BELIEF SYSTEMS
Peter M. Wilson
26 October 2016
“A worldview is a descriptive model of the world” (Ref. 1). “A belief system is the actual set of precepts from which you live your daily life, those which govern your thoughts, words, and actions” (Ref. 2). There are thousands of worldviews that are known to mankind. However, each worldview can be classified into one of the five belief systems that will be explored. It is unnecessary to sift through every single worldview before coming to a conclusion on which one is true. A categorical disqualification of entire belief systems based on logical consistency of the basic principles will reduce the number of worldviews to be considered.
Naturalism, Polytheism, Pantheism, and Panentheism present very similar issues regarding their epistemology (theory of knowledge). Not one of these belief systems possess a valid justification for the Universal (immaterial unchanging) Laws of Logic (mathematics, science, absolute morality, absolute truth). They all appeal to human reasoning as their sole source of knowledge. This results in many subjective opinions without justification for universal truths. The reason for this is due to the fact that human reasoning is finite and fallible. This means that human reasoning is limited, and able to be wrong. Furthermore, since human beings are not omniscient (all-knowing), the things that are unknown could possibly contradict the things that are known.
If the sole source of knowledge is finite or fallible then it cannot rationally provide any valid justification for the laws of logic itself. It would follow that if there is no rational justification for knowing something, one simply claims to know things. For anyone to be able to justify anything they claim to know they must appeal to something outside of their own reasoning. Therefore, in these four belief systems there is no possible way of justifying universal truth since they all appeal to human reason as their justification for knowledge.
To have justification for knowledge one must either have all knowledge, or have revelation from a source that does have all knowledge. Revelation from the source that does have all knowledge must be able to form a universal standard that applies to all people and things alike. The universal standard must account for all of the elements necessary to comprise a coherent worldview (Cosmology, Anthropology, Methodology, Epistemology, and Eschatology). The universal standard varies for different belief systems and worldviews. Yet, there is one worldview in a belief system that contains an ultimate source of knowledge outside of human reasoning. Also this worldview possesses a universal standard that is reliable, consistent, and coherent. Using deductive reasoning the five belief systems will be examined to discover which is most coherent, and which worldview is most consistent.
The five belief systems are as follows
Naturalism – “The idea or belief that only natural (as opposed to supernatural or spiritual) laws and forces operate in the world; the idea or belief that nothing exists beyond the natural world” (Ref. 3).”
Naturalistic worldviews presume that the ultimate source of truth comes solely by human reasoning; which we have already concluded is self refuting and absurd.
Polytheism – “Belief in many gods. The numerous gods may be dominated by a supreme god or by a small group of powerful gods. The gods originated as abstractions of the forces of nature such as the sky or the sea and of human and social functions such as love, war, marriage, or the arts. In addition to many gods, polytheistic religions generally also include malevolent or benevolent spiritual forces or powers” (Ref. 1).
Polytheistic worldviews presume that the ultimate source of truth comes from a group of finite gods. Yet, they possess no reliable universal standard by which Universal Laws of Logic can be accounted for, truth is subject to the experience of the individual professing belief in this system; which means it relies solely on human reasoning; which we have already concluded is absurd.
Pantheism – “At its most general, pantheism may be understood positively as the view that God is identical with the cosmos, and that there exists nothing which is outside of God; or else negatively as the rejection of any view that considers God as distinct from the universe” (Ref. 4).
Pantheistic worldviews presume that the ultimate source of truth is the universe itself which they ascribe to be God. Yet, they possess no reliable universal standard by which Universal Laws of Logic can be accounted for, truth is subject to the experience of the individual professing belief in this system; which means it relies solely on human reasoning; which we have already concluded is absurd.
Panentheism – “Belief that God and the world are interrelated, with the world being in God and God being in the world” (Ref. 4).
Panentheistic worldviews presume that God is everything, thus rendering each individual person an extension of God. The fact that this belief system requires its adherents to deny the fact that they exist, which is completely fallacious, alone should disqualify it as a coherent belief system. However, they also possess no reliable universal standard by which Universal Laws of Logic can be accounted for, truth is subject to the experience of the individual professing belief in this system; which means it relies solely on human reasoning; which we have already concluded is absurd.
Monotheism – “Belief in the existence of one God, as the creator of the world, who oversees and intervenes in human events, and as a beneficent and Holy being, the source of the highest good” (Ref. 1).
This leaves only one belief system that is consistent in its theory of knowledge and can account for the Universal Laws of Logic without refuting itself. This belief system is Monotheism. Monotheism presumes that there is one God who created all things, who is all knowing (omniscient), all powerful (omnipotent), and all present (omnipresent). The only coherent worldview within this belief system is the Christian Monotheistic worldview which attributes the ultimate source of all knowledge and power to their description of God. They choose to believe that He is the only God and that he revealed a universal standard to human kind, which applies to all people alike. They believe he did this through certain people throughout history who communicated their knowledge through what is now a collection of reliable historical documents commonly known as The Holy Bible. Furthermore, adherents of this worldview in fact can justify things they claim to know for certain. The reason is due to the fact that they appeal not solely to their own reasoning but to the eternal mind of their God as their ultimate source of knowledge.
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REFERENCES
(Ref. 1) Merriam Webster Dictionary
http://www.merriam-webster.com/
(Ref. 2) Thinking Outside of The Box: Fringe Wisdom
http://www.fringewisdom.com/your_belief_system.php
(Ref. 3) Oxford English Dictionary
(Ref. 4) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
http://www.plato.stanford.edu/
DISCLAIMER
The opinions expressed within this article are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the references.