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------------------------- A -------------------------

Active Euthanasia (a.k.a. Mercy Killing):
the deliberate act by a medical professional intended to cause the death of a patient.
[See also Involuntary Euthanasia, Passive Euthanasia, and Voluntary Euthanasia.]
Agnosticism:
the belief that the evidence for the existence of God is inconclusive.
[Compare with Atheism, Deism, Panentheism, Pantheism, and Theism.]
Amino Acid:
the basic building block of proteins. There are 20 amino acids which are coded by nucleotides into proteins.
[See also DNA, RNA, and Protein.]
Anarchy:
the belief that government is oppressive and undesirable and should be abolished.
[Compare with Communism, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, Liberalism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Social Justice, Statism, and Theocracy.]
Animal Rights Movement:
a form of Radical Environmentalism which places non-human species on par with human beings both intrinsically and morally.
Anti-realism:
the belief that reality or what one encounters in the world is socially constructed by human intelligence.
[Compare with Realism. See also Anti-Realism in the Worldview Chart under Postmodernism.]
Apologetics:
the field of theology, which seeks to provide a reasoned defense of the Christian faith.
[See also Negative Apologetics and Positive Apologetics].
Artificial Intelligence:
an artificial mechanism that can mimic human thinking and independence
Atheism:
the state either of being without theistic beliefs, or of actively disbelieving in the existence of deities.
[Compare with Agnosticism, Deism, Panentheism, Pantheism, and Theism. See also Atheism in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism, Marxism-Leninism, and Postmodernism.]
Axiology:
see Morality.
Axiological Argument:
argument which, in its most basic form, purports that if universal moral laws exists then there must be a moral law giver.
[See also Cosmological Argument, Transcendental Argument, and Teleological Argument.]

------------------------- B -------------------------

Behaviorism:
a branch of psychology which asserts that human behavior can be reduced into terms of principles that do not require consideration of unobservable mental events, such as ideas, emotions, and a mind, i.e. a form of naturalism which claims that all human behavior is the result of materialistic processes and not the free will of the mind.
Biblical Criticism:
the study and investigation of biblical writings in order to understand the circumstances, background, history, language, authorship, and audience of the text.
Bio:
natural and living
Big Bang:
a theory of the cosmos' origin; a giant explosion around 14 billion years ago which expanded rapidly, cooled, and coalesced into the universe of today.
Bioethics:
right conduct in the area of biotechnology.
[See also Biotechnology.]
Biotechnology:
industrial use of living organisms or the application of technique to living organisms.
[See also Bioethics.]
Bisexual:
a person who likes or is attracted to both males and females.
[See also Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender].
Bourgeoisie:
a class of property owners as well as those who own the means of production; Marxists call for the elimination of the whole class (the source of society's problems).
[See also Proletariat.]

------------------------- C -------------------------

Cambrian Explosion:
the sudden geological appearance of most major groups of animals.
Capitalism:
an economic system based on the peaceful and free exchange of goods and services without fraud, theft and breech of contract; free market or economy.
[Compare with Interventionism, Socialism, and Universal Enlightened Production.]
Classless Society:
the Marxists vision of a future society free from class antagonism, which will purportedly be brought about by the establishment of communism and the demise of oppressive capitalism.
[See Classless Society in the Worldview Chart under Marxism-Leninism.]
Coalition Government:
a government consisting of an alliance of opposing political groups.
Collectivism:
the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution by the people collectively.
Communalism:
an economic system in which the community owns the goods and property; a governmental system of autonomous local communities loosely bound in federation.
Communism:
a dream of future utopia brought about by a proletariat revolution and ultimately leading to a classless society in which all property is publicly shared and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
[Compare with Anarchy, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, Liberalism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Social Justice, Statism, and Theocracy.]
Communist Manifesto:
the 1848 political tract issued by Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels which outlined the goal and means of achieving of a classless society (i.e. Communism) through a proletarian revolution.
Communist World Government:
the end goal of the Marxist dialect — a future one-world communist utopian state.
[See also Communism.]
Correspondence Theory of Truth:
a philosophical belief that a statement is true if it corresponds to the facts of reality.
Cosmic Evolution:
the progression of collective humanity toward an age of higher consciousness.
[Compare with Creationism, Neo-Darwinian Evolution, Punctuated Evolution, and Theistic Evolution. See Cosmic Evolution in the Worldview Chart under Cosmic Humanism.]
Cosmological Argument (or Kalam Cosmological Argument):
a rational reflection of three exhaustive dilemmas regarding the origin of the cosmos: 1) Did the universe have a beginning or has it always existed? 2) Was the beginning caused or uncaused? 3) Was the agent of cause personal or impersonal?.
[See also Axiological Argument, Transcendental Argument, and Teleological Argument.]
Cosmology:
the study of the structure, origin, and design of the universe.
Creation, Fall, Redemption:
the progression of events in God's creation — that all was created good, but mankind rebelled against God and requires divine redemption. Thus, all of creation is sacred and stands under the blessing, judgment, and redeeming purposes of God.
[Compare with Evolutionary Godhood, Historical Determinism, Historical Evolution, Historical Materialism, and Historicism. See Creation, Fall, Redemption in the Worldview Chart under Christianity.]
Creationism:
the belief that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1).
[See also Intelligent Design and Irreducible Complexity. Compare with Cosmic Evolution, Creationism, Neo-Darwinian Evolution, Punctuated Evolution, and Theistic Evolution. See Creationism in the Worldview Chart under Christianity and Islam.]
Critical Legal Studies:
the deconstruction of law used to discover its subjective meaning and biased intent.
[Compare with Divine Law, Natural Law, Positive Law, Proletariat Law, Self-law, and Shari'ah Law. See Critical Legal Studies in the Worldview Chart under Postmodernism].
Critical Methodology:
various methods of examining the Bible with the aim of discovering its "genuineness."
[See Form Criticism, Redaction Criticism, Source Criticism, and Textual Criticism.]
Cult:
a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object; a religion.
[See also Pseudo-Christian Religion.]
Cultural Relativism:
the belief that truth and morals are relative to one's culture.
[See Cultural Relativism in the Worldview Chart under Postmodernism.]
Cybernetics:
integration of human beings and machine

