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Activity [ Lesson 4]

Your Worldview Interview

This exercise asks you to identify some elements of your own worldview.  The "interview" is not in any sense comprehensive, but it will be sufficient to let you place your worldview within the category schemes you will encounter in other lessons. 

Directions:  Provide brief, simple answers to each question set (row) in the chart below.  Print them to save for comparison to examples later. [Recall that the information will not be saved by the program.] No one else should read your answers.  They are your private property

Note: Some examples are offered to initiate your thinking.  These are not meant to be exhaustive of possible answers. They are only to show you the type of answer sought.

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1.1:  Nature and Deity  Is there a God or gods or is there only nature?

Some example answers:  
(A)
  Yes--one God the Creator of all that is, who came to earth as man.  
(B)
  There is an all-embracing spirit that infuses every part of nature; I see God in all things and around all things, everywhere, and inside me as well
.  
(C)
  There is only the natural world and no deities of any kind.

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1.2:  Deity and Humanity  (Answer if you perceive a deity; otherwise, skip to item 2):  Is your God or gods active in the events of the universe, and if so, what part does it/they play?

Some example answers:  
(A)
  God cares, answers prayers, and judges people for their actions on earth.  
(B)
  My deity observes my actions but leaves them up to me
.  
(C)
  N/A.
(D)
 God has a plan for humanity and speaks to our hearts and tells us how to live our lives.

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2:  Beginnings of the Universe  What is the source for your understanding of the origins of our universe?

Some example answers:  
(A)
  The King James version of the Bible.  
(B)
  Stories and legends passed down through our family from generation to generation.  
(C)  Science.

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3:  Individual Afterlife  Do you believe there is life after death?  If so, in what form will you exist after you die?

Some example answers:  
(A)
  I will be returned to my body and my soul lifted to heaven because there is life everlasting, either in heaven or in hell, depending on God's judgment. 
(B)  There is only one life, and so my soul spirit will become a part of the universal spirit that pervades all nature, and my body will return to nature.  
(C)  My mind will be no longer and my body eventually will, too--just atoms and molecules.  
(D)  I will be reincarnated and my being will come back in the body of another person.

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4:  Venerated Literature  Of the world's great written works, which (if any) do you tend to view as sacred or holy, or as exceptionally important in guiding your life?

(A)  The Koran is the most holy of all; it guides my every action. 
(B)  I look to Kahlil Ghibran's "The Prophet," but I don't consider it to be a holy book.  
(C)  Tri-Pitaka of the Buddha.  
(D)  None are sacred or holy, but I find much of value in the writings of Helen Keller and John Locke, and also in the philosophy of Bertrand Russell.
(E)  The Holy Bible is the most sacred Word of God, and I also revere the writings of St. Augustine.
(F)  The Rubáyát of Omar Khayyám really speaks to me aesthetically and intellectually.

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5:  Morality  Where do you think moral rules and morality come from?

(A)  Morality comes from God, who has given commandments about what is right and wrong. 
(B)  The Guru Granth Sahib 
(C)  Morality is a matter of our genetics and what we learn from our family when we are young, and also societal law.  

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6:  Events  Are there any festival or holiday events that are especially significant in your life?

(A)  Passover and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (also my bat mitzvah and my birthday)
(B)  Memorial Day and the solstices and Thanksgiving.  
(C)  None, except maybe Ching Ming and New Year (Chinese).  
(D)  Christmas and all of Lent and, of course, Easter
(E)  Mahashivaratri,, and Holi, and Divali are special to me.

End of Activity.  Print this sheet to save your entries. Return to Guide Sheet.

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Last updated 8/18/2006

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