Interesting Worldview
I need to work on my research paper but I wanted to post this while it was still fresh in my mind.
A few days ago I got into a 15 – 20 minute conversation with a Muslim, 41 year-old (both of which facts I didn’t find out until half through the conversation – for a while I thought he was a Christian of sorts) man on the issues of worldview and faith…
And while you’re all dialing my dad to ask him if he knows what his daughter is doing I’ll take the time to say that:
~I had his permission to be where I was.
~I was with friends – one of whom was in the conversation with me.
and
~I told him all about it when I got home.
Anyway, his worldview is made up of the following (all of which are pretty much word for word statements that he said throughout the conversation):
~There is one Creator.
~Right and wrong are determined by common sense.
~This common sense comes from life experience.
~If you believe in God, you’re okay and will go to heaven (I asked him about atheists then but unfortunately I can’t say what he said because it was a little confusing and I didn’t fully understand it).
~In addition to that I think he said something along the lines of “Excuses are made for those who grow up in a bad environment.”
~Anyone that has a belief that includes God goes to heaven (or, in other words, all paths lead to God). Unless it’s Scientology which is “a whole ‘nother thing”.
Side note: From all that, it’s easy to see that he’s not a good Muslim. At all. If he was, the Muslim faith would be the only way to God, and I’d be a heretic going to hell.
However, according to his view, I’m saved and he’s saved and everyone else is saved (except maybe atheists and Scientologists).
There are some obvious inconsistencies with what he believes – but, since then I’ve been wondering what is the best way to answer someone who believes that everyone is saved, because obviously *I* have a problem with that statement but he doesn’t have a problem with me.
Galena
- First, by what standard does he proclaim his view of salvation to be true? As far as I’ve heard, no religion or “holy” book (and certainly not the Koran) teaches what he believes. This being the case, he is claiming to be able to impose what he thinks about salvation on God, thus essentially making himself god. Absent a “revelation” from God, his worldview is defined by himself. (All of which is to say, his worldview is humanistic; man being the ultimate authority, defining the terms of the relationship he will have with God) This ultimately results in a contradiction, by making a created being greater than the Creator. The best way to answer this is probably to point out that if God created the world, it is He, not we, who defines the terms on which He will accept sinners into Heaven. This being the case, God has already contradicted his notions in John 14:6, in which Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me.” Without faith in Christ’s redeeming work, no one will be saved.
- Second, common sense is a meaningless standard for morality, because it is codified (i.e. written) nowhere. Therefore, every human being on the planet would have a different conception of what “common sense” dictates in a certain situation. Who’s “common sense” are we going to follow? By what right can you impose your common sense on me, if my common sense says differently? Under this system, every man is a law unto himself, and any action is justifiable. However, this is almost certainly not what he intended by stating this; what he really meant is that everyone should follow common sense, as long as they agree with his view of morality. He presumably would not be fine with people stealing his car if their common sense told them to. Once again, he arbitrarily sets himself up as the standard, usurping the place of God and His Word. Since that authority has not been given to man, any such attempt will end in moral chaos.