The Importance of Constructing a Worldview Statement

In psychology this week, we are studying the importance of having a clear worldview through which we can filter the ideas presented to us.

A worldview is the construct of how you view life, your basic assumptions, your foundational beliefs, your conceptual framework for answering the big questions of life, the construct or framework of your faith. Everyone has one:  Christians, agnostics, Muslims, atheists, Buddhists, deists, psychologists, philosophers, politicians, etc.

People operate under the assumptions of their worldviews every day; however, many have not taken the time to think through this mindmap in concrete ways so that it can be a useful filter for them. They are prone to being deceived because they are not sure of their mind on various challenging topics. They cannot defend their beliefs.

A worldview is a system of CORE attitudes, beliefs, and values. If one develops a well-thought-through statement of belief, it will guide one through many miry mounds of knowledge, enabling the sorting and keeping and tossing of ideas.

Your worldview is active and changeable. It morphs as your mind changes with the influx of new information that you assimilate into your belief system.

A Christian worldview is supposed to be a biblically based worldview, wherein all fundamental assumptions are derived from the absolute Truth of the inspired Word of God. The Word of God reveals Truth to us. "Truth is not merely a person preference. It is objective and absolute and can be diligently searched out" (Tim Rice, Homeschool Psych, p. 11). Then, it is up to us to modify our worldview to match God's revealed Truth. It is when we do this that we stand on the firmest ground theologically, relationally with God, and mentally/emotionally/behaviorally.

There are 5 major questions wherein psychology and the Christian worldview definitely intersect:
*What do you believe about God?
*What is the nature of Mankind?
*How can we know things with certainty?
*Are there moral absolutes?
*What are the causes of and the cures for abnormal thoughts, feelings, and behaviors?

Our answers to these 5 crucial questions affect how we handle all the pitfalls of life.

So...they had better be good ones.

It reminds me of our pastor telling us that any set of religious ideas he is presented with had better provide him an answer for death because that one is coming for us all.  (I thought that was a very insightful view through which to funnel the stability of claims thrown out there for us to ponder.)

The author of our textbook, Tim Rice, D. Min., LPC, is so convinced of the value of intentionally formulating your worldview into a coherent explanation that he offers this caveat:

"Stop Reading. Do not keep reading until you are clear about your Christian worldview. Remember, the Christian worldview is Truth, but we can not prove it with science. It is important to remember that EVERYONE'S WORLDVIEW IS A MATTER OF FAITH and no one's worldview is ultimately a matter of science. The foundational beliefs of a Christian worldview, of an atheist's worldview, of a psychology professor's worldview are matters of faith and philosophy and not of data and science.  In the next chapter we will explore psychology's history by examining its philosophies and assumptions" (Tim Rice, Homeschool Psych, p. 12).

So...I guess I had better get to work!

Z

Good Quotes from Psychology by David G. Myers

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends, and the most patient of teachers" (Charles Eliot, 1834-1926, educator).

 "Once expanded to the dimensions of a larger idea, [the mind] never returns to its original size" (Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1809-1894).

"Testing is a powerful means of improving learning, not just assessing it" (Henry Roediger & Jeffrey Karpicke, memory researchers, 2006).

"To master information information you must actively process it" (David G. Myers, Psychology, p.13, 2015).

"People learn and remember best when they put material in their own words, rehearse it, and then retrieve and review it again" (David G. Myers, Psychology, p. 13, 2015).

"I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me" (Job 42:3).

Driving Hours

In Kansas, new drivers have to have 50 hours of driving time, 10 of which are at night.

Isaac completed his driving hours finally (after over a year of effort to squeeze it in) the week before our school started, over a month after he turned 18. Now he has begun his Senior year and is still working toward the goal of driving. He now needs to go through the paces with his daddy to make sure he'll pass the driving portion of the test. He got a new Kansas Driving Handbook today to study for the written part. Then he will get his adult license and enter the adult world of car insurance payments.

Seth, at 16 years old, had his first driving lesson today. He did well. Only 49 1/2 hours left! When he completes his driving practice and tests, he'll be the youngest driver we've had out of all 4 boys. We're a little slow around here. Seriously though, they have to have a job to afford the insurance and just got one in May. So, they couldn't have afforded to drive before that anyway. I'm looking forward to passing this particular milestone. It is a lot of work for a mama.

Homeschooling at Lindsey Land is on its LAST year!

We began Monday, August 6th:

Here's our school lineup:

They are also taking Government and Economics & Business Computer Information Systems via Switched on Schoolhouse, as well as complete Easy Grammar, Grade 12 (10 min./day review).


Middle of the week (8/8) ~ relaxing at the end of a long day!

In addition to school, Isaac and Seth are working at the Mall Deli 10-15 hours/week. Isaac is a dishwasher/busboy. Seth is a cook. Seth is going to work on his Eagle Scout requirements and do his Eagle project this year.

A VERY FULL YEAR AHEAD OF US!!!

Christmas Family Traditions

Every year we go to Leavenworth to visit my mom's side of the family and have Christmas with them. We usually have it the weekend before Christmas. We eat, talk, watch a little TV, get pictures taken, play games, and of course, we exchange gifts. This year we ate chili, turkey & noodles, vegetables, and various snacks. There was much chatter and laughter the entire time. Everyone had a smile on their faces. These are some pictures of the fun event. The stockings are all homemade by Maamma, with neat designs. In the stockings there is always money, candy, and a small gift. Isaac and I usually get pomegranates.

Maamma

The game we are playing is called Apples to Apples: The Game Of Crazy Combinations.

    As you can see, we had a grand time!

Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA for short.)

We had an experiment on DNA today. We used marshmallows and toothpicks to make a model of a DNA strand. DNA is made of sugar, phosphate groups, and nucleotide bases. Those bases are named guanine, cytosine, adenine, and thymine. Each base can only be attached to another certain base. Guanine can only be attached the cytosine, and adenine can only be attached to thymine. In our model S stands for the sugars and phosphate groups, G stands for guanine, C stands for cytosine, A stands for adenine, and T stands for thymine. DNA molecules are in a double helix form which looks like this:

This is the nice picture...

...and this is the silly picture.

I am trying to escape Isaac, who is trying to give me bunny ears.

Underground Railroad Experiment

     Isaac and I had an assignment to draw a map (done by Isaac) of our neighborhood. This is because we studied the Underground Railroad and abolitionists in History this week. Back then it was to dangerous to use house numbers. So they had to draw landmarks instead. Isaac drew a map of our neighborhood in that fashion. I scanned it onto the computer and posted it.