------------------------- d -------------------------

Darwinian Evolution:
a scientific theory which proposes the gradual development of life, over a vast period of time (i.e. millions or billions of years), propelled by natural selection, progressing from proteins and amino acids to amebas to simple organisms and finally to more complex life forms like human beings.
Death of God Theology (a.k.a. A-Theology):
a movement which flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, essentially promoting the idea that religion did not need to invoke "God" in the area of theology.
Decalogue:
the Ten Commandments as given to Moses (cf. Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5).
Deconstruction:
a theory of literary criticism that seeks to expose the hidden assumptions and prejudices of the author of any written text, emphasizing the underlying racist, sexist, homophobic, or bourgeois bias of authors from the Western philosophic tradition.
Deductive Reasoning:
the process of reasoning that starts with an accepted rule and generalizes it to a specific situation in order to reach a conclusion; the conclusion is absolutely certain (e.g. if 5+4 = 9, and 6+3 = 9, then 5+4 = 6+3).
Deep Ecology:
a form of Radical Environmentalism that places an intrinsic value on all nature. This position leads to an eco-centric system of environmental ethics instead of an anthro-centric (people centered) or theo-centric (God centered) system.
Deism:
the belief that God exists and that He created the world, but now stands completely aloof from it.
[Compare with Atheism, Agnosticism, Panentheism, Pantheism, and Theism.]
Despotism:
government by an absolute ruler, dictator, king, or tyrant (usually cruel and oppressive).
Determinism:
the belief that events, acts, and decisions are inevitable consequences of antecedents.
[See Historical Determinism in the Worldview Chart under Islam.]
Dialectic:
a Hegelian process involving thesis, antithesis and synthesis with the synthesis being a higher form of truth.
Dialectical Materialism:
The belief that in everything there is a thesis (the way things are) and an antithesis (an opposition to the way things are), which must inevitably clash. The result of the struggle and merging that comes from the clash is the synthesis, which becomes the new thesis. This new thesis will eventually attract another antithesis, and produce a new synthesis.
[See also Dialectical Materialism in the Worldview Chart under Marxism-Leninism.]
Divine Law:
any law that comes directly from the character of God via special revelation.
[Compare with Critical Legal Studies, Natural Law, Positive Law, Proletariat Law, Self-law, and Shari'ah Law. See Divine Law in the Worldview Chart under Christianity.]
Divine Revelation:
God's revealing of Himself and His will through both general and special revelation.
DNA (or Deoxyribonucleic Acid):
a double-strand nucleic acid located in the nucleolus of a cell, DNA is the storehouse for the instructions used to build every protein in an organism.
Documentary Hypothesis:
a hypothesis derived from criticism which asserts that the Pentateuch is a compilation of various sources usually identified as J.E.P.D. — Yahwist author Elohist author, Deuteronomist author, and Priestly author.

