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Terms of Reference
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Theism
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Primal
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Monism
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Deism
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Naturalism
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New Age
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| The Universe |
Universe created by God from nothing. |
Universe is animate; relationship between spiritual and physical. |
Universe is one substance. |
Universe is created by the transcendent God. |
There was no creator. The universe is composed only of matter. |
No creator God. Universe exists for the self to manipulate. |
| Humans and their place in the universe |
Humanity was created by God in his image. |
Humanity is one part of the universe. |
Humanity is part of the whole. |
Humanity created by God with intelligence. |
Humanity developed through evolution. |
Humans are the most important beings. |
| The relationship between humanity
and the supernatural |
God reveals Himself to humanity. Communication between them. |
Humanity interacts with the spiritual all the time. |
The aim of humanity is to achieve union with the essence of the universe. |
God is not sovereign and has no relationship with humanity. |
No spiritual dimension. |
Countless spiritual beings. No distinction between reality and illusion. |
| Time and history |
History is linear, unfolding God's purposes. |
Time is cyclical. |
Time is cyclical; history is irrelevant. |
History was determined at creation. God does not intervene. |
History has no purpose or goal. |
History is linear, unfolding an evolutionary process. |
| Death and after-life |
Death brings either joy or separation from God. |
Death is a doorway to a different existence. |
Death simply leads to the next life. The disappearance of the individual. |
No clear teaching. |
Death is the extinction of the individual. |
Death is not the end of self, but a transition process. |
| Ethics and value system |
Based on God's revelation of His character. |
Ethics are usually tribal. |
Good deeds are performed to help the soul achieve unity. |
No basis for a system of ethics. |
Ethics are situational. |
There are no absolutes. Good and evil are of no consequence. |
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