THE SECULAR AND THE SACRED

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What is your worldview? Are you religious?

Is there a god?What is good and evil?

Your answers to these questions come from diff erent infl uences:

Parents / Guardians / Your upbringing Cultural BackgroundYour life experiences

FriendsEducation

SECULAR VS. SACRED

Your worldview: the way in which you view the world around you.

Everyone has a different perspective. In today’s world, there are two major divisions

in worldviews:

WORLDVIEW

SacredReligious

SecularNon-religious

&

WHAT DO EACH OF THESE REPRESENT?

Secular

Concerned with or belonging to the material world with no religious

connection.

A Secular worldview

A way of thinking about the world based on human values alone, when religion

is pushed out of the picture

SECULARISM

2 SECULAR WORLDVIEWS.

Atheism is the belief that there is no such thing as the sacred. (No belief in god or religion)

Agnosticism does not believe it is possible to know one way or another whether there is a sacred realm. (there might be a God, or there might not).

Individualism is an attitude that glorifies personal needs at the expense of other people.

Collectivism is opposed to individualism, sees the individual as an agent for the common good.

Materialism a tendency to consider material possessions more than spiritual values.

SECULARISM HAS LED TO…

Consumerism: Material goods and personal appearance are more important than inner development or true personal relationships.

Moral relativism: Belief that there are no absolute values. Everything is dependent on point of view.

Humanism: A system of thought that views humankind, rather than spirituality or religion, as the source of all value or meaning.

AND…

Cosmocentric

Through narratives and symbols that tell the beginning of the

cosmos, people see their lives as dependent on nature’s patterns and seek ways to honour its sacredness.

3 SACRED/ TRADITIONAL WORLDVIEWS

Theocentric

This view claims that life’s meaning comes from its relationship to an

ultimate reality beyond the cosmos. Humanity is most fully alive when it

meets this ultimate reality. Christians call this ultimate reality God. This path is the

heart of many of the world’s great religious traditions.

…

* Anthrocentric *

Means “human centered”. Humanity becomes interested in itself and its own story. This interest has taken both religious and nonreligious

forms. This worldview expresses the value of humanism.

…

TO SUMMARIZE:

1)Secular2 Worldviews:

a)Atheism b)Agnosticism

These lead to:• Collectivism• Individualism • Materialism • Humanism• Moral Relativism• Consumerism

2) Sacred (or Traditional)3 Worldviews:

a) Theocentricb)

Cosmocentricc)

Anthrocentric** (Anthrocentric is not always religious)

1. Fear: Life’s trials can be too hard to bear or resolve on our own and faith helps us through.

2. Wonder: The rich complexity and diversity of the natural world is still largely unexplained

3. Questioning: Religion can offer answers or comfort to the uncertainty people have.

4. Identity: At some point in life people sense a deeper, more permanent, purposeful element to their identity often described as a soul.

5. Intuition: Religious practice draws us away from the material and helps us seek refuge in a deeper mystical truth.

WHY IS RELIGION PRACTICED?