------------------------- E -------------------------

Eco-Terrorism:
acts of violence, sabotage, vandalism, property damage, or intimidation committed against individuals and companies in the name of environmentalism.
Economic Determinism:
The belief that economics (or the modes of production and exchange) determines the entire course of history.
Egalitarianism:
The belief that economics (the modes of production and exchange) determines the entire course of history; the social, political, and moral processes of life.
[See Sexual Egalitarianism in the Worldview Chart under Postmodernism.]
Embryo:
an unborn baby from conception to the eight week of gestation. [See also Fetus.]
Emergent Church:
a relatively new movement of Christians who are incorporating elements of postmodernism within their theology.
Environmentalism:
a broad term that connotes concern and stresses the need for the protection and preservation of the environment. Environmentalists usually operate through peaceful methods of social action (e.g. political lobbying, public awareness campaigns, etc).
Epistemology:
the study or theory of the origin, nature, methods, and limits of knowledge (or simply, the study of knowledge).
Ethical Relativism:
see Moral Relativism.
Ethics:
see Morality.
Eugenics:
the belief that information about heredity can be used to improve the human race.
Evangelical:
a designation for Christians who hold to basic conservative interpretations of the Bible, including the belief in the literal supernatural conception (virgin birth) of Jesus, his resurrection from the dead, and the proclamation of the "evangel" or "good news" of salvation through Christ.
Evolution:
see Darwinian Evolution.
Evolutionary Godhood:
the New Age belief that the divine is the source of evolutionary force and that we are growing toward godhood.
[Compare with Creation, Fall, Redemption, Historical Determinism, Historical Evolution, Historical Materialism, and Historicism. See Evolutionary Godhood in the Worldview Chart under Cosmic Humanism.]
Exegesis:
extracting the authors original meaning from the text.
Existentialism:
a philosophic cult of nihilism and pessimism: it holds that each man exists as an individual in a purposeless universe, and he must oppose his hostile environment through the exercise of his free will. Feelings become the standard of human truth.

------------------------- F -------------------------

Fallacy:
an error in either abductive, inductive, or deductive reasoning.
Family, Church, State:
the Christian belief that society is divided into three God-ordained institutions.
[See Family, Church, State in the Worldview Chart under Christianity.]
Fascism:
a political system based on national socialism and Darwinian evolution; favors strong centralized government and rejects a free economy and individual liberty.
Feminism:
a broad term that connotes concern and stresses equality between the sexes.
Fetus:
an unborn baby from the eighth week of gestation until birth.
[See also Embryo.]
Form Criticism:
the means of study and investigation of a biblical writings' structural form. The goal is to discover the "pre-historical" oral and written traditions that gave rise to the text.
[See also Redaction Criticism, Source Criticism, and Textual Criticism.]
Freedom:
liberty of person from slavery, oppression, incarceration.
[See Freedom in the Worldview Chart under Christianity.]

------------------------- G -------------------------

Gay:
a colloquial description of a homosexual or lesbian person.
Genetic Mutation:
changes in genetic makeup.
General Revelation:
God's revelation of Himself and His will to all persons at all times and in all places. This revelation takes place through nature (Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:18-20), history (Acts 14:14-18; 17:24-31), and the human heart and conscience (Romans 2:14-15).
Global Islamic States:
the vision of many Muslims to bring all nations under Shari'ah law, whether accomplished through peaceful means or jihad.
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, Liberalism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Social Justice, Statism, and Theocracy.]
Globalism:
an outlook or policy which is worldwide in scope (possible result would be higher regard for worldwide issues than for national issues); sometimes a euphemism for world government.
Green Party:
a political party with radical environmentalist leanings. Founded in Hobart, Australia in 1972; since that time it has gained, to varying degrees, popularity throughout the world.

------------------------- H -------------------------

Hedonism:
the belief that pleasure is the principal good, and should be the highest aim of the individual and society.
Hermeneutics
the science of biblical interpretation used to discover the accurate meaning of a given text.
Higher Consciousness:
the ever-increasing awareness of one's spiritual essence and the underlying spiritual nature in all things.
[See Higher Consciousness in the Worldview Chart under Cosmic Humanism.]
Historical Determinism:
the Muslim belief that history is not made up of a series of chance happenings; rather, Allah superintends history throughout time, guiding it toward an expression of his will.
[Compare with Creation, Fall, Redemption, Evolutionary Godhood, Historical Evolution, Historical Materialism, and Historicism. See Historical Determinism in the Worldview Chart under Islam.]
Historical Evolution:
the belief that history is to be understood in terms of unguided evolution but which can now be guided by the ingenuity of mankind.
[Compare with Creation, Fall, Redemption, Evolutionary Godhood, Historical Determinism, Historical Materialism, and Historicism. See Historical Evolution in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism.]
Historical Materialism:
the methodological approach to the study of society, economics, and history that looks for the causes of developments and changes in human societies through economic analysis (e.g. social classes, political structures, ideologies, etc.).
[Compare with Creation, Fall, Redemption, Evolutionary Godhood, Historical Determinism, Historical Evolution, and Historicism. See Historical Materialism in the Worldview Chart under Marxism-Leninism.]
Historical Revisionism:
the re-interpreting of the past to serve an ideological purpose.
Historicism:
the view that past beliefs, morals, and truths should only be understood in relation to the cultural/historical periods in which they arose, not according to any eternal standard of morality and truth.
[Compare with Creation, Fall, Redemption, Evolutionary Godhood, Historical Determinism, Historical Evolution, and Historical Materialism. See Historicism in the Worldview Chart under Postmodernism.]
Homology:
the study of the similarity in structure between different organisms.
Homosexual:
a person who is sexually attracted primarily to members of her or his own gender.
Humanism:
the belief that humanity is the highest of all beings and that truth and knowledge thus rest in science and human reason.
Humanist Manifesto:
the title of three manifestos laying out a secular humanist worldview. They are Humanist Manifesto I (1933), Humanist Manifesto II (1973), and Humanist Manifesto III (2000), although the latter is actually titled Planetary Humanism. The central theme of all three is the elaboration of a philosophy and value system that does not include belief in God.

