User:Mastersmnuberg

Islam and worldview: the big picture By Carl Wieland and David Catchpoole

“If you’re not learning a biblical worldview, you’re learning another one, be it humanist, Marxist, Islamic, or whatever. And that will affect your whole life, how you live your life” (Furgason, 2006). In many places the church has brought the Gospel in the way they learned it, as a purely soul-saving faith. However, today many people are brought the Gospel in a bearing way that has to do with politics, science, law and economics.

“So many Christians are basically adopting a pagan philosophy to interpret facts, and then they find that the “facts” they are being taught (about anthropology, geology, biology, etc.) undermine the very basics of their Christianity” (Furgason, 2006). When this happens, it causes further retreat from the Gospels word. It becomes hard for people to recognize the Gospel in their thinking as well because they are being told what to do with their beliefs rather than teaching what to believe.

“During Furgason’s master’s degree in International Studies (political science), he increasingly came to realize that he could apply a biblical perspective to every issue, including international matters, since ‘all truth comes from God” (Wieland and Catchpoole, 2006). Christian students are becoming more vulnerable because they have mistaken facts. College students are feeling like they need to accept these facts they hear from professors and other people sharing facts. Where as the Islamic view compare what they have been taught on a subject and then they analyze and reject the concept. We need to recover the Christian worldview, by understanding the Bible as it can be relevant to everything.

‘There Are No Girls Left’: Syria’s Christian Villages Hollowed Out by ISIS By Ben Hubbard

A mud chapel in a small village in TEL TAL, Syria and the community that once filled the chapel on holidays is now a ghost community. The church is now a pile of rubble, the dirt paths are overgrown and walked by stray animals. This is not the only village in that area that has befallen. Since the attack by the Islamic State in 2015, many people were either kidnapped or pushed out by local fighters. The Tel Tal community and other communities near are very traumatized and may never recover.

“The number of Christians across the Middle East has been declining for decades as persecution and poverty have led to widespread migration” (Hubbard, 2018). Before the war in 2011 there were more than 10,000 Christians that lived in more than 30 villages. Now there are only around 900 Christians left in these villages, while some villages are completely empty. The Christians left wonder if any will previous people of the villages will return home. I doubt many previous villagers will return due to experience within the villages. If they were able to escape I feel as if they would feel safer away from their home village.

“In the old days, we would see each other on the road and greet each other,” he said. “Now, no one says anything” (Youkhanna, 2018). These villages that were once filled with Christians are now not only scarce with Christians, but people are broken. They have so much fear and sadness within them that they are unable to communicate and share joy with their community. Many that are left, which is a small amount of people are wanting to leave because there is no one to create a family with. Many people have hope in the return of their people however, they find themselves only praying to keep the evil away.

The most important thing these small villages could do every day is to continue to pray and seek God. With Gods help I believe these communities will be able to rebuild with time and regain hope and happiness. As Thomas Watson stated, “Prayer delights God’s ear; it melts His heart; and opens His hand. God cannot deny a praying soul”.

Week 2

Cut childcare costs by having less children, says Population Matters By Felicity Morse

Many contemporary philosophers describe themselves as naturalists. The philosophers believe that there is only one natural world and the best way to understand and discover things about the natural world is through a scientific method. Supporters of naturalism declare that natural laws are the rules that govern the structure and behavior of the natural universe. Sir David Attenborough, who is a known naturalist has been outspoken about the matter of swelling populations. This naturalist believes that if human beings do not act now, the natural world will do something about the population issue. Naturalisms support their beliefs with scientific support. It is important to have some scientific support however, is this the key to determining all the natural laws?

“It is now estimated the world’s population will reach 9.7bn by 2050, according to a bi-annual report by the French Institute of Demographic Studies” (Morse, 2014). According to scientific results this is the “projected” growth in population. The naturalism supporters are highly focused on this “projected” scientific growth. I believe it is important that we stay educated on the population growth rate, so we can support the needs of every human around the world. However, times are always changing, and if we continue to only rely on “projected” growth we will not be able to support what is happening right in front of our faces. Many countries are already over populated and our world is not able to produce the needs for each person. This makes me question how do we really control population if our natural world does not control it?

“Naturalist, Sir David Attenborough warned that unless human beings do not act soon the “natural world will do something” (Morse, 2014). This statement really stuck with me when reading the article. I feel as if our natural world has already shown signs of not being able to withstand our population level. However, I believe that our creator would and will support us and not put us through something we cannot withstand. When hearing a naturalism perspective, they usually have scientific measures to support it however, I find myself understanding the scientific support, but one also needs to rely ''on faith as well.

