A continuation of the last posting…….
All the above-mentioned worldviews and philosophies like I mentioned earlier have successfully imprinted their marks in the education arena. However, though they may all seem to have succeeded in fulfilling their mission, I stand by one that I strongly believe supersedes all the others and that is where I base my philosophical worldview. My worldview and philosophy of life emphasize the Christian – Theistic worldview. As a Christian, this boarders on my belief and faith in Biblical scriptures and its claims that God as the Almighty is the creator of the entire universe and the reality of his son Jesus Christ who is also God the Son came to save the world, and the Holy Spirit as God the Holy Ghost,
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him”(Colossians 1:16 KJV).
Also, we are being told in the scriptures that God has taken pleasure in Christ his son to put all things about this life and beyond, therefore in him consists all things fully “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell.”(Colossians 1: 19 KJV). We may wish to ask ourselves; what this fullness is that is being mentioned here? The answer is further derived in the second chapter of Colossians and the ninth verse
“For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;” and the third verse gives the ultimate picture for this discussion “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
In continuation, I base my discussion on the last verse quoted from Colossians, ‘in Christ is hidden and therefore dwells all the treasure of wisdom and knowledge.’ This tells me that all the other ideologies mentioned earlier are found and made complete in Christ, which means that the exclusion of the knowledge of God and Christ in some of these philosophies like realism, humanism, and pragmatism, and also the confused mismatch and misplaced thoughts of Neo- Scholasticism and idealism could be made more meaningful and more successful with God and Christ as the center of their philosophical viewpoint, without Christ their philosophies become fragmented.
Why do I make such a claim? I will explain briefly, using as an analogy the work and mission of Christ while on earth and showing that Christ was an embodiment of these philosophies. First and foremost, Christ knew the importance of education as the vehicle for training in knowledge and service. The knowledge he wished to transfer to mankind was that the Kingdom of God has come down to man, to rescue man from his predicament of sin. In doing this Christ had disciples and followers who were his students, he taught in the synagogues as well as open-air surroundings- his school, “the formal institution he used to give form to his concept and ideas”(Brummelen, 2009).
As he taught, though God he was also fully man. He realized the full essence of man and the importance of man and his relationship with nature but showed that man and nature had a higher calling in God. He used examples from nature to teach, linking man’s sensory perceptions with his message for conceptualization, therefore he was teaching as both a realist and humanist.
He also argued cases, verified facts by using the intellect rationally, showing that intellectual rationalism was with God and in God, thus expressing himself as a Neo-Scholastic. In the performing of his miracles, he was very practical, dealing with each individual on a personal basis, identifying specific needs according to the various interests and acting upon those ideas or reasoning, expressing pragmatism.
He brought forth his absolute ideas conceived in the mind of God the father, presenting God the father as Spirit and who must be worshiped in Spirit and truth, as holy, beautiful, righteous, and good. Also being able to convey the fact that the absolute idea is being made concrete, a proven reality in him (Jesus Christ), and in his teachings and works, makes him an idealist.
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