------------------------- I -------------------------

Icons of Evolution:
distortions of pro-evolution evidence commonly found in biological textbooks.
Identity Politics:
a political ideology which seeks to advance the interests of particular groups in society which have been perceived to be the victims of social injustice.
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Global Islamic States, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, Liberalism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Social Justice, Statism, and Theocracy.]
Ideology:
the doctrines, opinions, or way of thinking of an individual or group.
Imago Dei:
possessing the image of God.
Imperialism:
a national policy of forming and maintaining an empire; it involves the struggle for the control of raw materials and world markets, the subjection and control of territories, and the establishment of colonies.
Inductive Reasoning:
the process of reasoning that starts with a general principle and moves toward a rule in order to draw a conclusion; the conclusion is not "absolutely certain" (e.g. a court trial).
Integrity:
the quality or state of being of sound moral principle; uprightness, honesty, sincerity.
Intelligent Design:
the study of information and design in life and the cosmos.
[See also Irreducible Complexity.]
Interventionism:
political activity undertaken by a state to influence aspects of economy usually in order to uphold certain moral values.
[Compare with Capitalism, Socialism, and Universal Enlightened Production. See also Interventionism in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism and Postmodernism.]
Involuntary Euthanasia:
occurs when a second party makes the decision about whether active or passive measures should be taken to end a patient's life.
[See also Active Euthanasia, Passive Euthanasia, and Voluntary Euthanasia.]
Irreducible Complexity:
the philosophical concept that considers the complexity of living organisms—if any part is removed, the system loses function.
[See also Intelligent Design.]
-ism:
a noun-forming suffix: changes the root word into a system of thought, a way of looking at things, or a worldview.
Isogesis:
reading a personal bias into the text.

------------------------- J -------------------------

Jihad:
an Arabic word that means "striving in the way of God." This striving can take a number of forms, including the daily inner struggle to be a better person or armed struggle fought in defense of Islam.
Justice:
fair handling; due reward or treatment.
[See Justice in the Worldview Chart under Christianity.]
Justice, Freedom, Order:
principles of human governments instituted by God to protect the innocent, punish the guilty, and preserve the rights of all people against the sinful tendencies of mankind.
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Leftism, Liberalism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Social Justice, Statism, and Theocracy. See Justice, Freedom, Order in the Worldview Chart under Christianity.]

------------------------- K -------------------------

Karma:
the total effect of a person's actions and conduct during each phase of existence, determining the person's destiny.
[See Karma in the Worldview Chart under Cosmic Humanism.]

------------------------- L -------------------------

Law of Biogenesis:
living things reproduce after their own kind
Leftism:
an educational system accenting the Postmodern Worldview; A government system devoid of Judeo-Christian morality; Woodstock lifestyle.
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Liberalism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Social Justice, Statism, and Theocracy. See Leftism in the Worldview Chart under Postmodernism.]
Legal Positivism:
see Positive Law.
Lesbian:
of or relating to females who experience a sexual attraction toward and responsiveness to other females; a homosexual female.
Liberalism:
an educational system based on the Secular Humanist Worldview; a political system based on high taxes and low moral concerns (abortion, homosexuality, feminism).
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Social Justice, Statism, and Theocracy. See Liberalism in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism.]
Liberation Theology:
theological movement gaining much popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, which was primarily a phenomenon among minorities and the oppressed. In Third World nations especially, liberation theology was highly popular because of the oppressive regimes which held sway. Liberation theology holds that Christ not only came to free people from sin, but also from social oppression and oftentimes, liberation theologies were used by oppressed peoples to justify forms of rebellion. The most important liberation theologian is Gustavo Gutierrez.
Logic [from logos (Greek)]:
the study of reasoning.

