The Naturalist and Christian answers to Foundation Worldview Questions - Assignment Example

When first studying a worldview, it is often helpful to review a variety of definitions for that belief system. Each author brings a different emphasis, providing a fuller understanding of that worldview. Naturalism is the belief that nature is all there is. There is nothing outside of nature, or if there is, it is unknowable. All phenomena, whether physical, biological, psychological, or even spiritual, can be completely explained by laws of nature. God, in this metaphysical system, is inherently a product of human imagination, and therefore a relic from prescientific times, when humans knew no better than to attribute to a supernatural being their own existence and that of everything else they encountered (Johnson, n.d.).

In contrast, the question is answered with a resounding "Yes" by someone with a Biblical worldview. Unlike the naturalist who says that matter is eternal, the Christian says that only God is eternal and all matter was created by God. The idea that there is no God has significant impact on the naturalists ethics. If there is no God, then there is no objective, external standard for ethics. There is no way to objectively define right and wrong outside of mankind. Since there is no standard for ethics outside of mankind, ethics are defined by ones culture and society.