If you have ever read any of the articles and blogs on the MarketFaith Ministries websites or newsletters you know that “worldview” is the major part of our subject repertoire. We delineate four essential worldviews that comprise the foundation of every belief system in existence (we will reveal the four worldviews at the end of this article). These four are all encompassing and totally incompatible with one another, though some people try to syncretize two or more of them.
Actually, most people don’t even know they hold a worldview. They just take it for granted that their presuppositions are true and do not realize that many people disagree with them. So what about you? Did you know you have a worldview? If so, do you what it is? If not, would you like to know your worldview tendencies? The following True-False inventory may help you find just which worldview category you fall into. Answer honestly T (True) or F (False) to each statement below. If you believe the statement is true, circle T. If you believe the statement is false, circle F. Then follow the direction at the end to determine your worldview profile.
1. T F All animals have rights just like human beings.
2. T F Morality is based on rational and pragmatic principles so people can live together in harmony.
3. T F Nature spirits can cause good or evil to happen to humans.
4. T F Everything that exists is a part of God and God is in all things.
5. T F Life began on earth when it was created by a divine being and not by mere chance.
6. T F Some people are able to crossover mentally to the spirit world and allow themselves to be possessed by the gods or spirits who manifest themselves in their bodies.
7. T F The spirits or gods may manifest themselves in physical nature.
8. T F God is the only answer to the question: “Why is there is something rather than nothing?”
9. T F There is a spark of divinity in every person.
10. T F Rocks, trees, and animals are habitations of spirits and deities.
11. T F People who do good things in life will return in a later life as a higher positioned person or being.
12. T F Only one God exists who is infinite and eternal.
13. T F As science and technology progress, humanity’s future looks brighter and brighter.
14. T F Right/good and wrong/bad are moral values ultimately determined by God.
15. T F All of the universe is composed of one impersonal substance.
16. T F All life began from pre-organic molecules in a primordial soup.
17. T F Humans should strive to live by the moral values prescribed by the Deity.
18. T F Humanity is the most complex level of evolved life on earth.
19. T F Human knowledge about God and His nature is revealed to mankind by Him.
20. T F There is no conscious existence after death, when the brain dies we cease to exist.
21. T F The Earth is our “Mother” and we should honor and respect her as a living planet.
22. T F The universe began to exist when it was created by a divine being out of nothing.
23. T F The material world is just an illusion of our minds.
24. T F Supernatural interventions in the material universe (time, space, matter, and energy) cannot and do not happen.
25. T F Doing evil in this life will result in being reincarnated as a lower form of life or as a cursed person.
26. T F The spirits in nature can be appeased and controlled by casting spells or making animal sacrifices according to certain prescribed rituals.
27. T F Reality consists of spiritual and physical dimensions that interact in a symbiotic relationship.
28. T F The cosmos is all there is, all there ever was, and all there ever will be.
Grading Your Worldview Profile
If you have completed the inventory you are now ready to grade it. Look carefully at the True-False answers you gave to each statement. Follow this procedure.
A. Count how many True (T) answers you gave to the following questions: 1, 4, 9, 11, 15, 23, and 25. Put the number answered True here _______.
B. Count how many True (T) answers you gave to the following questions: 3, 6, 7, 10, 21, 26, and 27. Put the number answered True here _______.
C. Count how many True (T) answers you gave to the following questions: 2, 13, 16, 18; 20, 24, and 28. Put the number answered True here _______.
D. Count how many True (T) answers you gave to the following questions: 5, 8, 12, 14, 17, 19, and 22. Put the number answered True here _______.
If you are familiar with the MarketFaith Ministries material, you may know that the four basic worldviews are Far Eastern Thought (FET), Animism, Naturalism, and Theism. To get an idea of your own worldview, look at the numbers of True (T) answers you gave for each of the above letter categories. If you scored seven on any one them you almost certainly hold the worldview designated by the letters below. If you have a five or more on any two or more you may embrace some kind of hybrid worldview.
A answers are indicative of the Far Eastern Thought Worldview.
B answers are indicative of the Animism Worldview.
C answers are indicative of the Naturalism Worldview.
D answers are indicative of the Theism Worldview.
If you are new to our website or newsletter you may be asking, “Just what is a worldview anyway, and why does it matter?” To get a basic understanding of what worldview means and why it is important, you can get started on our website at: http://www.marketfaith.org/understanding-worldview. You may be surprised by what you find out about yourself.
Thanks for taking the inventory. It you would like to take a more detailed inventory, check out the Worldview Survey on our website at: http://www.marketfaith.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Worldview-Survey-by-MarketFaith-Ministries.pdf. We would also be interested in getting your feedback.
© 2018 Tal Davis