All World Views presented by religion and humanists must deal with the following four elements:
1) Origin of Life
2) Meaning of Life
3) Morality in Life
4) Destiny of Life
Any worldview, if it is to be at all sensible, must present these four elements as coherent and cohesive. Only the Christian worldview does so.
For Christians, their Origin is from God and, therefore, they have a designed purpose and function in living.
The Meaning of Life follows logically and coherently from that design. The Christian does not struggle to find meaning because it is defined for them by the purpose for which they are created…… to know God, to discover His being and to live for the glory of God.
The Moral basis for life springs from the character of God. The moral code that we are presented with is, therefore, objective in nature, outside of ourselves, and unable to be tampered with. We can measure rightness and wrongness by that moral code. Loving God and one’s neighbour is the greatest of moral codes. Self-sacrifice trumps self preservation.
Lastly Christians need not struggle with hopelessness of life as we do not ask if there is life after death. There is a Destiny, a place to go after we die, eternal bliss, or eternal death. Justice is ultimately fulfilled. Unfairness is ultimately ended.
The Atheist struggles to make these 4 elements cohesive and coherent.
The Origin of Life must come from the random, meaningless, purposeless, interactions of inanimate molecules that eventually give rise to Life.
The Meaning to Life is observed to be the preservation of self and the propagation of the species. It follows that the Atheist struggles for a Moral Basis of Life.
The Moral Basis for Life can only be subjective. For one culture, eating one’s neighbour may be necessary to preserve one’s life and to further the propagation of the species. For another culture, loving one’s neighbour may prove to be a virtue to be aspired to. Depending upon which neighbour you meet first, he may love you or eat you. There is no coherency or cohesiveness in this subjective approach to morality.
Because there is no Destiny beyond the grave, there is a struggle to believe that life has any fairness. Suffering quietly, therefore, at the hands of an unjust men, unjust laws, and unjust nations has no purpose. Evil men and deeds will mostly remain unpunished forever. Justice remains unfulfilled. Unfairness lives eternal; bitterness finds no resolution.
The Christian World View alone can give “Meaning“, a cohesive and coherent frame work in which to be understood and “Morality” ….. a framework in which to resolve issues of justice and equity.
With these thoughts fresh on our minds, the meaning and power of John 10:10 is impressed anew upon our hearts……. ” I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly”.
McLeod Hill Assembly 