There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true. —Soren Kierkegaard. "…truth is true even if nobody believes it, and falsehood is false even if everybody believes it. That is why truth does not yield to opinion, fashion, numbers, office, or sincerity–it is simply true and that is the end of it" – Os Guinness, Time for Truth, pg.39. “He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” – Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7
‘I think, therefore I am.’ (Rene’ Descartes)
How we think is fundamental to who we are and what we do. To a large extent, the world will cooperate with what we think about it. If we think the world is our enemy, that Satan is hiding out for us behind every bush, that secular humanists are conspiring to influence our children and take over our country, and that everything we believe in and hold dear is threatened by the culture around us, well the – it is.
But if we think that this is our Father’s world, that every bush is ablaze with the glory of God, that the Holy Spirit is behind the past and current events of history, and that no force on earth or heaven or under the earth can do anything outside of the will and knowledge of God Almighty who lives in us, then that is the world we inhabit.
You can see why one’s worldview is a very powerful thing. It determines how one thinks and acts in the real world. These are not just examples of two different ways of thinking; they are the realities of two different people behaving entirely differently in the world because, in fact, their worlds are different. The fact that one view may be closer to the way things really are than another doesn’t guarantee that will be the worldview that will win out. What we have come to believe about the world is often more deeply entrenched in us than what is truly true. It may take a lifetime to overcome a false worldview.
Read the Word of God with an open mind. Ask God to reveal to you the truth about the world we live in, and be ready to learn. And whatever you do, be willing to rethink everything while holding to the truth.
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7
‘I think, therefore I am.’ (Rene’ Descartes)
How we think is fundamental to who we are and what we do. To a large extent, the world will cooperate with what we think about it. If we think the world is our enemy, that Satan is hiding out for us behind every bush, that secular humanists are conspiring to influence our children and take over our country, and that everything we believe in and hold dear is threatened by the culture around us, well the – it is.
But if we think that this is our Father’s world, that every bush is ablaze with the glory of God, that the Holy Spirit is behind the past and current events of history, and that no force on earth or heaven or under the earth can do anything outside of the will and knowledge of God Almighty who lives in us, then that is the world we inhabit.
You can see why one’s worldview is a very powerful thing. It determines how one thinks and acts in the real world. These are not just examples of two different ways of thinking; they are the realities of two different people behaving entirely differently in the world because, in fact, their worlds are different. The fact that one view may be closer to the way things really are than another doesn’t guarantee that will be the worldview that will win out. What we have come to believe about the world is often more deeply entrenched in us than what is truly true. It may take a lifetime to overcome a false worldview.
Read the Word of God with an open mind. Ask God to reveal to you the truth about the world we live in, and be ready to learn. And whatever you do, be willing to rethink everything while holding to the truth.
A new study claims to expose the true “consequences of anti-biblical worldview,” finding a refusal or inability to see the effects of harmful beliefs could lead to serious issues.
According to Dr. George Barna of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, hundreds of thousands of people seeking mental health assistance and medications could be simply “treating the wrong problem.”
The analysis comes at an interesting time, as it’s no secret Americans are struggling with mental health issues, with 23% of adults suffering from some related ailment.
And the statistics are even more disturbing among young Americans. Just consider: 33% of Millennials and Gen Zers are estimated to have “one or more diagnosable mental disorders,” according to Barna.
With these statistics in mind, Barna proclaims in his most recent research that depression, fear, and anxiety issues might be rooted in something deeper. The researcher was careful to note not all mental health problems are caused by worldview matters, though he explained how various perspectives could potentially impact such issues.
“The research instead indicates that those are often symptoms of an unhealthy worldview that produces and reinforces the emergence of anxiety, depression, fear, and even suicidal thoughts,” the results read. “Instead of turning to mental health treatments, the best prescription for millions of Americans is to embrace a more reliable and proven worldview.”
Ultimately, Barna, who uses data from the American Worldview Inventory conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, argues in his latest research that “worldview is … party responsible for mental health.”
He found something quite fascinating: “Individuals who lack a biblical worldview are more likely to struggle with” issues, including “frequent presence of anxiety, depression, or significant fear.”
Barna found that 56% of Gen Z reported experiencing regular battles with anxiety, fear, or depression in the past year. Unsurprisingly, this generation has the lowest prevalence of biblical worldview.
And other young generations are experiencing similar patterns.
“Roughly half of Millennials (49%) have frequently entertained anxiety, depression, or major episodes of fear, while only 2% of that generation holds a biblical worldview,” Barna’s report reads.
Beyond that, Barna’s research determined some common beliefs the researcher said can produce frequent battles with anxiety, depression, or fear.
These issues “conflict with biblical teachings” and focus on a number of factors, including a rejection or apathy toward God, feeling no purpose in life, and the rejection of absolute morality and truth, among others.
These beliefs, among others, contribute to some of the aforementioned issues. However, gratitude and acknowledgment of God seem to be some of the most important factors at play.
“Individuals who are less likely to suffer from those challenges are substantially more likely to consciously make time to thank, praise, and worship God every day, to attend church services every week; and to commit to knowing and doing God’s will each day,” the report reads.
Ultimately, Barna said people shouldn’t dismiss mental health issues or treatments, but that the research raises some important issues about how worldview can impact human beings.
“This research does raise the possibility that there are also situations where a patient suffering from a psychological or emotional disorder attributable to worldview components that trigger and sustain the condition,” he said.
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