Created with purpose, not in play (Qur'an 21:16) — a temporary place of test (Qur'an 67:2), full of signs that point to its Maker (Qur'an 3:190). Not evil and not to be fled, but not home either: the lasting life is the one after it (Qur'an 29:64).
Material universe explained by science; no supernatural causation.
Open question; observable aspects explained by science, ultimate origins uncertain.
The Bible presents the world as created good, damaged by sin, and awaiting renewal.
The Torah presents creation as good and human life as responsible before God.
Buddhist texts describe the world as impermanent, conditioned, and marked by suffering when grasped wrongly.
Hindu traditions often describe the world as cyclical and shaped by karma, while different schools debate its ultimate nature.
Real but transient; arena for spiritual growth.
Public life governed by shared civic norms, not religious doctrine.
Natural, knowable, improvable through human effort.
Improvable through reasoned debate, markets, and institutions.
Socially constructed in part; structures can be reshaped.
World organized into competing or cooperating nations.
THE SAME WORDING, PUT TO EVERY WORLDVIEW — EACH ANSWERS IN ITS OWN TERMS, IN ITS STRONGEST FORM
Didn't He Say