According to the dictionary, worldview means “a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint” (Merriam-Webster, n. d.). It includes a specific understanding of cosmology, truths, values, and the sense of life and is different for different people and organizations. The emergence of the Religious Right took place in the last quarter of the twentieth century, and its worldview focused on traditional Christian values. Quoting Sanford, Jones writes that Christian worldview was based on John Calvin’s systemized Christianity and division of all people on two groups: the followers of God and his denials (Jones, 2014). Both groups conflicted with each other in all life spheres including politics; Sanford highlights that the Religious Right is primarily a political party, not a religious organization (Jones, 2014). However, he also quotes Kuyper and writes that this conflict had spiritual nature (Jones, 2014). Indeed, the primary confrontations of both groups were concentrated around issues required and accepted by the society and denied by God, for instance, the right to abortion, women’s rights, extreme feminism, homosexuality, sexual deviance, pornography, etc. Christians believed in the power of God to determine humans’ destiny and claimed against everything that could intervene God’s law and change it.
Nowadays, the Religion Right still continues to follow Christian conceptions of life and appreciate Christian values, but it experiences its fall. I think that it happens because of the changing worldview of the society, its globalization, multiculturalism, and departure from Christianity. As for me, I am an open-minded person, and my worldview accepts all religions and cultures. I believe that people should live freely without limitations on love, sex, or social position. Moreover, I stand for race and gender equality and think that everybody determines his destiny without any supreme forces. Thus, my worldview is far from the Christian one, but I think that it is the thing of the free and equal future all of us want to live in.
References
Jones, S. E. (2014). Dissecting the Religious Right: its origins and its goals. Americans United. Retrieved from https://www.au.org/church-state/julyaugust-2014-church-state/books-ideas/dissecting-the-religious-right-its-origins-and.
Worldview. (n. d.). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worldview.
