I’m believing more and more that people will fall into one of these three worldviews:

Theist:  a belief in God or that God is the creator of the universe and the determiner of life

Humanist: a belief that man is the highest standard and determiner of his own fate

Naturalist: a belief that nature is the highest standard and also is the determiner of life

For the sake of clarity, I will readily admit I’m a former humanist who has become a theist. Moreover in talking to people about their ideals and beliefs, I truly believe that  man will always believe something bigger than himself and one of these three camps will cover it.

The conflict arises when people from each camp believes and declares their view of world is right and the ultimate determiner of life.

Ironically, I have to come to think that the humanists and naturalists are just dogmatic and fanatical as theists can be.

In other words, I know that I’m religious and it takes a leap of faith to believe in something that is unseen and it has decided the course and purpose of my life.  And as a former humanist, it makes no rational sense to believe in that.

Also it takes a leap of faith to believe that man himself is the ultimate determiner of life and that nature (or Mother Earth) can do the same thing.  But, humanists and naturalists believe they are more rational because they don’t believe in God.

However, both humanists and naturalists have their own theology : social justice and equality for humanists & the environment and animal rights for naturalists. Also, they have their own seminaries: the University and the Media.

As a result, people in both of these camps are very similar to people like me who believe in God.  Like I wrote earlier, I can admit that.  But it seems that humanists and naturalists can’t admit or won’t admit they are just like theists.

We must understand that self-deception is the biggest problem and barrier to the truth.  Even though many people believe that truth is relative in our modern culture, I would subscribe that truth is still truth and everlasting. For example, if I jumped off the roof of my house, I will fall straight to the ground no matter if I’m a believer in God, a believer in mankind, or a believer in nature.

In closing, it is important to realize whom we are speaking with and find out what are their closest and deepest held beliefs.  Because in order to communicate amongst each other, we must have an understanding of where they are coming from.