There is an important element in worldview thought that encompasses the notion of “oughtness.” Simply put… everyone believes that things aren’t the way they’re suppose to be… there is something wrong with the world.. something wrong with life.
In Cornelius Plantinga JRs book titled “Not the way it suppose to Be” he defines the Bible prophets as looking forward to a day when things would be put right…
“They dreamed of a new age in which human crookedness would be straightened out, rough places made plain. The foolish would be made wise, and the wise, humble. They dreamed of a time when the deserts would flower, the mountains run with wine, weeping would cease, and people could go to sleep without weapons on their laps. Lambs would lie down with lions…”
Shalom
They defined this kind of peace as “shalom” It means far more than mere peace of mind. In the Bible, shalom means “universal flousishing, wholeness, and delight.”
Why is this important…
If we are honest with this idea of “oughtness”… we should question our worldview if it portrays the problem of life as either an illusion (some forms of eastern religions) or simply a part of nature (naturalism). Every time we cry out for justice, for shalom, we are behaving as if things aren’t as they ought to be… it’s an innate desire. It is not natural for the human self to look at the cruelty of life and simply state “oh well… that’s just part of nature” rather, we see evil and suffering as a violation of shalom. We know it within ourselves that things aren’t the way they are suppose to be.