In order to get this post, you need to know the general definition of worldview; it also helps to know the definition of two types of worldview, namely, deism and theism. Here are those definitions, if you don't already know them:
A worldview is the set of lenses through which you see the world around you. It's a web of habit-forming beliefs that helps you make sense of all your experiences related to God, the mind, morality, destiny, reality, knowledge, human nature, purpose, meaning, matter, origins and truth. Through your worldview, you interpret life in a particular way. It affects how you think, how you feel, and how you live from day-to-day.
To understand what your worldview is, think carefully about the big questions of life:
• Does God exist? (God, truth)
• How did everything begin? (origins, matter)
• Who am I? (purpose, knowledge, the mind)
• Why am I here? (destiny, meaning, human nature)
• Am I living a good life? (human nature, morality, truth)
• What happens after I die? (destiny)
Reference
Impact 360 Institute (Producer). (2014, October 29). WHAT'S YOUR WORLDVIEW? (QUIZ) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/VXnSE0uvwzM?t=154
Reference
Apple Dictionary
This week, I started my 15th week and third course as a Christian Studies major at Grand Canyon University. In my Christian Worldview 101 class, students were asked to "recall a time when you met someone with a different worldview than yours, and you had a difficult time relating."
I chose the argument I had with my brother over the reality of demonic possession nearly five years ago, as recounted in #575 - READER | No biblical basis for demonic possession. I wouldn't have known it at the time, but, after just three days in this course, I saw that it was our disparate worldview that made "productive and peaceful" conversation impossible that day.
Below is the April 24th, 2014, conversation; it is followed by my answers to the two questions posed in retrospect of my recollection, which pertain to the challenges I had relating to my brother, and my views on how I could have turned an argument into enlightenment:
Topic 1 DQ 1
Recall a time when you met someone with a different worldview than yours, and you had a difficult time relating.
Here’s what I wrote about an argument with my own brother in #575 - READER | No biblical basis for demonic possessiona post to my blog on April 29, 2014 (note that this was before images like these were able to be made in front of his very eyes—he sings a different tune, five years later…):
Much rarer than those who accept that demon possession occurs in men, women, children and animals, regardless of their state of sin are those who believe that there is not only no biblical basis for demonic possession, but that the Bible teaches that it no longer occurs; but, sure enough, a reader (who turns out to also be my own brother) asserts this argument emphatically, as shown in this Facebook conversation between the two of us this afternoon in my Facebook group Demonic and Other Paranormal Activity [unformatted; starts with my post, advertising the latest factoid addition to this blog]:
James Bush DEMONIC FACTOID #34 | In spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, most people still believe that demonic possession is caused by spiritual defects inherent to the demoniac, and that godly living has the power to prevent or repel this affliction; rather, it is the ungodly that are more likely to cope, and to use demons to their personal advantage.
Read more about this fact and others at:
http://demonicactivity.blogspot.com/p/factoids.html
Jarrod Bush Or, you could refer to the New Testament after the establishment of the new covenant and see that demonic possession (along with miracles) are no longer permitted by God. God permitted possession in the times of Christ so that examples could be made that He was the Christ. As stated in in the letters from Paul, miracles and demonic possession have passed from the land. Therefore, if we believe that the Bible is truly the Word of God then demonic possession is not even an issue as it cannot occur. That is not to say that Satan and other Devils or demons cannot persuade you to lead a life of evil intent, but they cannot directly influence your body or soul per God's will. The Bible cannot be used to pick and choose what we want. It is one complete book from start to finish. The fact that this is addressed in the New Testament after the New Covenant has been established prove that possession cannot happen. If a person believes that it can, then they have to disagree with the entire Bible. It really is an all-or-nothing deal.
James Bush If you have any particular scripture in mind, by all means, share it with my readers...
Jarrod Bush "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name" John 20 30,31. In this scripture it says that Jesus was able to do many miraculous things. One of those things was to cast out demons. God permitted these demons to affect people mentally and spiritually so that Jesus could cast them out to prove that He was the son of God and that he had dominion over these demons.
James Bush There was demon possession after Christ. Read Acts 6.
Jarrod Bush Zechariah 13: 1-2 "There shall be a fountain opened to the House of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land."
James Bush That pertains to God's covenant with the house of Israel. Not applicable here, in that it refers to a very specific point in time.
Jarrod Bush This was a prophesy referring to the new covenant being set up. After the new covenant prophets and demons that could directly influence body and mind were gone.
James Bush Besides, there's no one who doesn't believe that this is real, so...
Jarrod Bush This as in Jesus casting out demons or demonic possession?
Jarrod Bush Once there was no more need for words or signs to deify Christ, these things ceased to be.
Jarrod Bush The apostles were given the power to do miracles so yes, these occur in Acts (of the apostles). But God did not allow the transfer of these powers to others because there ceased to be a need. Therefore, God would not allow possession if there was to purpose. It is not expedient or profitable.
