What is our purpose in your religion?

[cloudyday2]

There is infant mortality, childhood cancer, etc. Any religion that claims to know the purpose of our lives needs to address the fickleness of fate.

So what is our purpose in your religion?

 

[MehGuy]

When I was theistic, suffering made one more divine. I took more of an amoral stance about the universe.

 

[childeye 2]

Our purpose here is to learn the value of what the good is that was bestowed upon us by our Maker but was taken for granted in the ignorance of what is virtue, through experiencing the loss thereof and seeing what becomes of us without it, so as to know one's self to the end that there are children of God.

 

[cloudyday2]

Our purpose here is to learn the value of what the good is that was bestowed upon us by our Maker but was taken for granted in the ignorance of what is virtue, through the experience of the loss of it and seeing what becomes of us without it, so as to know one's self to the end that there are children of God.

How about the high infant mortality rate that has been the norm until the last 100 years or so?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

The purpose of Christianity is the spiritual growth, maturity, and ultimate perfection of the individual.

 

[childeye 2]

How about the high infant mortality rate that has been the norm until the last 100 years or so?

Forgive me, I don't understand the question. You could be asking why it happens, or how could these children learn when they die so young? Is there a personal tie to this issue?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

How about the high infant mortality rate that has been the norm until the last 100 years or so?

If God's ancient laws are to be believed there is/was a solution for that.

Deuteronomy 7:12-14 King James Version (KJV)

12 "Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:

13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle."

Even during their captivity/sojourning in Egypt the Israelite women were very fecund, with easier childbirths than the Egyptian women. It might be well for our women to copy their vigorous, physical lifestyle.

Exodus 1:19-20 King James Version (KJV)

19 "And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.

20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty."

 

[hedrick]

The purpose of Christianity is a different thing. The OP asks our purpose. I’m not convinced that Christianity defines one. It says we should love God and neighbor, but thats not quite defining why we exist or a single purpose for us.

 

[childeye 2]

I’m not convinced that Christianity defines one.

Ahh, but there was a fall when we found fault with that which was not broken in ourselves and Our Maker according to scripture, and the Christ is the firstborn of many brethren. John 1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

There is infant mortality, childhood cancer, etc. Any religion that claims to know the purpose of our lives needs to address the fickleness of fate.

So what is our purpose in your religion?

Union with God and the process of Theosis. This is a union that not only brings salvation in the afterlife, but brings a change in character of the person as the flawed Image of God (damaged by the primordial Fall) is restored, causing the person to act and bring hope and positive change to a sin fallen World.

 

[cloudyday2]

Forgive me, I don't understand the question. You could be asking why it happens, or how could these children learn when they die so young? Is there a personal tie to this issue?

Refer to the opening post. How does that purpose work for me if I am an infant who dies shortly after birth?

 

[cloudyday2]

Union with God. This is a union that not only brings salvation in the afterlife, but brings a change in character of the person as the flawed Image of God (damaged by the primordial Fall) is restored in the person causing the person to bring hope and positive change to the World.

How about the infant mortality issue? There is a big difference between the life of somebody who lives 3 months versus the life of somebody who lives 90 years. I'm not certain who is more fortunate, but there is a difference in purpose. (Maybe the person who dies at 3 months is more fortunate if he/she gets to skip this world and go straight to the happy afterlife, but then the question becomes why must some people suffer through 90 years of life while others only suffer through 3 months of life?)

 

[hedrick]

Ahh, but there was a fall when we found fault with that which was not broken in ourselves and Our Maker according to scripture, and the Christ is the firstborn of many brethren. John 1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

None of this defines a persons purpose. The idea of purpose suggests that something exists to accomplish something for someone. I’m not convinced that people have that kind of purpose. I would think God likely created us for fellowship or simply because he loves life. In that case he would value us as ourselves, not as instruments to accomplish something.

 

[childeye 2]

Refer to the opening post. How does that purpose work for me if I am an infant who dies shortly after birth?

I believe you still get to experience it because it's all contained in some preservation of the temporal existence that can be revisited as necessary in an eternal existence. Everyone has a unique experience that adds it's own unique value to the collective.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

How about the infant mortality issue? There is a big difference between the life of somebody who lives 3 months versus the life of somebody who lives 90 years. I'm not certain who is more fortunate, but there is a difference in purpose.

As far as eternity goes I don't believe that infants are worse off than those that end up living. My personal belief different than Western Christendom is that they are basically innocent and go to heaven (not believing in Original Sin, but the earlier Ancestral Sin concept of the Church Fathers before saint Augustine).


Anyway, I believe this allowed by God because of some of the bad stuff of the Fall, as far as global system is concerned.

But also in some cases because God allows the actions of people to take affect as part of them having free will and all. That is when such cases would allow for such a thing, either by evil deeds, negligence etc. But I believe this is true for a lot of the "Thought Experiments" by atheists etc. where they question "Why did God allow X to happen". If God acted like a helicopter parent and bailed people out of all their problems it would really impact the freedom of people. And I believe that freedom is part of the divine image as far as sentience, being created in the Image of God etc.

 

[Junia]

well, i am nice to God because am scared of hell.... that is why i do it

 

[cloudyday2]

I believe you still get to experience it because it's all contained in some preservation of the temporal existence that can be revisited as necessary in an eternal existence.

Can you give an example to clarify what you mean?

 

[cloudyday2]

As far as eternity goes I don't believe that infants are worse off than those that end up living. My personal belief different than Western Christendom is that they are basically innocent and go to heaven (not believing in Original Sin, but the earlier Ancestral Sin concept of the Church Fathers before saint Augustine).


I believe this allowed by God because of some of the bad stuff of the Fall, as far as global system is concerned. But also in some cases because God allows the actions of people to take affect as part of them having free will and all. That is when such cases would allow for such a thing, either by evil deeds, negligence etc. But I believe this is true for a lot of the "Thought Experiments" by atheists etc. where they question "Why did God allow X to happen". If God acted like a helicopter parent and bailed people out of all their problems it would really impact the freedom of people. And I believe that freedom is part of the divine image as far as sentience, being created in the Image of God etc.

How much freedom does infant mortality provide for the infant?

 

[Pavel Mosko]

How much freedom does infant mortality provide for the infant?

Sure they don't have any. But that is true for everything else with very young children they are completely at the mercy of their caretakers and the environment.

 

[cloudyday2]

None of this defines a persons purpose. The idea of purpose suggests that something exists to accomplish something for someone. I’m not convinced that people have that kind of purpose. I would think God likely created us for fellowship or simply because he loves life. In that case he would value us as ourselves, not as instruments to accomplish something.

In the OP what I meant by "purpose" might also be called "mission" except "mission" suggest that we consciously choose to pursue this mission but in some cases maybe we aren't conscious of the mission we are pursuing.

I was not meaning "purpose" as though God might create tools for building a house.