Far Eastern Thought and Sacred Ground in Lilburn,GA' By MarketFaith Ministries

The reason we call the worldview Far Eastern Thought is because it originated and is most prominent in the Far East. Their worldview is that all life is composed of a single substance and it is all interconnected. Far Eastern Thought first found its foundations in Hinduism, throughout time it has split off into related branches. According to the local Atlanta, Georgia news they shared a worldview surprise when they focused on the largest Hindu temple in North American also known as, “Lilburn is Home to Sacred Ground”. This temple demonstrates the growing culture and religion in the United States. I find many worldviews are limited because they do not hear and share about other worldviews happening in the same country we live in. “Thirty years ago, no one would have ever imagined that there would be enough Hindus in Georgia to have raised the money to buy the land and pay for the construction of a temple of that scope” (MarketFaith Ministries, 2013). This brings the question to mind that is it okay to have a temple just blocks away from Christian churches where dozens of idols are honored by the Hindu believers. We must respect the constitutional rights of Hindus in America; however, I do not believe that we should ignore this. There are many different worldviews in America and coming to America every day. All these worldviews can affect our communities.

“So, then what can we do? We start by prayer. We ask God (the True God) to empower and equip us to engage in spiritual warfare because that is what it is” (MarketFaith Ministries, 2013). The final statement that stuck out to me in this article was how they ended it. I think it is very important that we listen and try to understand other people’s worldviews. However, if we do not agree I do not believe we get upset or angry. The best thing to do is pray about it and ask for God’s help.

Far Eastern Thought is a worldview that I was not knowledgeable on. To best the best educator and Christian I can it is important that we continue to educate ourselves and one another about different worldviews. There are so many different worldviews that surround us in our classrooms, daily lives, and communities each day. To understand different worldviews will become better educators and Christians.

Week 1

Frigid Baltimore City Schools: The racism we haven't Confronted by Janie Tankard Carnock

A classroom in Baltimore City returned from winter break to face unheated classrooms. The classrooms students were a majority of brown and black students. The temperature outside was 7 degrees Fahrenheit. The teacher and students wore scarves, hats, gloves, and coats throughout the whole school day, this opposite issue emerges in the summer season as well. As educators it is important to be a good soldier, carry on and make a way. However, there comes to a point where educators need to voice out and stand up for educational opportunity, which our country so highly promotes.

“There are many, structural layers shaping unequal educational opportunity in this country -- disparate access to technology, high-quality curriculum and teachers, small class sizes, advanced coursework, summer enrichment opportunities, and more. But the recent reports from Baltimore highlight something more visceral and basic: the neglect of rock-bottom, foundational needs of human beings” (Carnock, 2018). Some may argue about considering heating and air condition being a foundational need of human beings. However, I believe in an equal educational opportunity for all students in the United States. In creating an equal educational opportunity, it is important that every student receives the same learning conditions. It would be considered unequal if two students of the same race, same age attended different schools within a 2-mile radius and one school had air conditioning and the other did not have air conditioning. This follows the same principle, it does not matter the students race color or age, every student that attends a public school should receive the same learning opportunities and environment conditions.

“Brown v. Board of Education teaches "separate but equal" is faulty doctrine; schools will never be truly equal if they are not integrated” (Carnock, 2018). To create schools that are integrated we need to first create communities that are integrated. To create diverse communities, we need to address the issue head and be open to discuss diversity. Many communities today are still not truly integrated, which then cycles through the schools. When communities and schools are diverse, the education system will hopefully be able to create equal opportunity for all students.

To create an equal education opportunity for all students in the United States educators need to stand up for equal opportunity for all their students. I believe that every one of us can make a difference in the world. It takes one educator, one parent, and/or one student to stand up for what is right to create an equal education for all students. The Baltimore City school needed this one person to stand up for what is right for not only all the students but the facility that works with students each day.

I’m Black and I’m not avoiding American Airlines by Issac Bailey

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) released that American Airlines is possibly discriminating again black people. There have been multiple incidents against the American Airlines that have raised to the level of having the country’s preeminent civil rights organization issue a warning to black people. In today’s world the country has been faced with many profound questions about racial and other forms of inequality that are exploding up everywhere. It is exhausting to even try to recall all the racial and other forms of inequality that have been coming to our attention daily. When faced with these issues it is important that people of all colors of skin stand up for what is right and face the issue head on.

“I am a black man, but the next time I fly, I don’t plan to avoid American Airlines, despite the travel advisory the NAACP released this week about possible discrimination against black people by that airline” (Bailey, 2017). There are two ways this black man could handle this situation, the first being he could avoid the airline to make the stance that he will not support an airline that discriminates. The second way is to not avoid this airline to confront the issue head on and show his ethical belief. This black man chose to follow the second option. In my opinion this is the best way to face this issue. By this man choosing to not avoid the airline he is standing up for his civil rights and he is able to share his ethical belief, which ultimately can make a difference. I believe if he would have chosen to avoid the airline there would have been less of a difference made.

There are many pressing issues today that face civil rights. I believe if we were to all treat others how we want to be treated, our country would not have to face these pressing issues. This golden rule is often forgotten in our everyday lives. Our country is often too focused on sharing and bashing opinions rather than listening and supporting one another. This black man chose to not bash the airline but to confront the airline with his ethical beliefs. If we had more people in our world that would chose to do the same we would be pressed with less civil rights issues.