James Bush Nope, you're confused; Jesus said that when he returns, there will be people who claim to have cast out demons in His name.
James Bush That means that demon possession is real, and that it will be an issue until the second coming.
James Bush Sorry, you're ass out on this one.
Jarrod Bush Exactly, CLAIM does not mean it happened. CLAIM, I can claim that I'm Jesus. Doesn't make it true. So, I don't think I'm the one confused.
Jarrod Bush I provided multiple references that shoot down your argument. I can give you about 5 more if you like.
James Bush Matthew 7:21-23. It doesn't mean "claim," it means "happened."
James Bush Of course, that doesn't mean it's happening around me; but, if it hasn't, you've been arguing with a crazy man, which is pointless.
Jarrod Bush And, his response to them, "And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness"
Jarrod Bush Argument invalid.
Jarrod Bush It's not happening around you nor anywhere else. Note, I never said demons don't necessarily exist, I said demonic possession doesn't exist.
Jarrod Bush Lastly, I'm not saying that your perception of reality is wrong. If you think it's happening then it doesn't matter what I think, because to you it is. All I'm saying is that of all the people I have met in my walks of life, Church of Christ, atheist, theistic agnostic, atheistic agnostic, from a lot of nationalities, no one believes in true demonic possession. They like in the sense of "The Exorcism" for entertainment. But no one takes it seriously.
A worldview is the set of lenses through which you see the world around you. It's a web of habit-forming beliefs that helps you make sense of all your experiences related to God, the mind, morality, destiny, reality, knowledge, human nature, purpose, meaning, matter, origins and truth. Through your worldview, you interpret life in a particular way. It affects how you think, how you feel, and how you live from day-to-day.
To understand what your worldview is, think carefully about the big questions of life:
• Does God exist? (God, truth)
• How did everything begin? (origins, matter)
• Who am I? (purpose, knowledge, the mind)
• Why am I here? (destiny, meaning, human nature)
• Am I living a good life? (human nature, morality, truth)
• What happens after I die? (destiny)
Reference
Impact 360 Institute (Producer). (2014, October 29). WHAT'S YOUR WORLDVIEW? (QUIZ) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/VXnSE0uvwzM?t=154
Theism
|
belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in one god as creator of the universe, intervening in it and sustaining a personal relation to his creatures
|
Deism
|
belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe. The term is used chiefly of an intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries that accepted the existence of a creator on the basis of reason but rejected belief in a supernatural deity who interacts with humankind
|
Reference
Apple Dictionary
This week, I started my 15th week and third course as a Christian Studies major at Grand Canyon University. In my Christian Worldview 101 class, students were asked to "recall a time when you met someone with a different worldview than yours, and you had a difficult time relating."
 |
| The Topic 1 Discussion Question 1 Christian Worldview 101 assignment asks students to recall a time when their worldview clashed with someone else's |
Below is the April 24th, 2014, conversation; it is followed by my answers to the two questions posed in retrospect of my recollection, which pertain to the challenges I had relating to my brother, and my views on how I could have turned an argument into enlightenment:
NOTE | This was before I was able to produce images like these anytime, anywhere, and for anyone in under five minutes (and, that includes teaching someone how to do it for themselves, too). The conversation below is interspersed with not necessarily the best, but definitely the most recent such images.
 |
| Using a camera technique I developed, I can produce images of hidden demons like these, one every third of a second, on-demand |
Recall a time when you met someone with a different worldview than yours, and you had a difficult time relating.
Here’s what I wrote about an argument with my own brother in #575 - READER | No biblical basis for demonic possessiona post to my blog on April 29, 2014 (note that this was before images like these were able to be made in front of his very eyes—he sings a different tune, five years later…):
Much rarer than those who accept that demon possession occurs in men, women, children and animals, regardless of their state of sin are those who believe that there is not only no biblical basis for demonic possession, but that the Bible teaches that it no longer occurs; but, sure enough, a reader (who turns out to also be my own brother) asserts this argument emphatically, as shown in this Facebook conversation between the two of us this afternoon in my Facebook group Demonic and Other Paranormal Activity [unformatted; starts with my post, advertising the latest factoid addition to this blog]:
James Bush DEMONIC FACTOID #34 | In spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, most people still believe that demonic possession is caused by spiritual defects inherent to the demoniac, and that godly living has the power to prevent or repel this affliction; rather, it is the ungodly that are more likely to cope, and to use demons to their personal advantage.
Read more about this fact and others at:
http://demonicactivity.blogspot.com/p/factoids.html
Jarrod Bush Or, you could refer to the New Testament after the establishment of the new covenant and see that demonic possession (along with miracles) are no longer permitted by God. God permitted possession in the times of Christ so that examples could be made that He was the Christ. As stated in in the letters from Paul, miracles and demonic possession have passed from the land. Therefore, if we believe that the Bible is truly the Word of God then demonic possession is not even an issue as it cannot occur. That is not to say that Satan and other Devils or demons cannot persuade you to lead a life of evil intent, but they cannot directly influence your body or soul per God's will. The Bible cannot be used to pick and choose what we want. It is one complete book from start to finish. The fact that this is addressed in the New Testament after the New Covenant has been established prove that possession cannot happen. If a person believes that it can, then they have to disagree with the entire Bible. It really is an all-or-nothing deal.
