meaning of human history?

To realize one's oneness with the One is to pass beyond time. Time is unreal. History is cyclical.

New Age: What is the meaning of human history?

History as a record of events that actually occurred in the past is of little interest, but cosmic history which ends with the deification of humanity, especially the individual human self, is seen as a great vision and a great hope.

Christian Theism: What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?

Christians theists live to seek first the kingdom of God, that is, to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Deism: What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?

Cold deists use their own autonomous reason to determine their goal in life; warm deists may reflect on their commitment to a somewhat personal God and determine their goal in accordance with what they believe their God would be pleased with.

Naturalism: What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?

Naturalism itself implies no particular core commitment on the part of any given naturalist. Rather core commitments are adopted unwittingly or chosen by individuals.

Atheistic Existentialism: What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?

The core commitment of every full-blown atheistic existentialist is to himself or herself.

Theistic Existentialism: What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?

Theistic existentialists live to seek first the kingdom of God, that is, to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

Eastern Pantheistic Monism: What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?

Core commitments among individual EPM may vary widely, but one consistent commitment is, by the elimination of desire, to achieve salvation, that is, to realize one's union with the One (Hinduism) or the Void, pure consciousness (Buddhism). Goal: becoming one with the One.

New Age: What personal, life-orienting core commitments are consistent with this worldview?

New Agers are committed to realizing their own individual unity with the cosmos, creating and recreating it in their own image.