A Review and Reflection of The Book that Made Your World: Self- Am I Like Dog or God
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A Review and Reflection of The Book that Made Your World: Self- Am I Like Dog or God
What is it about trying to find oneself that makes one distant with everything else? The journey to discover oneself begins and ends with an individual, in a process that is remarkably self-centered and individualistic. This is a required process because it means that a person is looking inwards in order to truly understand their uniqueness, strengths, and weaknesses. In Chapter Four of The book that made your world: How the Bible created the soul of western civilization, Mangalwadi (2011, p. 42) talks about his journey in finding his true self and how it became very easy to doubt God. Mangalwadi presents his own history developing the story from his journey as a Christian to now a secular university scholar. In his psychology class and all through learning in the university, Mangalwadi was bombarded by teachings he terms as “contradictory” (2011, p. 42), regarding the nature of knowledge and truth. In his time in the university, Mangalwadi interacted with friends who held pantheistic perspectives, and his professors insisted that truth is unknowable. In his time in the University, he went through a period of discovery, being struck by the manner in which a fatalistic belief about reincarnation trapped entire communities in utter poverty. By turning to the Bible, Mangalwadi (2011, p. 42) found that there is a common thread running all through that God desires all nations to be blessed through his Word.
Secular ideas have slowly infiltrated the natural and cultural environment to an extent that a majority of people view some of the main ideas in secularism as a core part of their own religious and cultural beliefs. Behaviorism is a huge part of the world Mangalwadi is exposed to while studying in the university. Behaviorism teaches that the concept of the soul and the idea of God are all non-existent. It talks about humans being chemicals turned into animals, no different from a creature such as the dog. Behaviorism looks at the world from a cause and effect perspective, finding no sense in the concept of free will and the soul. Human beings are, therefore, conditioned, much like a dog, and can be reconditioned to suit different circumstances. From the ideas presented by the behaviorist school of thought, a person is perceived to be a direct consequence of their environment, chemistry, cultural conditioning, and chance. The cultural issue addressed here is the belief in a person as somewhat a superior creation made in the image, likeness, and to suit the functions provided by God. There is a conflict between this idea in Christianity and a majority of other major religions, and the university’s secular way of thinking. In a question of whether man is unique or just another creature like the dog, Mangalwadi (2011) finds truth and solace in the bible as a starting point for self discovery. As secularism takes center stage, other ideas and thoughts relating to spirituality and the natural world are masked almost entirely, creating room for doubt and fear relating the existence of God and every other core idea that defines Christianity.
The Christian response to the secular thought of man having neither a soul nor free will or even a God is very straightforward. It gives humans a quest in their life to search themselves through knowing God. Specifically, the bible advices that one should be known by God, should know God, and should make God known. In this way, one is able to gain bearing on their own life and to discover who they are through inward looking. The knowledge that a human being is neither equal to their God nor similar to a dog but rather exists in between these concepts of the natural and the spiritual is what the bible seeks to clarify. For example, Jesus called himself the “light of the world” and that whoever walks with Him will never be in darkness. The followers of Jesus had lamps yet walked in complete moral, political, social, economic, and religious darkness. The Christian response to the issue of a secular view of the soul and God is answered by Jesus calling unto his followers to be the light of the world. This means that people must look inwards and find their creative imagination that goes above nature, the environment, history, and culture and be ultimately free to make a difference externally. The view that people have no souls and that the concept of God and free will are nonexistent is ideally in contrast to what the bible teaches and calls people to be. God is the creator and has enabled every human being to make a difference in whichever area of life they choose to focus on, whether it is cultural or natural.
In my point of view, resigning to fate because of an idea that the soul and free will are non-existent is a flawed perspective. I agree with the author that human beings, while being a product of their environment, morals, nature, nurture, culture, and other things, is also made superior to rule over the earth and to worship God through their actions. Secularism only opposes these concepts because it fails to understand the connection between God and man. I also agree with the Christian response that we can never truly know ourselves until we truly and actively seek to know God because he is the creator. The response is realistic because it only demands that every person looks inwards to know God and to understand His will on us. My views about Christianity have been thoroughly challenged by the discussion in this chapter. I find the discussion very realistic in the way it tackles the issue of self discovery and how that personal journey is tied to a belief in God and understanding His will. I have experienced the influence of secularism in my own faith, and the result is that I turned to the bible for help, finding out that exposure to external influences only strengthened my own resolve to be a believer.
Reference List
Mangalwadi, V. (2011). The book that made your world: How the Bible created the soul of western civilization. Thomas Nelson.
