Epistemology, a Worldview
Introduction
This six-part Worldview series will be dedicated to those of us who have yet to build a worldview for ourselves. Having a worldview helps create a framework for understanding the world around you, shaping your values, informing your decision-making, and giving meaning to your life by providing a lens through which to interpret experiences. Ultimately, it guides your actions and perspectives on various issues; essentially, it acts as a foundational set of beliefs that helps you navigate life and make sense of your place in the world.
How do we know what we know? How do we become knowledgeable about things in general? Understanding how we acquire knowledge is essential in our complex world. As individuals growing up in America, we embark on our educational journey at age five, entering government schools where we learn critical skills like reading, writing, and basic math. This early foundation shapes our worldview and influences how we interpret information.
Our knowledge comes from various sources—books that spark our imagination, powerful sermons that inspire us, class lectures that expand our horizons, and mainstream news programs that inform us. However, it's crucial to recognize that much of what we hear aligns with the agendas of those in power, shaping our perception of reality. Moreover, exploring diverse perspectives through literature in public libraries or engaging with the teachings of the Bible during Sunday school or sermons enriches our understanding. By being aware of these influences, we can cultivate a more robust framework for discerning truth and gaining genuine knowledge.
What we have been told as we grow up is what we know. Determining who is telling the truth can be a problem if that is a concern. So, how a person knows what they know is an excellent question to ask oneself when deciding what constructs one's worldview.
I have developed what I believe to be a worldview derived from biblical sources, which tells me there’s a much bigger problem in creating a worldview that one can depend on honesty and truthfulness. The current world system appears to be desperately trying to keep you in the dark. As I have learned recently, we have been lied to about most things, and with free speech defended the way it is, we are now being informed about the lies we’ve been told.
I am a Bible reader and a Christian in the real sense. I have been vehemently investigating my faith for many years. During my studies, I realized what the Bible says about the rulers of this world, and I take it seriously. We are informed about the Bible's Principalities, Powers, and Rulers. We are also being told who the Father of Lies is. And it would then appear we have been lied to about almost everything for our lives and the many lives before us. Generations have been lied to purposely by the Father of Lies. We know what we know, how? Let's say we are immersed in a society that operates in an ideology that strongly leans in a direction that is intent on pleasing one's ontology. In other words, you are being told and visited by narratives that want to keep you in the dark of the spiritual battles waging about us daily. When I speak of the ontological problem, I refer to our corrupt nature, which wants to stay in a place of bondage to greed and selfish behavior. We are naturally not just fallen but ontologically corrupt.
Meanwhile, the apostle Paul tells us in the Bible that we are entangled in the yoke of bondage that Christ has come to set us free from. (Galatians 5:1) Bondage to what you might ask? He refers to the bondage imposed by the father of lies on our society and culture. We are in bondage to our selfish, greedy ways. We like our ontology the way it is. We enjoyed the sexual revolution and the feminist movement. We like having everything “our way” at home with the husband. We want more and more of the “good life.” We enjoy having a scapegoat in the family to project our character flaws onto.
I'm delving into the ontological rabbit hole a bit, but to narrow it down, my concern with “how we know what we know” is tied to a much larger issue that warrants discussion with anyone willing to engage. We are being warned of a systemic problem humanity must confront appropriately. Many millions of well-intentioned Christians inhabit the world, whether Catholic or any of the variety of Protestants that don’t seem to be taking the bible seriously in that our worldview has been poisoned by the gods turned loose on the planet for the intention of keeping one under lock and key of bondage to their ontology. How you know what you know is where the battle for your heart and mind occurs. Coming to terms with one's worldview is the battle you must engage with to get where you can think clearly and know what is true or a lie. Jesus tells us He is the truth. He has made the Holy Spirit available to help us with our journey to wisdom and understanding. You can be confident that what you know and how you came to know it is honest and true, and the journey to freedom from the bondage of the lies that keep one imprisoned will be long in your rearview mirror.
The Bible tells us there will only be a “remnant” left of true knowers and believers. These are the few “outliers” who broke out of the bondage of lies and were taught the truth in all things. Work with the Holy Spirit to help you work through the lies you were taught and enter a phase where truth, life, joy, and faith reign supreme.