------------------------- M -------------------------

Macro-evolution:
the origin of fundamentally new organisms and plants from other forms of life.
[Compare with Micro-Evolution.]
Maoism:
the ideology of Mao Tse-Tung and his communistic teachings.
Marxism:
the ideology of Karl Marx based upon atheism, dialectical materialism, evolution, and socialism.
Materialism:
see Naturalism.
Metaphysics:
the study of ultimate reality.
Metanarrative:
a single overarching objective interpretation or narrative of reality.
Micro-evolution:
small changes within the species of a gene pool.
[Compare with Macro-Evolution.]
Mind/Body Problem:
the study of the relationship of the mind (e.g. mental events, mental functions, mental properties, and consciousness) to the physical body.
Modalism (a.k.a. Monarchism and Sabellianism):
a third century heresy promoted by Sabellius; the belief that there is only one person in the godhead who appears as three persons: the Father in the Old Testament, the Son in the New Testament, and the Holy Spirit today.
[Compare with Tri-theism, Trinitarianism, and Unitarianism.]
Modernism:
a broad and somewhat ambiguous term used to embrace a diverse range of arts, attitudes, philosophies, and cultural moods which emerged following the 18th century Enlightenment. Epistemologically it is characterized by a strong belief in rationalism and science as a well as a strong skepticism in both the supernatural and the authority of religion.
Moral Absolutism:
the belief that right and wrong are unchanging, not determined by the individual or the culture; revealed by God through both general and special revelation.
[See Moral Absolutism in the Worldview Chart under Christianity and Islam.]
Moral Law:
the part of natural law that defines the consequences for the moral choices made by men and women. Original sin accounts for man's inability to abide strictly by moral law.
Moral Relativism (or Ethical Relativism):
the belief that right and wrong (ethics) are arbitrary and transitory, determined by the individual or the culture.
[See Moral Relativism in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism and Cosmic Humanism.]
Morality:
the study of what is good/evil, right/wrong.

------------------------- N -------------------------

Nanotechnology:
engineering and manufacturing at the molecular level.
Natural Law:
physical and moral laws revealed in general revelation and built into the structure of the universe (as opposed to the laws imposed by human beings).
[Compare with Critical Legal Studies, Divine Law, Positive Law, Proletariat Law, Self-law, and Shari'ah Law. See Natural Law in the Worldview Chart under Christianity.]
Natural Selection:
the concept developed by Charles Darwin that genes which produce characteristics that are more favorable in a particular environment will be more abundant in the next generation.
Naturalism (a.k.a. Materialism):
The philosophical belief that reality is composed solely of matter and that all phenomena can be explained in terms of natural causes e.g., law of gravity.
[See also Naturalism in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism.]
Nazism:
a political system based on national socialism (National Socialist German Workers Party), and Darwinian evolution, and dictatorship.
Neo-Darwinian Evolution:
the theory that new species arise from natural selection acting over vast periods of time on chance genetic mutations in reproductively isolated populations.
[Compare to Cosmic Evolution, Creationism, Punctuated Evolution, and Theistic Evolution. See Neo-Darwinian Evolution in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism.]
Neo-Orthodoxy:
founded as a response to the liberalization within Christian theology, this movement stressed 1) the primacy of revelation while downplayed natural theology and human reason and 2) the near total transcendence and incomprehensibility of God..
Negative Apologetics:
answers to objections to the Christian faith (defensive).
[See also Apologetics and Positive Apologetics.]
New World Order:
the New Age belief that (given each person's evolution toward collective consciousness) humanity will eventually develop the capacity for worldwide self-government.
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, Liberalism, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Social Justice, Statism, and Theocracy.]
Nihilism:
the view that the world, and especially human existence, is without meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value.
Non-Naturalism:
the belief that everything is a part of God and in essence, spiritual. The things that we can see and feel are only a manifestation of spirit, and all matter will melt away when universal consciousness is achieved.
Non-Traditional Church:
an organization that provides the functions and services of a traditional religious organization while holding non-traditional beliefs.
[See Non-Traditional Church in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism and Cosmic Humanism.]
Non-Traditional Family:
a number of alternatives to traditional marriage including modified open marriage, triads, cooperatives, collectives, urban communes, extended intimates, swinging, group marriage, same-sex marriage, part-time marriage, etc.
[See Non-Traditional Family in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism and Cosmic Humanism.]
Non-Traditional State:
the political view that advocates non-traditional legislation for promoting social change.
[See Non-Traditional State in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism and Cosmic Humanism.]

------------------------- O -------------------------

Occult:
the body of knowledge that is hidden or secret in the areas of the paranormal, preternatural or supernatural.
-ology :
a suffix; a branch of learning; science, study of...; from Greek world logos.
Ontology:
the study of existence and being.

