Agnosticism which amounts to a position of

 Agnosticism  which amounts to a position of uncertainty
about God’s existence (literally “no knowledge”) to more
hardened positions that tend to be quite dogmatic about the fact
that God does not exist.
 Group of self-described secular humanists (a person who
embraces a philosophy of life that excludes supernaturalism
and a personal god, emphasizes reason and scientific evidence)
to draft the “Humanist Manifesto”
 Others tend to be atheistic by default more than by conviction
about God’s nonexistence as a result of living in a secularized
world in which reliance on scientific knowledge and rational
inquiry leaves little room for God in their experience. Some
refer to this sort of atheism in terms of naturalism (positioned
characterized by the conviction that nothing exists beyond the
natural world) because of its focus on nature and knowledge
available through the natural sciences.
 Pantheism  equates god with the universe and the universe with god
by conceiving of both as identical and entirely consistent with one
another.

 God must not be understood as a personal and relational being
who may be distinguished from the universe.
 An influential version of this understanding appears in the
teachings of the Vedanta school of Hinduism that “atman is
Brahman.” Here “atman” refers to the individual soul or
personal essence of living things. “Brahman” refers to the
divine, which is the eternal essence of the universe or the
cosmic soul. Thus, the expression “atman is Braham” equates
the individual souls and the cosmic soul without distinction.
This notion is tantamount to claiming that god is everything
and everything is god, provided that “god” is understood as an
impersonal entity.
 Pantheistic views recognize a spiritual dimension to human life
but do not envision that spiritual dimension in terms of
personal relationship.
 Global perspective – has proven compelling to Eastern minds
and has exerted significant influence in the West.
 Theism  w orldview that entails belief in the existence of at least one
personal and intelligent divine being.
 Distinguish between the physical and spiritual worlds. Theists
often believe that human life should be ordered according to
the divine will and that creatures owe the creator reverence,
respect, and gratitude at the very least.
 A theistic worldview that includes only one God may be
described more precisely as monotheistic. Three of the world’s
major theistic religions are monotheistic : Islam, Judaism, and
Christianity.
o A theistic worldview that includes multiple gods, such
as the gods of the Greco-Roman pantheon, may be
described more precisely as polytheistic .
- Cognitive dissonance  uncomfortable state in which a person holds inconsistent or
contradictory ideas or beliefs, particularly in relation to morality and conduct.
o In cases in which a person knows that life cannot be lived in ways that are
consistent with specific aspects of his or her worldview, the person may begin

to experience something like mental stress because of the conflict or
dissonance between conviction and behavior.