Ideas Have Consequences: Why Your Worldview Matters

For most of us, we approach truth as a random collection of facts. We nod in agreement at individual concepts without recognizing how they fit together and impact other areas of our life. The sum of every individual truth we hold makes up our worldview. Our worldview is rooted in what we ultimately believe about the world, what we trust, and what we value most. It is the source of all our definitions for the world around us, the people in it, and the purpose it all carries.

Our worldview matters deeply since it determines how we live and what we believe. These are not simply beliefs, but beliefs that carry with them certain consequences and outcomes. And when a large group of people hold the same worldview, consequences will follow for society. When individual worldviews come together to form a collective whole, they necessarily build cultures, influence societies, form religions, and establish governments. In short, culture is a product of worldview's lived out.

Let’s look at two worldviews and the inevitable implications they have on a society. The first worldview, secular humanism, denies any form or absolute structure. It recognizes no ultimate authority, but sees man as the measure of all things. The second, Christian theism, affirms the opposite—holding to the belief that there is a singular being or cause which has placed an eternal, overarching standard for all things. Each of these worldviews, however, claims to create both flourishing and freedom for mankind. But do they have the foundation to make such outcomes possible?

The humanist worldview believes that man is the starting point and measure of true reality. It is up to men to determine, through experience, how to define what is right or good for mankind and society. With no form (or absolute standard) to hold to, the question becomes, “who or what is the deciding factor when two ideas conflict?” Oliver Wendell Holmes defined truth in the Harvard Law Review as, “the majority vote of that nation that could lick all others.” In other words, laws are put into place as the result of brute force, either in the form of a democratic majority or the edicts of a powerful ruler. Secular humanism reduces the foundation for government and law to whatever is the most current powerful force in society. As a result, the humanist led government creates a constant battlefield of the survival of the fittest. With human experience as a measure and no absolute standard as a form for government, it insists that chaos will always rule. There will never be a true standard to hold any government to; therefore, society will sway between tyranny and anarchy forever. No

civilization can last on such a foundation.

The second worldview is Christian theism. This worldview believes in an infinite being who has the authority to lay out absolute standards, presiding over every man and society throughout all of time. In this reality, right and wrong are held to a standard of justice—a standard brought about by the very character of God. God is just, therefore his laws are just, he will act justly, and he must require just actions of every man.

As a result, the Christian worldview does not look to majority and force to determine the standard or rule. As Francis Schaeffer states, “Therefore power is not first, but justice is first in society and law.” With this absolute standard, required of every man, true justice can rule. Individuals, governments, law, and even large majorities can be held to the same standard, providing justice, security, and freedom.

We barely scratched the surface in our meager attempt to highlight the consequences of different worldviews. Much more could be said, and should be said. But this much is certainly true: our beliefs matter and have consequences not only for us, but for all of society. If you deny an absolute moral standard, implications for society follow such a belief. A society with no absolute truth is certain to writhe absolutely under chaos and power.