Worldview Puzzle Essay Running head: WORLDVIEW PUZZLE ESSAY

Worldview Puzzle Essay April Toler Grand Canyon University CWV 101 February 22, 2010

Worldview Puzzle Essay Worldview Puzzle Essay This essay will discuss the three most primary components of my worldview. First, do I believe God exists? What is God like? I do believe there is a God, and I will explain my monotheistic belief of God. Second, what is my view on ultimate reality? Did God create the universe? Is the universe eternal? I do believe that God created the universe, and I will describe how I see the universe compared to this world. Lastly, what is true knowledge to me? Is truth relative to each person? I believe that knowledge is gained by research and by personal experience, and I will elaborate on why I believe that truth is sometimes relative to each person.

The first primary component of my personal worldview is my belief in God. I feel that this is the most important part of my worldview because it shapes how I view the world around me on a daily basis. Over time, my view of God has changed from a biblical view of God in the Trinity form, to my current view of God as a creator God. It is scientifically proven that this world had a starting point, though we do not have the technology to be sure how it actually formed. Our world is so unique, and we have such an exponentially vast variety of life that I cannot believe this world was formed any other way than by God. I do believe that our world and the life forms in it change constantly due to evolution, this is a scientific fact. However, our world has not existed long enough for such a variety of life forms to have evolved from the same single-cell organisms. I see God as the creator of this universe. I like to think that He is caring and loving, but I do not think that He has a hand in everyones day to day lives. Most creatures in the world care for their offspring, but at some point they must let go and allow them the freedom to make their own mistakes. I cannot help but believe that our Creator is the same. He has created us with love, but He gives us our freedom to live our lives, make our own decisions, and make our own mistakes. The second important component of my worldview is my view of the universe. I believe that the universe is by definition eternal. The universe includes the natural and the supernatural.

Worldview Puzzle Essay God did create this universe. Therefore, as I explained above, there is no other explanation for

the timing and the vast variety of life. There is variety is our universe that we are not even aware of because our technology is not advanced enough for us to be able to explore it. If God created this world and all these plants and creatures we know, who is to say whether or not there is another world somewhere in the universe that has life on it also? Maybe there is more life out there in this eternal universe that is not so different from our own. Knowledge is the third component of my worldview that I will discuss. There are many ways the word knowledge can be explained. Part of knowledge is explained by research and scientific fact. One excellent example of this is evolution. The term evolution simply means, A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form (Online Dictionary, 2010). Therefore, evolution explains the adaption of organisms to changes in their surroundings. One cannot argue adaptation, every person experiences adaptation on a daily basis. The most generic form of adaptation in our daily lives is making changes due to weather. If it is cold, we bundle up or turn on the heat. Evolution follows this same adaptation principle, just on a larger scale. Current research of the life on the Galapagos Islands proves evolution. The animals and plant life there are still constantly changing, or evolving, to adapt to their surroundings. Knowledge, however, can also come from personal experiences. When knowledge comes from personal experiences, it can often times be relative because all experiences are relative to the persons perspective. To summarize, three of the most important components of my worldview are my belief in God, that God created the universe, and that knowledge is based on both proven fact and personal experience. These components of my worldview have changed over time, and they affect many of my daily choices and life choices. There are many more aspects of my worldview, and I am certain that my world view will continue changing with time and experience.

Worldview Puzzle Essay

References Cosgrove, M. P. (2006). Foundations of Christian Thought. Grand Rapids, MI, USA: Kregel Publications. Fortney, G. (2010). Lecture.

Worldview Puzzle Essay Strobel, L. (2000). The Case for Faith. Grand Rapids, MI, USA: Zondervan. The Free Dictionary. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/evolution