It seems to me that the longer I live the more secular and humanist our society is becoming; and let me add that by society I really mean our 'global village'. Wherever I look or travel the evidence of people searching for meaning and truth is clear in the way they choose to spend their time, money and efforts. The reality is that none of us live on a deserted island and this led me to think about how the world I live in is changing my own views and perceptions, and in turn is causing me to make choices about lifestyle and living. How many of these choices are subliminally altered by the environment in which I live?
Before I go off on some philosophical tangent I would like to bring things back to the essence of the theme we are pursuing this month: world views. How is one's worldview shaped, where does one find it's beginnings and how do we deal with it's inevitable evolution?
The Oxford dictionary defines a worldview as “a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world.” I believe that we all are the sum of our experiences from the moment of conception to where we are today, and that this sum in not always necessarily a constant, cast-in-concrete type of thing, but rather something that is constantly changing.
The typical world view is in stark contrast to the Christian world view that is based on the principles and characteristics laid out in the Bible. For the Christian the Bible is the ethical and moral compass that guide and determine choices and the ways in which we live. The flyleaf of Francis A Schaeffer’s, A Christian Manifesto states the following: “It happened so subtly that few people noticed it at first. Little by little, morality and the freedom started to crumble. It came first in government, in education, in the media – and finally it began to shake our families and our own lives. Something fundamental has changed. Law and government no longer provide a foundation of justice and morality but have become the means of licensing moral perversions of all kinds. Education has become enemy of religious truth and values. And the media have provided the means for propagating the change.”
Now this was written in 1981, and nearly thirty years later things have progressed so far that the general ethical and moral compass of the world at large is like a rudderless ship floundering on the ocean. South Africa, the showpiece of humanist cohesiveness to the world, is suffering the consequences of ideas and views that have strayed far from an absolute truth. Some of the leaders of our country hold to views that are no better than those supported in the soapies, movies and literature of our day.
What can we do to change this and protect future generations from the curse of aimlessness and hopelessness? The answer is surprisingly simple: Let us get back to the foundations, principles and views of the One Who created all. I am reminded of the name of Mark Shuttleworth's company, Hip2b Square. While popular culture would have us believe that the Christian lifestyle is one of constraint, and boring boundaries, the truth is that only within the specified boundaries of our creation do we really find total freedom. This 'total freedom' is referred to by Christ as an 'abundant life'! It would do us well to re-evaluate the things which we believe to be true and good for all, the things that the media hold up as examples of the 'good life', and take stock in the light of our every day experiences. The rise of immorality, crime and injustice is directly linked to the global community straying from the truth that can hold everything together in perfect harmony.
The authors have contributed to our May issue with their insight and experiences, and I trust that in these short writings and challenges we will find road marks and directions to perhaps change the way we think. Let us not be like sheep led astray, but let us make choices that will positively affect not only our own lives but also the lives of those who live in the sphere of our influence.