James Bush If you have any particular scripture in mind, by all means, share it with my readers...
Jarrod Bush "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name" John 20 30,31. In this scripture it says that Jesus was able to do many miraculous things. One of those things was to cast out demons. God permitted these demons to affect people mentally and spiritually so that Jesus could cast them out to prove that He was the son of God and that he had dominion over these demons.
James Bush There was demon possession after Christ. Read Acts 6.
Jarrod Bush Zechariah 13: 1-2 "There shall be a fountain opened to the House of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land."
James Bush That pertains to God's covenant with the house of Israel. Not applicable here, in that it refers to a very specific point in time.
Jarrod Bush This was a prophesy referring to the new covenant being set up. After the new covenant prophets and demons that could directly influence body and mind were gone.
James Bush Besides, there's no one who doesn't believe that this is real, so...
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
Jarrod Bush This as in Jesus casting out demons or demonic possession?
Jarrod Bush Once there was no more need for words or signs to deify Christ, these things ceased to be.
Jarrod Bush The apostles were given the power to do miracles so yes, these occur in Acts (of the apostles). But God did not allow the transfer of these powers to others because there ceased to be a need. Therefore, God would not allow possession if there was to purpose. It is not expedient or profitable.
James Bush Nope, you're confused; Jesus said that when he returns, there will be people who claim to have cast out demons in His name.
James Bush That means that demon possession is real, and that it will be an issue until the second coming.
James Bush Sorry, you're ass out on this one.
Jarrod Bush Exactly, CLAIM does not mean it happened. CLAIM, I can claim that I'm Jesus. Doesn't make it true. So, I don't think I'm the one confused.
Jarrod Bush I provided multiple references that shoot down your argument. I can give you about 5 more if you like.
James Bush Matthew 7:21-23. It doesn't mean "claim," it means "happened."
James Bush Of course, that doesn't mean it's happening around me; but, if it hasn't, you've been arguing with a crazy man, which is pointless.
Jarrod Bush And, his response to them, "And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness"
Jarrod Bush Argument invalid.
Jarrod Bush It's not happening around you nor anywhere else. Note, I never said demons don't necessarily exist, I said demonic possession doesn't exist.
Jarrod Bush Lastly, I'm not saying that your perception of reality is wrong. If you think it's happening then it doesn't matter what I think, because to you it is. All I'm saying is that of all the people I have met in my walks of life, Church of Christ, atheist, theistic agnostic, atheistic agnostic, from a lot of nationalities, no one believes in true demonic possession. They like in the sense of "The Exorcism" for entertainment. But no one takes it seriously.
- What challenges did you have relating to that person?
There were multiple issues that challenged peaceful and productive conversation on that day:
- First, his knowledge of the Scripture and Word are spurious and superficial, and that’s because his attempts to study, test and learn their tenants have always been spurious and superficial—almost non-existent, in fact. By contrast, my understanding, comprehension, and efforts to apply them (coupled with my well-documented, positive results) enabled me to more readily interpret the Scripture he used to support his argument correctly and intuitively;
- Second, his approach was a confrontational one from the time he initiated it to the time I ended it. Our history prior presented this challenge. From the onset of my blog, he acted on multiple occasions to undermine my growing popularity due to the intense interest in the videos posted to the blog (no longer available), and he acted to derail my ongoing success at winning public trust, support and confidence (my readership had recently soared to over 5 million, worldwide) by openly disparaging me in several of my advertising venues. Being a small world—apparently—some of his friends asked him about my blog, and stated they favored it highly.
- Third, his comprehension of the purpose of my blog was lazy. My blog is not a "Are UFOs real?" kind of blog. That's not the type of question it purports to answer. After five years, he should have bothered to understand what the blog is: "a collection of written notes on observations and experiences with demonic and criminal activity in the Bay Area of California..." It is not trying to "prove" anything; the reader is presumed to have already experienced firsthand some or all of the things described in it.
- How might an understanding of the other's worldview have helped you in that situation?
Nobody wants to belong to a relatively inferior species and be native to an environment that makes them completely vulnerable to another, far more superior one. To many, it is aberrant to their pride and ego to contemplate or acknowledge this fact; and, to them, anyone who acknowledges this fact is essentially shaming mankind. Had I known that my brother believed in God, but not that he was made in the image of God (in other words, Had I known that my brother had a deistic worldview, but not a theistic one), I would have led the conversation to a place where I could allow him to learn about, acknowledge and possibly accept his God-given divinity and dignity prior to having this particular discussion. I believe it would have made him more receptive to the truth—that is, what he already knows and what is actual reality (both being the same)—and not his own machinated rationalizations.