Do You Have the Right Prescription?

We all have worldviews that act as “glasses” through which we view the world. Each worldview has a different “prescription,” which in turn affects what we see. Radically different interpretations of reality result from different prescriptions, as illustrated by this story.[1]

Three friends went to a nature preserve in the African Serengeti and experienced the majestic beauty and diversity of native African wildlife—zebras, elephants, gazelles, lions, and rhinoceroses. Each friend was awestruck by the diversity of creatures observed.

The first friend, John Luther, commented boldly: “The Lord God has definitely created an amazing array of creatures that sing his praises and declare his glory to the ends of the earth, has he not?” 

The second friend, Charles Dawkins, immediately responded: “An amazing array of creatures, to be sure. But you err, my good man, in ascribing their existence to a Creator. No, these incredible animals are the result of the unguided, purposeless combination of random mutation and natural selection. We too are the product of a natural evolutionary process. Indeed, we are no different from the creatures that we see.” 

The third friend, Shirley Chopra, serenely replied: “I pray you both would be enlightened to the full reality disclosed by our brothers and sisters on the nature preserve. For they too bear the same spark of divinity that lies within you and me. Do you not sense them calling to you, seeking to communicate with your spirit? We are all potential gods and goddesses; we just need to awaken to our heightened state and take hold of the possibilities that lie before us.” 

John, Charles, and Shirley see the exact same animals in the exact same nature preserve. Thus, they must experience the same objective truth. Nevertheless, due to their vastly different perspectives, the three friends see different things. Why? Simply put, John, Charles, and Shirley are experiencing a clash of worldviews. John based his interpretation of the Serengeti on the authority of the Bible. Charles placed his interpretation on materialism, while Shirley based hers on Hindu thought.  

As the story indicates, different worldviews lead to vastly different interpretations of reality.  C. S. Lewis wrote, “The Christian and the Materialist hold different beliefs about the universe. They can’t both be right. The one who is wrong will act in a way which simply doesn’t fit the real universe.”[2] John and Charles cannot both be right about the nature of reality. 

Though modern culture pushes us to affirm any truth claim made by anyone, we cannot affirm both the conclusions of materialism and Christianity. They are contradictory. We cannot affirm both the Eastern spirituality of Hindu or Buddhist thought and materialism’s denial of the spirit world. The spirit world either exists or it does not. If two worldviews totally oppose each other, only one can be true.

Albert Einstein said, “A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.” Our choice of a worldview must align with reality.  Following a wrong worldview has horrible, eternal consequences. The way we see affects what we do and the ultimate outcome of our lives. We need the right prescription!

[1] Anderson, Tawa J. (2017-10-09T23:58:59). An Introduction to Christian Worldview. InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition. 

[2]Pearcey, Nancy. Love Thy Body (p. 11). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (quoting C. S. Lewis in God in the Dock, 110)