Appendix B
The Uniqueness of Humanity
There are two worldviews that shape how a person explores and determines the origin and place of humanity in the universe. These are the naturalistic worldview and the supernatural worldview. While there are nuances within each view, we will focus only on the general tenants of naturalism and the Christian view of supernaturalism.
Understanding and identifying these worldviews has become increasingly important in the 21st century. Education and jobs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine, also known as STEM, are becoming more prevalent in our society. Some estimates made in the late 2010s place one-third of all families as having at least one member working in a STEM job. While not all who are in these fields embrace naturalism, it is the predominant lens most educators in these fields use to interpret the world around them. As a result, beliefs that emerge from naturalism are becoming commonplace and more difficult to identify. This brief overview will introduce the reader to the fundamental differences between these worldviews.
Naturalism
The naturalistic worldview holds that only material things exist. There is no non-physical substance in our universe. Everything we experience must be explained by natural causes. Any non-physical cause like a god or the spiritual realm is not considered as a possible explanation for the universe.
This view explains our origin and existence as the result of an unguided process driven by randomness, time, and chance. Matter, in this view, is either eternal or emerges from nothing. Those who propose the universe created itself from nothing define nothing as a quantum vacuum. While this view can explain how matter can arise from a quantum vacuum, it fails to explain who or what caused the laws of physics that govern a quantum vacuum and our universe. This view pushes back the explanation of origins one step but fails to fully answer the origin of the laws that governed the emergence of something from nothing, which is not really nothing in commonsensical terms.
The naturalistic worldview then denies the possibility of any non-physical agent or mind behind the physical world. Naturalists explain how something in nature happens and consider their work complete. An important point of distinction is that natural laws describe what happens but do not of themselves create anything. A description cannot create an objective reality; neither do natural laws.
Here is an example of the limitation of this view using the analogy of a teapot of boiling water. I can explain how a teapot on the stove boils water in terms of physical laws and properties. I cannot explain why the teapot is boiling in the first place. If I introduce an agent or a mind, I can answer the why question. The teapot is boiling because Amber wants a cup of tea. Explaining the mechanism of how something works does not exclude the agency or why something happens.
A naturalist then excludes the possibility of a mind or agent behind the universe or any non-physical substance like consciousness. The naturalist may see design in nature but will not entertain an explanation that includes an agent or a mind. The Bible teaches us something entirely different. Psalm 19:1-6 and Romans 1:20 teach that creation shows us the handiwork of God and holds us all accountable for realizing there is an agent, a Creator behind the design we observe in nature.
Finally, this view of origins requires either denial of a first cause or that the first cause is categorically different than anything else in the natural world. To this, the naturalist will reply either that, given more time, we will uncover an explanation of a first cause or that the universe is eternal and needs no first cause. Something being eternal mirrors the Christian view by recognizing something must be eternal. The naturalist assigns eternality to unconscious matter. The Bible proclaims God to be the only eternal uncaused cause. On the other hand, the idea that determining a purely material first cause is just a matter of time will only lead to a never-ending journey of infinite regress. It is as if God has logically trapped us into either believing in our own wisdom or recognizing that God is indeed categorically different and more awesome than everything we experience in the natural realm.
Supernaturalism
Supernaturalism is a worldview that is counter to naturalism. It considers both natural and supernatural causes to explain our universe. It is open to the non-physical realm. Just like there are many variations of naturalism, there are different views of supernaturalism. The focus here is on the Christian worldview.
In the Christian worldview, our origin was initiated in the mind of our intelligent, loving, sovereign God. Genesis 1:26 opens with “And God said,” which indicates intentional action from the mind of God. The passage goes on to say, “Let Us create man in our image,” which gives us infinite value and a unique place relative to all other created things. It also indicates our responsibility to our Creator.
Man’s function is to represent God’s will on earth and to be His image-bearers. This idea is derived from God’s purpose for humanity to have dominion over the earth as seen in Genesis 1:26-29. The order then begins with God who is sovereign over all. God then creates man in His image to be sovereign over the earth and in submission to Him.
We have the same condition as Adam. We want to seek our own way rather than God’s way. God allows us to challenge His will by seeking our own way. While we can challenge God’s will, we do not have the required capabilities to successfully challenge God’s will in anything.
Humans are unique from all other creatures. We are from the direct hand of God. He breathed life into us. We are His image-bearers. The Bible does not provide an explicit list of the attributes that define what it means to be created in the image of God. Most theologians agree these attributes include the human expression of creativity, aesthetic preferences, worship, spirituality, relationship, rationality, morality, self-consciousness, conceptual thinking, ideas, and of course volition. Ravi Zacharias, the well-known Christian apologist of the late 20th and early 21st century, notes that, unlike animals, all people seek answers to four fundamental questions. What is my origin? What is my purpose? What is my morality? What is my destiny? God has put these questions into our hearts so that we might seek Him (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Romans 1:19-21).
The implication of being created in the image of God is that we are to be in control of ourselves by having a right relationship to God that uses our volition to submit to His will. When this order is not followed, we are not functioning within God’s purpose, and we are not functioning rightly. The desire and choice are simple. However, the daily living of repeated choices that affirm God’s will is the ongoing challenge each of us faces.
God always provides for us. In the sphere of following His will, He provides a written record of His will and plan for us in the Bible. He provides those who place their faith in Him the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for guidance, and He encourages us to build each other up in community as the author of Hebrews notes in 10:24-25.
In summary, naturalism views all that exists as material. Our origin, purpose, morality, and destiny can only be explained by what science discovers. The Christian worldview sees the natural world as pointing to a creator, who is described in the Bible as a personal God who has provided a plan of redemption so that we might have a personal relationship with Him. God is our Creator. Our purpose is to seek, glorify, and have a relationship with Him. He provides us with moral standards based on His holiness. Our destiny is to spend eternity with Him doing His work. All of this is possible because He entered into our broken world to suffer like no other person has suffered, yet without sin so that He might take our place and bear our penalty for sin and make peace between God and us. He only asks that we believe that Jesus Christ’s death completely removed the barrier of sin between God and us. His resurrection is proof His work was totally sufficient. Those of us who believe in Him are placed “in Christ” so that God sees Jesus’ perfection, not our sin. Recognizing what He has accomplished for us, why would we not, out of thankfulness for what He has done for us, use our volition to study His word and make daily decisions that affirm His will as best.