------------------------- P -------------------------

Panentheism:
the view that God is immanent, yet still transcendent, within the universe.
[Compare with Atheism, Agnosticism, Deism, Pantheism, and Theism.]
Pantheism:
the belief that god is everything and everything is god.
[Compare with Atheism, Agnosticism, Deism, Panentheism, and Theism. See also Pantheism in the Worldview Chart under Cosmic Humanism.]
Passive Euthanasia (a.k.a. Mercy Dying):
occurs when a medical professional withdraws extraordinary medical treatment consequently allowing a patient's demise.
[See also Active Euthanasia, Involuntary Euthanasia, and Voluntary Euthanasia.]
Personhood:
the debate in philosophy over what constitutes "being a person."
Philosophy:
literally the love of wisdom or knowledge; a study of the processes governing thought and conduct and ultimate reality.
Pluralism:
the belief that reality is composed of many ultimate substances.
Polyandry:
the practice of having more than one husband.
Polygamy:
the practice of having more than one wife.
[See Polygamy in the Worldview Chart under Islam.]
Polygamy, Mosque, Islamic State:
the Islamic belief that society is composed of three institutions: family (which can be polygamous), Mosque, and State.
[See Polygamy, Mosque, State in the Worldview Chart under Islam.]
Polymorphous Sexualities:
the belief that individuals can exist in more than one gender form — based upon one's sexual identity and preference — (including gay, bi-sexual, lesbian, transgendered, transsexual, etc.).
Pop Culture:
consists of widespread cultural elements in any given society.
Positive Apologetics:
supplying reasons for believing the Christian faith (offensive).
[See also Apologetics and Negative Apologetics.]
Positive Law (or Legal Positivism):
the Humanistic legal school of thought that claims laws are rules made by human beings and that there is no inherent or necessary connection between law and morality.
[Compare with Critical Legal Studies, Divine Law, Natural Law, Proletariat Law, Self-law, and Shari'ah Law. See Positive Law in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism.]
Post-Conservative Christianity :
see Emergent Church.
Postmodernism:
a broad and somewhat ambiguous term used to describe a philosophical and cultural reaction to the convictions of Modernism (which is sometimes equated with Humanism). Postmodernism is the philosophical proposal that reality is ultimately inaccessible by human investigation, that knowledge is a social construction, that truth-claims are political power plays, and that the meaning of words is to be determined by readers not authors. In brief, reality is what individuals or social groups make it to be.
Principle of Excluded Middle:
"A" is not "non-A" (e.g. white is not non-white).
[See also Principle of Identity and Principle of Non-contradiction].
Principle of Identity:
"A" is "A" (e.g. white is white).
[See also Principle Excluded Middle and Principle of Non-contradiction].
Principle of Non-contradiction:
a thing cannot be both A and non-A at the same time and in the same sense (e.g. a color cannot be both white and blue).
[See also Principle of Identity and Principle Excluded Middle].
Proletariat:
the blue-collar working class generally property-less.
Proletariat Law:
a legal system established by state authority that favors the interest of the working people.
[Compare with Critical Legal Studies, Divine Law, Natural Law, Positive Law, Self-law, and Shari'ah Law. See Proletariat Law in the Worldview Chart under Marxism-Leninism.]
Proletariat Morality:
the ethical belief that whatever advances the proletariat and the cause of communism is morally good and whatever hinders the proletariat or communism is morally evil.
[See Proletariat Morality in the Worldview Chart under Marxism-Leninism.]
Property:
a possession that its owner has legal title.
[See Property in the Worldview Chart under Christianity and Islam.]
Protein:
unique chains of 20 different amino acids that function as miniature machines, doing the day-to-day work of the cell—maintenance, growth, and repair.
Pseudo-Christian Religion:
a group of people gathered around an individual (a group of individuals or an organization), who, while claiming to be the true Christian Church and teach true Christianity, actually distorts and denies the foundational and distinctive doctrines of the Christian faith.
Psychological Dualism (Mind/Body):
the psychological belief that the mind and the body exist as separate entities, i.e. the mind is not mere matter.
[See Dualism in the Worldview Chart under Christianity and Islam.]
Psychological Monism:
the psychological belief that the physical brain and mind are one substance, i.e. the mind is a part of the material body; ideas are merely the explosion of atoms in the brain.
[See Monism in the Worldview Chart under Secular Humanism and Marxism-Leninism.]
Punctuated Evolution (or Punctuated Equilibrium):
the theory of evolution that proposes that evolutionary changes occur over a relatively quick period of time, followed by periods of little to no evolutionary change.
[Compare with Cosmic Evolution, Creationism, Neo-Darwinian Evolution, and Theistic Evolution. See Punctuated Evolution in the Worldview Chart under Marxism-Leninism and Postmodernism.]

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Quest Historical Jesus:
a movement within secular Christian scholarship that is seeking to discover the "true historical Jesus." Those that are part of this quest assume that Jesus was neither the Son the God nor performer miracles of miracles.

