SECULARISM

Secular Worldview: a way of thinking about the world where the only truth worth considering is one based
on human values alone

Anthropocentric (modern worldview): human centred

Humanism: a point of view that exalts human values and uses the dignity and ultimate worth of human
beings at its starting point

Christian Humanism: recognizes a God-given dignity in humanity and believes in human freedom,
responsibility and learning

Secular Approach: believes in present values, in the "now," with no concern for eternity and is actively
opposed to religion

Secularism: a way of living as if God or ultimate reality did not exist; it sees no divine purpose to life, and
believes that humanity is alone in the universe

Deism: God created the world, and once the world was created, it would run on its own with no further
intervention from its creator

Rationalism: believing that the universe is governed by certain laws which could be discovered without the
help of religion or theocentric world-views

Atheistic Worldview: systems of thought that dispensed with God altogether; attacked theocentric
worldview, asserting that all gods and any God were only creations of the human imagination; religion was
not only of no benefit, it positively prevented

Consumerism: an attitude to life that rates material goods and personal appearance as more important than
inner development or true personal relationships

Idolatry: reverence for material things; treats them as if they very sacred

Individualism: the exaltation of the individual self over all other considerations

Moral Relativism: believes that there are no absolute values, only those that are in the secular culture;
everything is dependent on one's point-of-view or opinion