Religion: my response to pt3

So far it's certainly an interesting discussion.

I don't know that I'd define worldview in quite the same way as you do. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by “network of presuppositions”. Why not just call it a network of beliefs? What additional connotations or denotations does presupposition carry with it that makes it a preferred term over the simpler word “belief”? Not verified or verifiable? I don't think that is applicable either. Lots of things are verified or verifiable to a greater or lesser degree. I believe that I'm sitting in front of my computer monitor. That is verified by my experience of sitting in front of my computer monitor. Do I know it with 100% certainty? Of course not. But I have a sufficient level of certainty to continue in my current course of action, and that is good enough. It is verified and verifiable by being a repeatable experience that is consistent with similar past experiences.

I may have been mistaken in using the word metaphysical, or at least misleading. Metaphysics is “the philosophical study of being and knowing”. I used the word in the context of Metaphysical Naturalism, by which I mean any worldview or philosophical system that maintains that Nature is all there is, that all we can be or know is contained in nature. Is this different that how you were understanding it?

Yes, I'm at variance with your statement that every moment of every day every human being is worshipping something. Or rather, if that is the definition of worship I see it as a meaningless word. If there is nothing that is not worship, how is that really any different that saying that there is no such thing as worship? One person calls all human activity “worship”, and another calls all human activity “blarg”. Who is to say that either one is wrong. The word is meaningless unless you have something to compare it to, something to say that it is different than.

I would disagree that every naturalist has an object of highest allegiance in their life. I consider myself a naturalist. I don't worship my intellect; I know it is weak and fails me sometimes. I don't worship nature. It simply exists. There is no allegiance per se. There is simple acknowledgement. Acknowledgment is not worship.

I agree that we vary on what we mean by worship, but I think we vary a little more than that, hehe.