Transcript Slide 1

God’s Plan, Our Future:
Making Sense of the World
Dr. William E. Brown
1. The Christian Worldview
is challenged everyday.
Around the office, whenever I see a
Christian, I scream and run away like a little
girl. . . I am more afraid of Christians than I
am of getting a flesh eating virus. . . . I am
more afraid of Christians than I am of being
shipped to Syria and tortured.
Al Franken
Religion is the problem
“Yes, we are a nation that is unenlightened
because of religion. I do believe that. I
think that religion stops people from
thinking. I think it justifies crazies.
I think flying planes into a building
was a faith-based initiative. I think
religion is a neurological disorder.”
Bill Maher
“The beauty of religious mania is that it has
the power to explain everything. Once God
(or Satan) is accepted as the first cause of
everything which happens in the mortal
world, nothing is left to chance…
logic can be happily tossed
out the window.”
Stephen King
2. The default religious view
is that I must choose my own
beliefs according to what is
best for me.
It’s all about me . . . .
“I had a crisis of faith. I thought you had to
experience things if you want to know right
from wrong. I’d go to Christian revivals
and be moved by the Holy Spirit and I’d go
to rock concerts and feel the same fervor.
The I’d be told, ‘That’s the Devil’s music!
Don’t partake in that!’ I wanted to
experience things religion said not to experience. . .
When I got untethered from the comfort of religion,
it wasn’t a loss of faith for me, it was a discovery of
self. I had faith that I’m capable enough to handle
any situation.”
Brad Pitt
It’s all about me . . . .
There are no rules.
Just follow your heart.
-Robin Williams
It’s all about me . . . .
"If I was having a bad day, or if something
was really getting me down -boy troubles, whatever- I
wanted to go out and get a new piercing. It was
definitely a release for me. Something that made me
feel a little more strong or empowered. Because it was
something that had to do with me and no one else."
Christina Aguilera
Rolling Stone
It’s all about me . . . .
I am a blank slate—
therefore I can create anything I want.
-Tobey Maguire
I don't necessarily believe in organized religion.
I love my God, my higher power,
but it is mine and mine alone,
and I create my connection,
and I decide how my connection is going to be.
-Will Smith
It’s all about me . . . .
You know when I feel inwardly beautiful? When I am
with my girlfriends and we are having a "goddess
circle."
-Jennifer Aniston
“Sometimes I feel like I’m living a meaningless life and I
get frightened . . .
I have no idea where this insecurity comes from, but it’s
a God-sized hole. If I knew, I’d fill it and I’d be on my
way. . .
I have no answers to anything. None. Why am I an
alcoholic? I haven’t a clue! What is
life about? I don’t know. . . .
The best I can do is learn from my
mistakes and move forward. And
that’s what I’m trying to do.”
~Shia LeBeouf
It’s all about me . . . .
I don't believe in God now...I can still work up an
envy for someone who has faith. I can see how that
could be a deeply soothing experience.
-Jack Nicholson
3. Christians are called to be
thinkers and givers –
minds of depth & lives of grace.
1. Think Worldviewishly
Houston, TX
Dear residents of Dayton, Tenn.,
I read about your town in the September National Geographic.
It seems as though everybody there believes in Jesus and
Christianity. As a humanist, I see NO evidence of a god,
heaven, hell, devils, angels, fairies or a soul that leaves
the body. The story of Adam and Eve is a fairy tale.
Noah’s Ark is an impossible dream. The “virgin birth” of
Jesus by mother Mary is nonsense. The hundreds of
religions around the world all believe they have the answer.
Religions are nothing but people’s imagination. Men wrote
the Bible, not an imaginary god.
Humanists believe in nature and science. We know that
people and animals and plants evolved over three billion
years on planet Earth.
We do not look for supernatural answers as to why
we have thunder or why it rains or why we have
tornados. This is all part of nature and physics.
We’re proud of being capable of determining right
from wrong by using our brains and not some book
translated from ancient Holy scrolls.
We do not thank Jesus for good fortune because our
intelligence knows he has NOTHING to do with
anything going on now.
Best regards,
Jimmy Dunne
President, Humanists of Houston
Dear Mr. Dunne:
I was disappointed in your letter of August 28 to the people
of Dayton. I do not think it accomplished what you intended.
