Report on Navigating Worldviews: A Personal Perspective, Christian Values, and Social Work Ethics

Question 1. Describe Your Personal Worldview at This Point in Your Life Journey.

The way we see the world best describes a worldview. It is through a worldview that we view life and the surrounding world. My current personal worldview revolves around cultural and ethical values, and I believe in critical moral values such as social justice, respect, competence, trustworthiness, and integrity. In my thinking, the world would be a better place if most people, if not all, had these values of ethics. However, I still believe that having similar core values does not mean the same worldviews between different individuals. Due to several factors, other people will have distinct worldviews. For instance, an individual who believes in Christianity will perceive the world differently from a staunch believer in culture.

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I also believe that having these strong core values will make the world a place where everyone will fit in despite their status, class, or any other form of existing differences. An example of world practices that I disagree with is the less fortunate or the weak's oppression. Many times, the strong happens to oppress and torture the weak. This is something that we should try to eliminate. The world should never be an uncomfortable place for anyone. Besides being a firm believer in the obedience of cultural and ethical values, I still believe that my parents have played a crucial role in shaping me to be a better person than I am today. Furthermore, our conscience should drive us to ensure that what we do does not affect the people around us. I also believe that anyone who goes against social norms and values should be punished.

Question 2: Identify How Your World View Compares and Contrasts to The Christian World View. Be Specific in Answering The "Big Questions" Outlined by Sherwood.

Christian worldview refers to the viewing of the world and what surrounds us based on the Biblical teachings and the understanding of faith in Jesus. According to Sherwood (n.d), a Christian worldview challenges other theories and values, such as exploiting the less fortunate by the powerful ones. Just like my personal view, Christians also have different worldviews. The Christian worldview teaches us that the Bible provides the best news irrespective of our tribes, cultures, origins, and places. It also teaches that opportunities are limited to no one (Taylor, 2010).

Christian worldview answers one of the "Big Questions" by Sherwood on whether we can sustain values without faith. According to Wagner (2016), the gospel of Christ Jesus is the root of all good morals. Without obedience to what the Bible says, it is impossible to acquire all the ethical values ultimately. Yes, one can obtain moral values without having faith in Jesus Christ, but one will eventually fail to attain morality. Faith keeps us strong at all times, especially in times of temptation. Being just a believer in Christ doesn't make us dignified and of value, but having strong faith does.

Modernism has affected the perception of many people on Christianity (Kim et al., 2009). New inventions such as some scientific findings have led to the compromising of faith in Jesus. This can be considered a significant problem since God was there before all these new research findings. I ultimately believe that God should remain to be honored, no matter what happens.

Question 3: Compare and Contrast Your Values/Beliefs with Social Work's Core Values (See NASW Code of Ethics). Reference Specific Values, Beliefs, And Understanding.

The NASW Code of Ethics includes six core values, i.e., social justice, service, competence, person's dignity and worth, human relationship importance, and integrity (National Association of Social Workers, 2017). I am a firm believer in integrity, which encompasses the utmost honesty and strong principles of morality. According to my understanding, it doesn't matter the place or time; our integrity should never be compromised at all. It is also important how we relate to the people around us. How we treat those around us will determine how they are going to respond to us. In that sense, I agree with the NASW Code of Ethics on why healthy human relationships are essential.

Additionally, belief and understanding of self-competence concur with social work's argument on the same. Being competent puts us in a position to strive for success in everything that we do. Competency also helps in improving weak areas, thus providing accuracy. In today's world, competition has become stiff; therefore, those who push to the limit are better positioned to land the available opportunities. In most cases, incompetent individuals are linked with failure.

Social justice ensures fairness for everyone in society. I believe in social justice since it promotes equal distribution of opportunities irrespective of factors such as race, gender, age, and social class. With social justice, it is also easier for anyone to participate in decisive processes such as decision-making, critical in society. There can also be enhancing social welfare through the promotion of social justice. A perfect example is offering equal opportunities to children during specific programs.

Being a member of a particular social group, I believe that respecting a person's dignity and worth is fundamental and thus must never be violated. In my view, it is vital to handle and treat people with care and respect. Differences in culture and ethnicity should not influence how we treat others. I understand that as social workers, we should aim to promote the self-determination of clients with social responsibility. Our actions should be driven by love as a cornerstone. The Bible teaches more about love, which is why I believe it is vital in promoting these values.

References

Kim, D., Fisher, D., & McCalman, D. (2009). Modernism, Christianity, and Business Ethics: A Worldview Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 90(1), 115–121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0031-2

National Association of Social Workers. (2017). Code of Ethics. Socialworkers.Org. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English

Sherwood, D. (n.d.). Chapter 2 The Relationship Between Beliefs and Values in Social Work Practice: Worldviews Make A Difference (pp. 1–22). https://www.nacsw.org/Download/CSW/Worldviews.pdf

Taylor, B. (2010). Christianity Vs. Alternative Worldviews White Papers Critical Concept Series: Volume 1 (pp. 1–10). https://www.cru.org/content/dam/cru/legacy/2012/02/Worldview.pdf

Wagner, M. (2016, October 3). Christianity vs. Secular Humanism: Worldview Series (Part 3) – LeoGaumont.com. Leogaumont.Com. https://leogaumont.com/index.php/2016/10/03/christianity-vs-secular-humanism-worldview-series-part-3/‌