Purpose in life?

[Ken-1122]

What does it mean to have purpose/meaning in one's life? Do you feel it is possible to have purpose or meaning in one's life outside religion?

Ken

 

[AlexBP]

We all know some people who go through life doing the daily necessities--eating, sleeping, shopping, showering, and all that--but not accomplishing or hoping to accomplish anything more than that. Such people do not have a purpose to their lives. On the other hand, other people have an over-arching goal which guides everything that they do. They perform their daily necessities, but the majority of their time and effort is oriented towards reaching a larger and more important goal than merely surviving. They have a purpose in life.

 

[Ken-1122]

We all know some people who go through life doing the daily necessities--eating, sleeping, shopping, showering, and all that--but not accomplishing or hoping to accomplish anything more than that. Such people do not have a purpose to their lives. On the other hand, other people have an over-arching goal which guides everything that they do. They perform their daily necessities, but the majority of their time and effort is oriented towards reaching a larger and more important goal than merely surviving. They have a purpose in life.

Thank-you. Can you give an example of a person who might have a purpose in their lives outside religion?

Ken

 

[razeontherock]

Thank-you. Can you give an example of a person who might have a purpose in their lives outside religion?

I would say both God and His purpose for our lives are bigger than any religion. As an example, my Sister teaches voice, but impacts the lives of her students in ways that far exceed almost any Christian I have ever known. She knows her talent is from God but doesn't do anything in the Name of Jesus.

She still clearly has purpose in her life (I'd still clearly prefer she glorified the Lord, but how this may affect the big picture really isn't mine to say)

 

[elman]

What does it mean to have purpose/meaning in one's life? Do you feel it is possible to have purpose or meaning in one's life outside religion?

Ken

If there is no Creator, who would there be for whom there would be purpose after humans are extinct?

 

[Ken-1122]

I would say both God and His purpose for our lives are bigger than any religion. As an example, my Sister teaches voice, but impacts the lives of her students in ways that far exceed almost any Christian I have ever known. She knows her talent is from God but doesn't do anything in the Name of Jesus.

She still clearly has purpose in her life (I'd still clearly prefer she glorified the Lord, but how this may affect the big picture really isn't mine to say)

A friend of mine was a school teacher; then for what-ever reason he quit teaching and became a counselor. Did his meaning in life change? I get a feeling when a person refers to meaning to life they mean a little more than a job.

Ken

 

[Ken-1122]

If there is no Creator, who would there be for whom there would be purpose after humans are extinct?

If a person doesn't believe in a creator, he probably doesn't believe there would be someone there for us after humans become extinct

K

 

[razeontherock]

A friend of mine was a school teacher; then for what-ever reason he quit teaching and became a counselor. Did his meaning in life change? I get a feeling when a person refers to meaning to life they mean a little more than a job.

Ken

You completely ignored what I said, rather than responding to it

 

[elman]

If a person doesn't believe in a creator, he probably doesn't believe there would be someone there for us after humans become extinct

K

He would probably be correct in that belief if there is no Creator. Therefore No Creator means ultimatly no meaning to our existence. It seems to me that connects meaning to religion. I am not saying we have no meaning to our lives if there is no creator. We can give our lives some temporary meaning, but ultimately after we are gone, if there is no Creator, and no life after death, there will be nothing that has any meaning any more that is connected to us. There will be no one to whom our existence will have any meaning. It just will not matter anymore to anyone. I don't think that has to be our destiny. I think our love for others can create meaning that is lasting and last much longer that our physical existence. I believe this is true even if there is no Creator. But if there is a Creator and an afterlife, all sorts of possibilites open up for ultimate meaning connected to our present existence.

 

[bling]

We have much more than just “purpose”, since we have an earthly objective.

Our “objective” is to become like God himself (Is that not a big enough objective)?

One of the problems people have with this “objective” is the fact any mature adult can achieve this objective and the lowlier the person is the more likely He is to fulfill the objective.

 

[Ken-1122]

You completely ignored what I said, rather than responding to it

I didn't ignore it, perhaps I just misunderstood you. Your sister; is teaching voice more than a job for her? is this something she will do for the rest of her life?

Ken

 

[Ken-1122]

He would probably be correct in that belief if there is no Creator. Therefore No Creator means ultimatly no meaning to our existence. It seems to me that connects meaning to religion. I am not saying we have no meaning to our lives if there is no creator. We can give our lives some temporary meaning, but ultimately after we are gone, if there is no Creator, and no life after death, there will be nothing that has any meaning any more that is connected to us. There will be no one to whom our existence will have any meaning. It just will not matter anymore to anyone. I don't think that has to be our destiny. I think our love for others can create meaning that is lasting and last much longer that our physical existence. I believe this is true even if there is no Creator. But if there is a Creator and an afterlife, all sorts of possibilites open up for ultimate meaning connected to our present existence.

So if I understand you correctly, for those without religion, their meaning and purpose in life is limited to human existence, but for the religious folks it goes beyond; am I understanding you correctly?

Ken

 

[firstpetertwonine]

What does it mean to have purpose/meaning in one's life? Do you feel it is possible to have purpose or meaning in one's life outside religion?

Ken

Hello, peace be with you...

I'm not sure if I understand your question. A non-religious person can make whatever meaning in their life they want, I suppose. If a person lives and dies by a certain cause or ideology, they can derive whatever meaning from it they wish.