Your letter was more of a screed than a creed. People who
read it either laughed at what they saw as arrogant
pronouncements or clucked their tongues at the patronizing
statements.
I am enclosing another letter that you are free to use.
This better represents your naturalistic worldview and might
engender substantive discussion rather than defensive
reactions.
Best regards,
William E. Brown
Dear residents of ___________,
As a humanist, I rely on the objective facts discovered
by science. By the use of the scientific method, I see no proofs
for the existence of God, heaven, hell, angels, or a soul that
lives on after we die. If such evidence is discovered, I will
gladly believe.
I believe in people. I work hard to make this world a better
place because this is all the existence we have.
Because I believe the natural world is all that exists,
I do not need to believe there are anything but natural
causes for everything that occurs in the world, good or bad.
We do not need a God or a holy book to tell us what is right
and wrong. Most of morality is self-evident and we just need
to use our reason to decide what is right and wrong.
It is difficult to believe in the existence of a good and
powerful God when the world He supposedly created is
filled with evil and disasters. I would assume He would
intervene in some way to correct these wrongs.
Instead, the world seems to be getting worse.
When we look at the thousands of religions in the
world, which one is correct? They all have conflicting
beliefs about God, scriptures, rituals, and morality. This
only adds to the confusion.
I hope you will consider the rationale I have given here
in your quest for truth.
Sincerely yours,
Jimmy Dunne
President, Humanists of Houston
“ . . . Love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your mind.”
Matthew 22:37
Using Your Mind . . .
Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view
of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to
God - this is your spiritual act of worship.
Do not be conformed any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind . . .
- Romans 12:1-2
Using Your Mind . . .
. . . men of Issachar,
who understood the times and
knew what Israel should do . . .
- 1 Chronicles 12:32
Using Your Mind . . .
To these four young men God gave
knowledge and understanding of
all kinds of literature and learning . . .
In every matter of wisdom and
understanding about which the king
questioned them, he found them
ten times better than all the magicians
and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
- Daniel 1:17,20
WORLDVIEWS
Using your mind
Behavior
Values
Worldview
“I must say that when I go to
church – and I do go to church
– I ponder the mystery. I
meditate on the ‘why?’ of ‘Why
people are as they are?’ and
‘Why bad things happen to
good people?’ and ‘Why good
things happen to bad people?’
. . . The mystery is what I think
is, almost, the grand unifying
theory of all mankind.”
Tom Hanks
Your worldview answers
the ULTIMATE questions…
ORIGIN:
Where did everything come from?
MEANING:
Why are we here?
MORALITY:
How should we live?
DESTINY:
What happens when we die?
Transcendentalism
Naturalism
Ultimate
Questions
Theism
“I have never seen the slightest scientific
proof of the religious ideas of heaven and hell,
of future life for individuals
or of a personal God.”
Thomas Edison
“Here’s what happens when you die– you
sit in a box and get eaten by worms.
I guarantee that when you die,
nothing cool happens.”
Howard Stern
“It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God…I
don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want
the universe to be like that…”
Thomas Nagel
Professor of Law and
Philosophy
NYU
“Ultimately the Force is the
larger mystery of the universe. And to trust
your feelings is your way to that.”
George Lucas
“Just as man is destined to die once,
and after that to face judgment . . .”
Hebrews 9:27
“Our father, God, Allah, we thank you for this
moment in time. Bless Kanye, bless his album,
take over his album and take it to the highest
place possible . . . In the name of Allah and
the spirit of our inner essence. Amen.”
Prayer by Kanye West prior to a concert, Blender
THEISTIC RELIGIONS
JUDAISM
(2,000 BC)
CHRISTIANITY
(AD 30)
ISLAM
(AD 600)
CHRIST
Naturalism
Transcendentalism
Theism
When all is said and done and my life is
over, all that will have truly mattered is that I
made a choice in this life to believe in and
serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
-Kerry Livgren
of Kansas
“Dust in the Wind”
1. Think Worldviewishly
2. Live Radically
LIFE
1 Peter 3:15-16
15But
in your hearts set apart Christ as
Lord. Always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to
give the reason for the hope that you
have. But do this with gentleness and
respect, 16keeping a clear conscience,
so that those who speak maliciously
against your good behavior in Christ
may be ashamed of their slander.
God’s Plan, Our Future:
Making Sense of the World
Dr. William E. Brown