Last week’s article on “worldview” (a name I have not learned to love) focused on two things: the big picture and the little picture.
The big picture is “how do you see the whole world,” and the little picture is that part of the world you live in every day. This all seems very philosophical sometimes, and therefore not very interesting or very practical, but here’s the deal: you take your worldview with you everywhere you go and it affects everything you do.
Your worldview is with you when you drive a vehicle, when you drive a golf ball, and when you drive a point home in front of a jury. It’s even with you when you drive your friends and family crazy because you see things a little bit differently.
Am I suggesting you might be a better golfer if your worldview changed a little, that you might have more peace on the freeway, and that you could be a more effective trial lawyer? Yes I am.
As for your friends, keep making them crazy. Friends and family should do that for each other.
The parts of worldview that make a big difference to all of those are…
In the middle
There are four major parts to a worldview: Origin (where did I come from?); Purpose (why am I here?); Morality (how do I behave?); and Destiny (where am I going?). Not everyone agrees on all of the parts, of course, but we’ll stick with those.
If you believe you were created, your overall worldview is likely to be different than the person who thinks he or she is just a cosmic accident. In the same way, if you think this life is all there is, you’ll live differently than someone who believes in reincarnation. See, you do have a worldview! (Still don’t love the word.)
No matter what you believe about origin or destiny, you still have to deal with the parts in the middle. Why am I — why are we — here? And how should we live while we are here?
It was a collision of worldviews, especially the parts in the middle, that caused Israel and America to launch a military action against Iran.
A Jihadist worldview
I’m not an expert on Islam, but I have read that the political group that has been running Iran for the last 47 years should be described as jihadists. Those jihadists have been unanimously denounced by the world’s mainstream Islamic authorities. Likewise, the jihadists have no trouble declaring even their fellow Muslims to be apostates. Doing so is called takfir, and they use it as a weapon. Of course they have used physical weapons against their fellow Muslims as well, killing tens of thousands of them as part of their reign of terror.
Their worldview seems to include the purpose of eradicating the world of all religions except their own. That includes other Muslims, obviously, but focuses mostly on Jews and the nation of Israel. Christians and America are very high on their target list as well.
As for how they behave — their morality — they apparently misinterpret (based on accepted scholarship) the Quran, and they ignore the Quran’s teachings on justice, mercy, and peace.
I have heard more than one Westerner say they think that is wrong, and the killings are terrible, but that it has nothing to do with us. Perhaps in this moment it has little to do with us — except that they would like very much to destroy America. Let them have nuclear weapons, and they will use them for political power and to carry out their purpose.
Theirs is a holy war as well as a political war.
Although they have held power in Iran for decades, they comprise a very small percentage of the Muslims in the world. Even in Iran, many people are secular, many are traditional Islamists, and an increasing number are Christians.
A look at Iran in the Bible
The first king in Israel was Saul, the second David, and the third Solomon. After Solomon died in 931 BC, the nation of Israel was divided into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). The southern kingdom was ruled from Jerusalem, where Solomon had built the Temple of God.
In 586 BC the southern kingdom was invaded and taken over by the Babylonians (generally modern day Iraq). They burned the temple and took most Judeans captive.
In 539 BC King Cyrus of Persia (generally modern day Iran) defeated Babylon. In his first year as king he freed all of the Jews who were still captive, and he pledged to help them rebuild the temple in Jerusalem!
Why? The Bible says “the Lord stirred the spirit of Cyrus so that he made a proclamation and put it in writing:
“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.’”
Can you imagine that? The King of Persia (Iran) helped repopulate Israel and build the Second Temple (pictured above). The “Supreme Leader” of Iran today would eradicate Israel completely.
My worldview includes this: God is still in control, even where he seems not to be.
What you think about America’s involvement in Iran will depend both on your worldview and your understanding of the worldview of those in power there.
Our world is very large, and we should consider it all. I believe God does, so the “how do I live” part of my worldview includes asking him to change hearts and minds as he did for Cyrus. And of course a very big part of “how do I live” is to do good, and bring more good into the world.
Make that part of your “how do I live” as well, and the world, including Iran, will be a better place.
Do good. It’s in you.
2 Responses
Excellent commentary and overview of our history. Searching for a sense of Holy motive in responding to many mixed political messages and agenda.
Good comment, Roger! Yes, how do we change the conversation from political to “good” and bring God into the picture? Too much of the conversation is about the Ayatollah or the the President. It is easier to form opinions, which can be valuable and helpful, than it is to go deep….