“Don’t put new wine in old wineskins!” Those words of Jesus, a common proverb of his day, offer the simple truth that old ideas don’t work in a new world. That’s a hard truth, though, when the old ideas are firmly ingrained in our minds. We’re challenged to engage a new view of reality.
The term “worldview” names our ontology, or what we believe about the nature and working of the world we live in. Psychologist Alison Gray describes it as a “collection of attitudes, values, stories and expectations about the world around us, which inform our every thought and action. Worldview is expressed in ethics, religion, philosophy, scientific beliefs and so on.” [1] The beliefs of our worldview usually operate behind conscious thought, bringing a mental filter to each experience. The thoughts I have about God or about eating fried crickets are deeply influenced by the worldview I’ve built from all I have experienced. Entire societies can also be shaped by a worldview, as when the belief about Aryan Superiority created Nazi Germany.
The Classic worldview has persisted since the dawn of time. It shaped the thoughts of the builders of Stonehenge, all the Bible characters, and my maternal 10th great-grandfather, Dutchman Edward Bogardus, who stepped foot in the colony of New York in 1633. His worldview was probably like this:
Edward lived in a Dutch village with his wife and four living children. He worked daily on his small plot of land that his family had farmed for six generations under the same Baron. He had one slave and one ox and a few coins, trading mostly by barter. He thought about feeding his family more than being happy, though he did like to drink and dance. Kings, warlords, and priests made the laws and the doctrines to believe. Security was his to keep with the biggest sword or weapon he could find. He couldn’t read so his knowledge came by oral tradition from the clan and village. John knew his identity from his family and his ruler. He had never traveled beyond the mountains but had heard rumors about other villages. His medicine was herbal and ineffective. He knew the spiritual powers controlled everything, so they needed attention to ensure prosperity and avoid disaster. The stars held the fate of each person if you could decipher the meanings. He knew it was important to preserve the traditions handed to him so his life would be stable and safe for years ahead. More important was how to prepare his soul for judgment after death.
Can you note the realities of Edward’s world that are so much different than the world today? Times have changed, really changed! The people of 2025 don’t look at the world like Edward. A new worldview has burst the wineskins. Can faith—and sanity—survive with outmoded conceptions?
I'll explore the Quantum Age and Theology in the next post.
[1] Alison Gray, “Worldviews.” International Psychiatry, 2011 Aug; 8(3): 58–60. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6735033/
コメント