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Radical Environmentalism:
an extreme form of environmentalism that views humanity as a mere animal and a plague upon nature and the environment. Radical environmentalists often resort to non-traditional forms of activism (e.g. eco-terrorism).
Radical Feminism:
an extreme form of feminism that rejects any inherent differences between the sexes. Radical feminism seeks to challenge all traditional gender standards. Radical feminists often belittle other women who have chosen to occupation of wife and/or mother. They also generally promote promiscuity, lesbianism, abortion, and state-run child care.
Realism:
the belief that what one encounters in the world exists independently of human thought and human construction.
Redaction Criticism:
the means of study and investigation of a biblical writings used to discern how a text has been "edited." The goal is to discover what the ancient writer actually wrote as opposed to what has been handed down to us.
[See also Form Criticism, Source Criticism, and Textual Criticism.]
Relativism:
the belief that all truth is relative to the individual and to the time and place in which one acts; no absolute truths.
Religion:
any specific system of belief, worship, or conduct that prescribes certain responses to the existence (or non-existence) of God.
Religious Pluralism:
the belief that one should be tolerant of all religious beliefs because no one religion can be true.
Resurrection:
a rising from the dead; returning to life following death (1 Corinthians 15).
Ribosome:
a two-part molecular factory which translates and assembles specific amino acids sequences from information stored in DNA and transmitted via RNA.
RNA (or Ribonucleic Acid):
a single-strand nucleic acid located in the nucleolus of a cell, RNA primarily functions as the vehicle for transmitting the genetic information found in DNA into proteins.

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Salvific Inclusivism:
the sense in which Jesus Christ is somehow superior to other religious figures and that salvation is somehow based upon his person and work.
Salvific Particularism (a.k.a. Salvific Exclusivism):
the historical Christian view that the Bible is God's word and that the person and work of Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation.
Salvific Pluralism:
the view that Christianity and Christ are not unique or superior to other religions or religions figures. Salvation can be found through means other than Jesus Christ..
Salvific Restrictivism:
the view that only those who hear and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be saved [all restrictivists are particularists, but no necessarily vice-versa].
Salvific Universalism:
the belief that everyone (or virtually everyone) will find salvation after death.
Scientism:
the harnessing of empirical science for a non-scientific purpose e.g., eugenics, abortion, global warming, DDT, gay genes; sometimes referred to as "junk" science.
Second Law of Thermodynamics:
a natural law that states that although the total energy in the cosmos remains constant, the amount of energy available to do useful work is always decreasing.
Secular Humanism:
a religious worldview in which "man is the measure;" man, in himself, is the ultimate norm by which truth and values are to be determined; all reality and life center upon man; man is god.
Secular World Government:
a non-religious political body that would make, interpret, and enforce a set of laws internationally.
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, Liberalism, New World Order, Self-Government, Social Justice, Statism, and Theocracy.]
Self Actualization:
the highest level of a person's potential and the ultimate goal of Maslow's "hierarchy of needs" (a theory contending that as humans meet their basic needs, they seek to satisfy successively higher needs).
Self-Government:
the New Age political perspective that maintains that each divine individual is evolving the ability govern him or herself.
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, Liberalism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Social Justice, Statism, and Theocracy. See Self-Government in the Worldview Chart under Cosmic Humanism.]
Self-law:
the New Age legal perspective that maintains that actions are lawful only if honorable to the god within and unlawful if imposed by an outside authority.
[Compare with Critical Legal Studies, Divine Law, Natural Law, Positive Law, Proletariat Law, and Shari'ah Law. See Self-law in the Worldview Chart under Cosmic Humanism.]
Sexual Egalitarianism:
the belief that all sexual practices — which are based on preference and sexual identity (or polymorphous sexualities) and not physical characteristics — are equal.
[See Sexual Egalitarianism in the Worldview Chart under Postmodernism.]
Shari'ah Law:
Islamic law derived from the Qur'an and the Hadith and applied to the public and private lives of Muslims within Islamic states. Shari'ah law governs many aspects of day-to-day life—politics, economics, banking, business, contracts, social issues, etc.
[Compare with Critical Legal Studies, Divine Law, Natural Law, Positive Law, Proletariat Law, and Self-law. See Shari'ah Law in the Worldview Chart under Islam.]
Situational Ethics:
a particular view of ethics, in which absolute standards are considered less important than the requirements of a particular situation. The standards used may, therefore, vary from one situation to another, and may even contradict one another.
Socialism:
an economic system in which the ownership and operation of the means of production and distribution (land, factories, railroads, etc) are controlled by the government. According to Marxism, socialism (i.e. abolition of private property) is the transitional phase between capitalism and communism.
[Compare with Capitalism, Interventionism, and Universal Enlightened Production. See Socialism in the Worldview Chart under Marxism-Leninism.]
Social Justice:
the belief that government has a moral duty to take via taxation the wealth of the richest members of society and give it to the poorest.
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, Liberalism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Statism, and Theocracy.]
Socially-Constructed Selves:
the belief that one's identity is constantly changing as a result of ever-changing social factors.
[See Socially-Constructed Selves in the Worldview Chart under Postmodernism.]
Source Criticism:
the study and investigation of biblical writings according to their sources of origin.
[See also Form Criticism, Redaction Criticism, and Textual Criticism.]
Special Revelation:
God's revelation of Himself and His will to particular persons at definite times and places. This revelation is found in miraculous events (e.g. the Exodus), is recorded in the Scriptures (Psalm 19:7–11); 2 Timothy 3:14–17), and located supremely in Jesus Christ (John 1:1–18). It is the means by which human beings come to know of salvation.
Spontaneous Generation:
the belief that non-living matter becomes living matter naturalistically.
State:
the body of government as organized for supreme civil rule.
[See State in the Worldview Chart under Christianity, Islam, Secular Humanism, and Cosmic Humanism.]
Statism:
the concentration of economic controls and planning in the hands of a highly centralized government.
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, Liberalism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Social Justice, and Theocracy. See Statism in the Worldview Chart under Marxism-Leninism.]
Stem Cell:
cells in your body that have not been diversified into heart cells, brain cells, etc.
Stewardship:
the science, art, and skill of responsible and accountable management of resources. Christians believe that God is the ultimate owner of everything and that human beings have been given the responsibility to manage and care for his creation.
[See Stewardship in the Worldview Chart under Christianity and Islam.]
Supernaturalism:
the belief that reality is more than nature; that an above nature agency intervenes in the course of natural law.
[See Supernaturalism in the Worldview Chart under Christianity and Islam.]

