What Is the Difference Between Christian Metaphysics and Non-Christian Metaphsyics?
In this post, we’re going to take a look at four non-Christian worldviews and see how they stack up. Specifically, we’re going to compare Materialism, Pantheism, Polytheism, and Unitarian Monotheism (focusing on Islam) and ask: How well do they measure up when it comes to explaining reality? Let’s dive in.
Materialism: The World Is Just Stuff
Materialism is the view that the material world is all there is—all that exists is matter and energy. This worldview says that everything is ultimately just particles (or strings, if you buy into string theory). In other words, all of reality is absolute diversity—only a collection of independent, physical things.
Problems with Materialism:
Materialism has a big problem when it comes to explaining unity, so it cannot solve the problem of the One and the Many. Here’s why:
Radical Disunity: A society built on materialism would tend toward radical disunity. If every person is just a bunch of particles, it’s hard to see how you get any real connection between individuals. We end up with everyone as their own little pocket of reality, disconnected from others.
Devaluing Human Rights: In a materialist worldview, human beings are no different from the rest of creation. A child is just a human, which is just an animal, which is just a living thing, which is just a thing—just molecules in motion. This can lead to a downplaying of human rights.
Mind vs. Matter Problem: Materialism also has a tough time explaining consciousness. How does mind arise from purely material forces? This problem remains unsolved in a purely materialist framework.
Pantheism: Everything Is God
Pantheism is the view that everything is “God.” There are variations, such as Hinduism’s teaching that “Atman is Brahman,” meaning the individual soul is identical to the world soul (the full extent of everything that exists).
Problems with Pantheism:
Pantheistic worldviews attempt to explain oneness, but they do so at the expense of individual personality.
Illusion of Individuality: In pantheism, your individual self is an illusion. There is no real distinction between you and anything else in the universe. So, while pantheism might seem to solve the One and the Many problem by emphasizing oneness, it does so by erasing any concept of true individuality.
Mind vs. Matter Problem: Pantheism also fails to solve the problem of Mind vs. Matter because it denies the distinction between mind and matter. By lumping everything into “the One,” it makes both mind and matter insignificant.
Personal Dignity at Risk: Societies based on pantheism can’t consistently uphold personal dignity or individual rights. Why? Because everything gets dissolved into the collective whole—“the One.”
Polytheism: Many Gods, No Unity
Polytheism is the belief in multiple gods, none of whom has ultimate authority or control. Think about the religions of the ancient Canaanites, Greeks, or Norsemen. In these religions, the gods are personal beings, but they are not unified. Instead, they fight, scheme, and bicker.
Problems with Polytheism:
Polytheistic religions exhibit absolute plurality, and that comes with a few major issues.
No Unifying Reality: Polytheism cannot explain oneness because there is no single unifying reality that transcends the gods and binds them together. The gods themselves are diverse and often opposed to each other.
Mind vs. Matter Problem: Since no one god is responsible for the creation of reality, it’s unclear how consciousness—even the consciousness of the gods—came into existence. This leaves the problem of Mind vs. Matter unsolved.
Morality Issues: Pagan societies didn’t typically draw their moral codes from the gods, who were often unpredictable and immoral themselves. Instead, civil and social laws had to rely on human custom and the force of governing authorities.
A Note on Fate:
Polytheistic religions sometimes try to compensate for the lack of unity by invoking a higher order of universal reality—like “Fate” in Greek mythology. However, Fate is impersonal, didn’t create the world, and can’t explain personality or individual choices. This leads to a kind of hard determinism, or “fatalism.”
Unitarian Monotheism: One God, No Diversity
Islam represents monotheistic, non-Trinitarian religions. In Islamic teaching, God is not a Trinity but rather Tawhid—utter oneness. This makes Islam a unitarian religion, similar to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Rabbinical Judaism, and Unitarian Universalism. In Islam, Allah is a monad—a single, undivided being.
Problems with Unitarian Monotheism:
A unitarian God can solve the Mind vs. Matter problem because He is the prime reality and source of all things. However, there are still major issues:
Lack of Plurality: In unitarian monotheism, the concept of diversity is foreign to God’s nature. Individual personhood and distinction between persons are unlike God’s essence, which is pure oneness. This worldview struggles to explain or value diversity and individuality.
The Problem of the One and the Many: Without plurality in God’s nature, unitarian religions like Islam do not solve the problem of the One and the Many. In societies influenced by unitarianism, individuals may get lost within the collective whole, and personal rights can be diminished.
Christian Societies Contrasted with Unitarian Religions
Historically, Christian societies have emphasized individual rights, stemming from a belief in the Trinity. The Christian view of God as one in essence and three in persons provides a balanced framework for valuing both unity and diversity.
Conclusion
When we look at these four non-Christian worldviews, we see that each one fails to adequately solve the problem of the One and the Many or the problem of Mind vs. Matter. Materialism can’t explain unity; Pantheism erases individuality; Polytheism lacks a unifying principle; and Unitarian Monotheism downplays diversity. In contrast, the Christian worldview—rooted in the Trinitarian nature of God—offers a unique solution by affirming both unity and diversity, laying a strong foundation for individual rights and personal dignity. This is why the Christian worldview has led to societies that emphasize both the worth of the individual and the importance of community.
Disclaimer:
This article was generated by AI and is based on lessons written by Joel Settecase for a forthcoming Biblical Worldview curriculum. While the content has been adapted for clarity and accessibility, the original teachings and insights reflect the author's intent to provide a biblical perspective on key issues related to faith and worldview.