A Christian, however, might say that from their perspective, all that really matters in the long run, if there is no God and no afterlife, is that in a few billion years, the sun will go supernova and our solar system will be destroyed and the meanings that people thought their lives had, will be lost and forgotten and will have amounted to nothing... so, it could be argued, for a Christian, no, there is no meaning to life without God.

According to Christianity, what, then, is the meaning of life with God in the equation? Why did God create? "God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." (Acts 17:27) God didn't need to create us, but he apparently wanted to because he wanted a people to love and that would love him. Therefore, "What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8) To the Christian, walking with God and serving him is your meaning for life. It will count for eternity, not just for this life. There is the difference between the Christian life and the temporal meanings that may be found by the non-religious.

Hope this helps. God Bless

 

[AlexBP]

Thank-you. Can you give an example of a person who might have a purpose in their lives outside religion?

Ken

Some people find purpose is political activism. Some people go all out for education. Some people become incredibly good at playing Super Mario Brothers. There's an endless diversity of purposes out there. Whether they are all good or correct purposes is a different question.

 

[JonahGirl]

I am a new Christian. Before this, I tried to find answers all over. I tried to be a good person. I felt I had the purpose of being a good person and learning. I pretty much still feel that way. The only real difference is that I feel I have God to guide me in that pursuit. I am more content to wait, more at peace, and less fearful. Right after becoming a Christian, I became so poor I literally couldn't pay my bills or have enough food. I didn't have a job and had $4 in the bank. For the first time in my life. I didn't worry. I am the type of person to stress over everything. I would have worried myself literally sick over that just a year before, but I didn't. I had hit rock bottom and I gave it to God. I had nothing else to do. It was actually easy in that sense, and I was rewarded with complete peace. That was the true turning point for me. I knew after that I could handle anything.

I believe there are lots of ways to be a good person, but the Bible tells us that His way is the only one. I believe that is because according to the Christian faith, this is the best way. No one, no idea, can remove your peace better than the Christian God, nothing else has the power to do what God can do. We, as humans, can do some things, but we aren't God. We will fail at some point. There will be things we can't do, things we can't handle. We are supposed to believe that God can do those things we can't do, and we are told that the Christian God can do this better than any other God or idol we can worship. Whether you are a Christian or not depends on whether you believe that. I have tried several things and nothing else has done for me what the Christian God has...

 

[Ken-1122]

Hello, peace be with you...

I'm not sure if I understand your question. A non-religious person can make whatever meaning in their life they want, I suppose. If a person lives and dies by a certain cause or ideology, they can derive whatever meaning from it they wish.

A Christian, however, might say that from their perspective, all that really matters in the long run, if there is no God and no afterlife, is that in a few billion years, the sun will go supernova and our solar system will be destroyed and the meanings that people thought their lives had, will be lost and forgotten and will have amounted to nothing... so, it could be argued, for a Christian, no, there is no meaning to life without God.

Would you say it is possible to have meaning sometime between now and the few billion years before the sun goes supernova? Even if it is just temporary?

To the Christian, walking with God and serving him is your meaning for life. It will count for eternity, not just for this life. There is the difference between the Christian life and the temporal meanings that may be found by the non-religious.

Hope this helps. God Bless

Is it possible for a Christian to find meaning in something that does not include God?

Ken

 

[Ken-1122]

Some people find purpose is political activism. Some people go all out for education. Some people become incredibly good at playing Super Mario Brothers. There's an endless diversity of purposes out there. Whether they are all good or correct purposes is a different question.

So would you say meaning is simply a goal, a hobby, or simply doing something you enjoy?

Ken

 

[Ken-1122]

I am a new Christian. Before this, I tried to find answers all over. I tried to be a good person. I felt I had the purpose of being a good person and learning. I pretty much still feel that way. The only real difference is that I feel I have God to guide me in that pursuit. I am more content to wait, more at peace, and less fearful. Right after becoming a Christian, I became so poor I literally couldn't pay my bills or have enough food. I didn't have a job and had $4 in the bank. For the first time in my life. I didn't worry. I am the type of person to stress over everything. I would have worried myself literally sick over that just a year before, but I didn't. I had hit rock bottom and I gave it to God. I had nothing else to do. It was actually easy in that sense, and I was rewarded with complete peace. That was the true turning point for me. I knew after that I could handle anything.

I believe there are lots of ways to be a good person, but the Bible tells us that His way is the only one. I believe that is because according to the Christian faith, this is the best way. No one, no idea, can remove your peace better than the Christian God, nothing else has the power to do what God can do. We, as humans, can do some things, but we aren't God. We will fail at some point. There will be things we can't do, things we can't handle. We are supposed to believe that God can do those things we can't do, and we are told that the Christian God can do this better than any other God or idol we can worship. Whether you are a Christian or not depends on whether you believe that. I have tried several things and nothing else has done for me what the Christian God has...

Thank-you for your testamonial and I wish you well and much happiness in your Theism
Ken

 

[salida]

My faith is who I'm. How I react to things and my attitude affects others-its a witness for Christ. Thats my purpose. Whats yours?

Mt 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

 

[elman]

So if I understand you correctly, for those without religion, their meaning and purpose in life is limited to human existence, but for the religious folks it goes beyond; am I understanding you correctly?

Ken

Sounds correct.