Biblical Worldview

The Caste System and a Biblical worldview are two totally different views on life and social status. The Caste System says if you are born in a certain class then you stay in that class you can’t get higher or you can’t get lower. A biblical perspective is knowing that we are all created equal and perfect the way we are. One major difference between the caste system and biblical perspective is that the caste System only took place in Ancient India. In this paper, we will compare and contrast the caste system and a biblical perspective as well as look at the caste system through a biblical perspective.

The Caste System is a social status that originated with the Indo-Aryans. The Indo-Aryans came from central Asia. The Indo-Aryans came up with the caste system to avoid marriage with the Indus Valley people. Originally the caste system classes were divided by skin color but eventually changed to division by wealth. The five classes Are Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, untouchables. Purusha was the god the Indians used to create the caste system. They divided him into four portions, his mouth, his two arms, his two thighs, and his two feet. His mouth became the Brahmins because they were the ones to speak to the gods, his arms became the Kshatriyas because they were the warriors, his thighs were the Vaishyas, they were the ones who made the money, and his feet were the Sudras they were the laborers.

Brahmins are the top of the list, their group consisted of priests, but the Brahmins were not always on the top. It used to be the Kshatriyas that were on the top. The Kshatriyas came second, their group consisted of warriors. The Kshatriyas were considered to have the most respect and value. Vaishyas were after the Kshatriyas, they were the commoners; their group consisted of merchants, farmers, and landowners.

The groups under Vaishyas were known as Sudras they are the lowest in the caste system. The Sudras group consisted of servants and peasants. There is one more cast the lowest of the low so low that they were not even given a caste the untouchables. The untouchables were the ones who cleaned up the street and after everybody else. A man named Mahatma Gandhi fought for rights for all Indians, and helped the lower castes fight against discrimination. Later in 1949, the Indian Constitution declared discrimination between the castes illegal.

Biblical perspective would not agree with the caste system. For it says in Luke 6:31(NIV) “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” And the caste system was doing the total opposite of that verse. A worldview is how you see the world and answer these questions, Where did we come from and who are we?, What has gone with the world?, What can we do to fix it?, Where are we going? The Barna definition of a biblical worldview is knowing that God is all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He still rules it today, The bible is accurate in all of its teaching., Absolutes exist and the bible defines them., Christ lived a sinless life., Salvation is by grace and not by works., Satan is a real being.

Janelle Harris Theo 201 Prof. Gabriel Etzel January 19, 2013 Biblical World View One may wonder if God still has a hand on His creation today and if so, how? Take biology, without plants giving off oxygen we wouldn’t be able to breathe. How does the tree know how to produce oxygen? How do we know how to naturally breathe in and out? Look at Business. How does one know how to be ethical and moral? Well according to the Holy Bible, God is very much still active in His creation and in a variety of ways.

First, God works in the universe. As a prophet of God, King David, said in Psalm 19, verse 1, “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. ” One can hardly look at the beauty, the order, and the wisdom of the universe and not see how wise and powerful God is. The God who makes the sun shine and the flowers bloom, the God who regulates times and seasons has such great power and wisdom that it is truly beyond our understanding.

Paul declared in Acts 14, verses 16 and 17: “And in the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. ” Everything we have comes from the blessings of God. Second, God is at work answering everyone’s prayer. The Bible says in Isaiah 65, verse 24, “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. God wants to hear your prayers. He is eager to hear our thoughts and request. He has a desire to have a relationship with His children. The Bible says in James 1, verse 17 that, “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. ” God loves us enough to hear our prayers and to help us when we need Him most.

The apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 3, verses 20 to 21, “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever, Amen. ” Third, God is busy shaping our everyday lives. He works in us day by day second by second. The Bible says in Philippians 1 and verse 6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. God prepares His people to do His work, so that we may live an eternity in heaven with Him. What God is doing in us now prepares us for the life to come. This is happening to people in every major not just bible majors. The Bible says in Philippians 2, verses 12 and 13, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. God is shaping our hearts, our attitudes, our will, and our lives to conform to His will, so that we could live with Him and He could live with us forever. With a major in Business I know my God is active in every decision making process. Through hiring and firing, expanding or downsizing, and even though negotiations God is at work. The bible says in Deuteronomy 8 verse 18, “But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. All of our skills and special talents that we use in our businesses are all given to us by God. He gives us the ability to make money and cut deals. He did it for our parents and mentors and he does it for us too. Jesus is not only our Creator; He is also the one who keeps this whole world running together. The Bible says in Colossians 1, verses 15 to 17, “And He [that is Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him.

And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ” God’s power and wisdom created our seasons which cause the earth to rotate every 24 hours making night and day. He created the moon to revolve around the earth every 28 days and it also controls the tides of the oceans. God causes the earth to go around the sun every 365 and one fourth days determining our year and our seasons. There is no way this just happened by its self. No, God has been in control the entire time.