Worldview Foundations of Spirituality and Ethics. Spirituality refers to a view of connection to some things that are bigger than humankind. In most cases, it entails looking for meaning in life. The spiritual domain is also associated with being at peace with the universe and working towards determining answers about the infinite (Paloutzian & Park, 2014). In this case, it comes about when an individual encounters emotional stress, death or physical illness.
Spirituality can also be defined as an encounter that is perceived to bring an individual into contact with the divine. Besides, spirituality is also considered as an aspect of humankind which refers to the manner unto which individuals look for and show meaning and purpose. In the process, they feel being connected to the moment, others, nature, self and the sacred.
Concepts of pluralism, scientism, and postmodernism
Pluralism refers to a state within the society where the diverse members develop and stick to their traditional culture or engage in their particular interests while operating under the control of the universal civilization. Concerning spirituality, pluralism translates to the recognition of the fact that there exist various faith groups in a setting at one point that is always active hence coexisting (Vargo, 2015). Scientism, on the other hand, refers to a speculative worldview concerning the facts and meaning of the universe. It brings about the generalization of various fields of academic expertise and considers a majority of them to be inferior (D’Oro & Connelly, 2017). Unlike spirituality which seeks answers concerning various things, scientism restricts the questioning from human beings.
Postmodernism refers to the styles and concepts that existed in the late 20th century that were applied to criticism, arts and architecture. It represented the departure from the previous form of modernism and is defined by self-conscious, use of previous styles as well as conventions, mixing of multiple styles in arts and media and placing no trust on the laid down theories.
What is prime reality?
It refers to the infinite and personal God that is encountered by individuals as provided in the Holy Scriptures. The described God is omnipotent, triune, sovereign and good. He is untouchable, invisible and indivisible. The faithful concerning the real God believe that there exist no distinctions or even limitation on what they expect from God. The impossibility of proving that God can be everywhere at all times or that he sleeps counters the prime reality that it is believed that God is available at all times and in all places. All in all, the prime reality is the belief of the existence or absence of God which form the origin of various worldviews among individuals
What is the nature of the world around you?
Nature encompasses various elements that prove to be critical to the existence of the living and the non-living organisms. The law of gravity and logic gives meaning to the world as well as the life that all the creatures lead. God created the world and all that is in it, and they are all beautiful. With the Gods creation and plans, there exist the various situations that come about in nature which are either appealing or chaotic. All these are inevitable since all that is experienced in this world are purposed by God to pass its message to the creation.
What is a human being?
A human being can be described to be an intentional creation of God that that was meant to evolve and bring about the human race. The humans are characterized by self-awareness. This links it to Ethics which comes about with self-awareness as well as free choices which are evident among humans. The association among the human beings brings about the human life. Human beings meant to be superior among other creations are expected to have emotions and feelings that assist them in the association amongst themselves as well as other creations of the universe. A human being is however different from being human since the individual who is not human lack specific characteristic, for instance, having feelings making such persons like other creatures that are less superior.
What happens to a person at death?
At the point of death, the body loses function and goes back to its origin based on the belief that it was created by God from soil and will get back to the soil. At this moment, what the person leaves behind is the memory of his or her deeds. Being creatures of God, the way of living of the individual determines his or her life on the judgment day. Believers allude that one’s soul continues to exist forever (Doka & Morgan, 2016). All these cannot be proved on the basis that no dead person has ever resurrected to give the experience at the point of death and what follows it.
Why is it possible to know anything at all?
The possibility of knowing anything is based on the standards that exist in the society which guides every individual that is born in such a setting. By following the moral standards, an individual is then able to create and build his or her future. At the same time, the moral standards control the individual while expressing the freedom of choice. In the long haul, one is caught up with the objective world hence the person becomes what the world shapes him or her to be. Irrespective of the nurture, the person maintains his or her beliefs and values which leads to the authenticity of an individual. Ethics creeps in when the person is in control of the behaviors being considering various activities as either right or wrong.
How do people know what is right or wrong?
The ethical and moral principles guide individuals on their behaviors and the activities they engage in (Vitell et al., 2016). These principles are based on the setting unto which the individual is brought up. They can be based on the spiritual, societal or familial values. In 1 Corinthians 8:7-8 provides an aspect of knowing what is wrong and what is right. Believers can use this verse to guide their activities with the massage restricting the behaviors not to entail those which will cause another person to stumble.
What is the meaning of human history?
It refers to the spontaneous generation of life that unfolds during the entire period of stay of humankind. Concerning spirituality, the human history can be considered to be a sequence of meaningful events that humans engage in to fulfill the purpose God had for the entire humanity. The belief of creation and existence all marks the human history especially when the purpose of existence is executed.
Conclusion
In viewing spirituality, humans seek the meaning of various issues as well as the connection with the superior being which they consider either to be or not in control of all that occurs in the universe. In the process of seeking this relationship, beliefs, values, and principles are developed and followed to guide humanity throughout the stay in the world until death. The environment in which an individual is brought up guides him or her to achieve various expectorations hence the ethical aspects that guide the individual’s behaviors and undertakings.
References
Doka, K. J., & Morgan, J. D. (2016). Death and spirituality. Routledge.
D’Oro, G., & Connelly, J. (2017). Collingwood, Scientism and Historicism. Journal of the
Philosophy of History, 11(3), 275-288.
Paloutzian, R. F., & Park, C. L. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of the psychology of religion and
spirituality. Guilford Publications.
Vargo, E. (2015). Is pluralism possible after postmodernism?.
Vitell, S. J., King, R. A., Howie, K., Toti, J. F., Albert, L., Hidalgo, E. R., & Yacout, O. (2016).
Spirituality, moral identity, and consumer ethics: A multi-cultural study. Journal of
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