World Views competing with Christianity
This section compares and contrasts the Christian world view with others that are competing against it. See THIS PAGE for the topic three most dangerous competing world views.
Every individual has a "world view", whether such view is held knowingly or unknowingly. A world view is the system of life's values and priorities that guide us through our decisions and life's journey. It also includes our understanding of where we came from, the purpose of life, what constitutes "truth" and whether it matters, and where we're going.
"Christian" is one major category of world views among many. Unfortunately the Christian world view has been infiltrated with bits and pieces of other world views. So now we have to further qualify the Christian world view with the words "traditional" or "orthodox" to distinguish it from the world views embraced by corrupted forms of liberal Christianity.
World views can cut across a number philosophical issues:
Do we believe in God or not (Theistic or Atheistic) or are we not sure and don't care (Agnostic)
Do we believe in God, but not in any organized religion or formal doctrine; or have we just been too preoccupied to understand any particular creed or doctrine?
Do we attribute any particular moral standards or expectations or actions to God, or do we just accept that He is.
Do we believe in one God or many gods (monotheism vs. polytheism)?
Do we believe we are formed in God's image or that man formed God's image?
Do we believe God knows us intimately and we are to also know God or is god a far off impersonal, unknowable entity?
Do we believe there are moral absolutes or not? Do we believe there are absolute truths or not?
Do we believe there was life before; that there will be life after? Do we believe liffe has purpose or is purposeless?
Do we have a supremacist and coercive life view; do we believe our view is so important that we should force submission on others? (Islam)
Do we believe it is more governments responsibilty or the individual's responsibility to provide for our needs and the needs of others?
Do we work and sacrifice just for ourselves or also for others?
Do we expect our behaviors and attitudes in this life to effect a post-mortal future consciousness?
Here is one approach to categorizing world views. The basis for distinctions in many instances are not absolute. The lines can be blurry and overlap. For example, liberal/progressive Christians have much in common with secular humanist; and unorthodox Christians have much in common with orthodox Christians:
Theisitic
Christian
Roman Catholic
Orthodox protestant
Liberal/progressive Christian (Mainstream denominations: Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran; smaller conservative bodies of each exist)
Unorthodox Christian (Mormons, Jehovah's Witness, Christian Science)
Judaic
Islamic
Agnostic
Pantheistic/polytheistic
Non-theistic
Secular humanist
Atheistic
Eastern (Hinduism, Confucianism, Shintoism)
New age
The term "progressive" has recently come to replace the terms "liberal", "socialist", and even "communist" to provide a more positive spin on these anti-American mantras. Progressives dominate the liberal Jewish and Christian denominations, as well as secular humanist, atheistic, and to a lesser extent, agnostic and new age world views as well as the Democratic Party, generally. While actually counter-prgressive ast heart, Islamists use the progressive base and agenda to further their own agneda to gain influence, power and ultimate dominance.
Resources for further understanding:
Agenda: Grinding America Down. The is a documentary that describes the roots and agenda of the progressive movement in America
http://www.etaworld.org/store/p-101-the-truth-about-worldviews-textbook.aspx