Your cart is currently empty!
by Dennis Peacocke
May 2011
As we all know, the United States of America, according to our Pledge of Allegiance, is declared to be, “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” As we also all know, our last two presidential elections have revealed just how divided we are as a body politic in terms of holding a unified worldview. Almost half of the voting public holds to a worldview which emerged with public conviction since the 1960’s, and the other half holds to a more “traditional” view which reflects the Judeo-Christian values historically associated with what is called Western Civilization.
To simplify things, let us go to the heart of the “War of the Worldviews” issue, that is, do we live in a universe or multi-verse? Western Civilization since the fourth century or so has held to the concept of a “universe” which undergirded all dimensions of both private and public culture and institutions. A “universe” worldview essentially believes that there is One Supreme Being who created a physical-spiritual reality and the laws that govern that reality. And that creation reflects the Creator Himself and His intentional plans for His creation. In other words God the Creator is boss, in control, and blessing and prosperity are found only in discovering His will and laws and complying with them. While in this world there is “choice,” that choice is ultimately only about compliance or rebellion.
To the “multi-verse” worldview folks, if there is a God, he, she, or it reflects what mankind wants he, she, or it to be like because mankind’s thinking processes reason that this god-force reflects “reason” rather than a reality that stands outside of man’s desires for himself. In other words for God to be God, God must be as man declares God to be. Following this logic, man’s opinion is “God” and if God exists contrary to man’s opinion, he, she, or it may be a god but not a god worth following. Hence rebellion is noble and courageous, and educated, intelligent people heroically demand that God either submit to mankind’s wishes or suffer the consequences of man’s legitimate rebellion. Poor God!
Now these “multi-verse” people don’t say what I just said because most of them aren’t either clear enough on the implications of their worldview or they haven’t the courage to do so, or both. To do so would be “intolerant,” “uncool,” or not worth their time because we universe people wouldn’t get it anyway. We are hopelessly lost and deluded in the simplicity of our single reality and its attendant absolutes. We don’t admit to the true reality of many ways to many gods; the validity of all values and opinions (except our own); and the fact that the notion of absolute values of right and wrong steals from man his options of conscience-free choices. After all, each person’s values deserve to be true simply because they are “ours.”
Saying things like this makes the “multi-verse” people really irritated because it challenges their personal peace and even threatens the validity of their multi-verse educational systems which cost them big dollars and certified their correct worldview with a diploma. Rational or logic-driven discussions are difficult and therefore they usually end up with the multi-verse people calling the universe people bad names like “Nazi” or other tolerant words like that.
So what about “two nations under God?” We are here, more or less, and will likely stay here until one side or the other side’s worldview proves itself grounded in more reality than the other and produces more conclusive results. The division won’t quietly go away and it shouldn’t, because this critical war of the worldviews holds within itself the possibility for the genuine renewal this nation desperately needs. Without tension there will be no passion; and without passion there will be no desperation; and without desperation the release of renewal is impossible, and that is…..the bottom line.