Theism takes on many different forms. Some folks acknowledge the existence of a vague, largely unknowable higher power and leave it at that. For other folks, it's a case of "this I know, for the Bible tells me so." For me, it's a little difference. I was taught from an early age to respect all of the intertwining disciplines of "religion", "science", "logic", and "philosophy." These are all tools which give us the ability to make reasonable decisions about what is real.
But, I'm not about to try make a case for Christianity, here. Others have done that enough for me to be convinced and if you're really curious, I can point you to some good sources. But it is important recognize that I am convinced that there are very strong arguments based on the nature of reality which support the case for basic Christian truths. This is the lens through which I view the world and the content of my thoughts.
But, I spend an awful lot of time interacting with people who are non-Christians, who think Christians are fools, and who are suspicious of anything with the word Christian in it. So if those basic Christian truths are the content, my language is one of reason, empiricism, and naturalism. Furthermore, because I know I'm going to come up against objections in those same terms, I try to hone my own beliefs based on what can withstand serious scrutiny.
So... Here are some of the precepts of my worldview that will certainly show themselves implicitly as I write.
1. Reality doesn't function smoothly - Life is hard, we have to work at it, and even hard work doesn't guarantee success. At the end of life, all we've accomplished and accumulated is thrown away, or given to others to manage.
2. There's something wrong with people- I'm not going to give you a list, but there isn't a single day of my life that would stand up to scrutiny. Even on a good day, I spend far more time than I'd like plotting the violent deaths of rude drivers. I'm pretty sure that we can all confess that our lives are full of decisions that we wish we could have made differently. Often we simply make compromises to get around point 1 (Reality doesn't function smoothly.)
3. We're not getting better any time soon - There are folks who believe that as a race humanity is getting better and better and making some sort of progress. My perception is that we seem to be finding new an interesting ways to mistreat each other, without ever truly changing the core of people (there's something wrong with them.) Even if I were to grant this point, that we are "evolving" into a better and better race, the pace is certainly evolutionary. In fact, it's at such a slow pace that I don't think from where we are sitting we will ever be able to distinguish the rate of change from a non-zero point.
4. It is rarely useful to harm others- I think most of us have a somewhat instinctive understanding that we are mutually independent. When we harm each others, we limit opportunities to cooperate. Given point #1, we can use all the help we can give each other. Given point #2, however, we seem to struggle with this a lot.
5. "Self Defense" is always acceptable - I don't really mean self defense, here. This would include defense of friends, family, possessions, other folks you don't know, and even society itself. This is the other half of point #4. I'm all for pacifism... right up until someone threatens the well-being of my friends and family. As far as I can tell, the only way society does not degenerate into dominance of the fittest is if we all agree to defend each other. As far as defense of society... Rules without consequences are useless, and our mutual defense agreement simply doesn't work without rules.
6. Love everyone, even those who hate you - At some point, we hurt someone. We don't necessarily intend to, but it happens. Then the person we have hurt defends themselves a little too hard, and we become hurt as well. So, we end up in an arms race. As far as I know, the only way to break down those walls is by someone breaking through the walls with love and acceptance. Easier said then done. By the way, I do believe that it's possible to love someone (Osama Bin Laden?) without turning that into a reason to let your guard down and destroy you. I even find it logically consistent to love someone and still kill them under point #5. Just because you have to do it, doesn't mean you can't wish there was a way out...
7. Lies are a form of self-destruction - This is probably the one that people will want to argue with me. Radical honesty has recently been espoused by others. However, I think that there is a tendency to go to extremes, there. There is a difference between giving your opinion honestly when asked for it and telling people things that are unhelpful. Lies, however, seem to ball up on people. The bigger the lie, the bigger the ball. In the end, though, truth seems to find it's way out and there is even more pain between people than if the truth had been told.
At this point, you might think that I'm standing on my high horse a bit too much. So, I just want to point you back to point #2. Truthfully, I don't think there isn't a day where I don't end up missing these ideals by a mile. But just because I can't attain them, that doesn't mean they aren't the goal.
