1. Age of Faith God governed the universe. “Knowledge was divine light infused into man by God.” -Augustine

2. Age of Reason Knowledge not of divine origin, discovered naturally Natural law works without God The idea of a spiritual universe is replaced by the idea of the world as a machine

3. Worldview as glasses...  Pair of glasses that filters what you see  Some elements are in focus  Some elements are blurry  Some disappear completely

4. What is a worldview? ReligiousNonreligious

5. Religious  Allows or embraces supernatural concepts of the general order of existence  Important throughout recorded history  Universal spirit, god, deity  Established moral order that can be known  People have duty to follow moral dictates  Human conduct has significance beyond death

6. Nonreligious  In general, a nonreligious worldview is absent supernatural interpretations.  A nonreligious framework for human living is void of any divine entity or deity’s involvement in human life or of considerations of existence after death. Perspectives on morality are naturalistic.

7. www.teachingaboutreligion.org “ A worldview consists of basic assumptions and images that provide a more or less coherent though not necessarily accurate, way of thinking about the world.”...

8. More than culture...  A.F.C. Wallace (1970) noted, “ A worldview is the very skeleton of concrete cognitive assumptions on which the flesh of customary behavior is hung.”

9. Developing a worldview  Takes shape over time  Based upon experiences and surroundings  Family has powerful influence in formative years  Media has growing influence in present culture