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Teleology:
the study of design and purpose in nature.
Teleological Argument:
argument which, in its most basic form, purports that if something exists that is designed then it has a designer.
Theism:
a belief in the existence of a supernatural God.
[See Theism in the Worldview Chart under Christianity and Islam.]
Theistic Evolution:
the belief that God works through the natural process of evolution.
Textual Criticism:
the means of study and investigation of biblical writings used to discover the "original wording." The goal is to discover what the ancient writer actually wrote as opposed to what has been handed down to us.
[See also Form Criticism, Redaction Criticism, and Source Criticism.]
Theocracy:
government by a ruling power claiming Divine sanction.
[Compare with Anarchy, Communism, Global Islamic States, Identity Politics, Justice, Freedom, Order, Leftism, Liberalism, New World Order, Secular World Government, Self-Government, Social Justice, and Statism. See Theocracy in the Worldview Chart under Islam.]
Theology:
the study of God and the relations between God, man, and the universe.
Totalitarianism:
see Statism.
Transcendental Argument:
a rational comparison of atheism and theism that focuses on the practical outcomes of both worldviews.
Transgender:
of, relating to, or designating a person whose identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender, but combines or moves between these.
Transgenics:
insertion of DNA of one species into the genetic code of another species.
Trinitarianism:
the belief in one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit.
[Compare with Modalism, Tri-theism, and Unitarianism.]
Tri-theism:
a belief in three separate gods: Father, Son, and Spirit.
[Compare with Modalism, Trinitarianism, and Unitarianism.]
Truth:
conformity to knowledge, fact, actuality, or logic.

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Unitarianism:
the belief that the Father is God, the Son is merely a creature, and the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force.
[Compare with Modalism, Tri-theism, and Trinitarianism.]
Universal Enlightened Production:
the belief that positive thought creates wealth.
[See Universal Enlightened Production in the Worldview Chart under Cosmic Humanism.]
Utilitarianism:
an ethical framework that posits that all action should be directed toward achieving the greatest utility for the greatest number of people (that the end justifies the means).
Utopianism:
visionary scheme for a man-made perfect society on earth.

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Values Clarification:
the education that leads one to recognize the way that values change over time in response to changing life experiences, assisting one to discover what one's values are rather than what they should be.
Viability:
the ability to survive on one's own and grow to adulthood.
Voluntary Euthanasia:
occurs when an un-coerced patient chooses to end his or her life.
[See also Active Euthanasia, Involuntary Euthanasia, and Passive Euthanasia.]

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Worldview:
any ideology, philosophy, theology, movement, or religion that provides an overarching approach to understanding God, the world, and man's relation to God and the world.

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Xenotransplantation:
the use of animal tissues, organs, or cells transplanted to or used for contact with human subjects.

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Zen:
an approach to religion, arising from Buddhism, that seeks religious enlightenment by meditation in which there is no consciousness of self.
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