What is the purpose of our lives?

[china]

Sassylassie
Holy Advisor
I can't articulate "Faith" because if you don't have it you won't understand it.

You are truly a "Holy Advisor" Sassylassie .

 

[sanctus]

Without us the universe does not exist. It's like the old question "If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear. Does it make a sound?" Does a universe exist if there is no intelligent lifeform to observe it?

That is a standard response, but perhaps based somewhat on arrogance that We, as humans, are actually the centre of all. What if the tree falls and God hears it? Who are we to claim it is not heard because we did not actually hear it?

 

[sanctus]

If that is the case, then we should be asking "What is the purpose of God"?

If the only purpose for humans is in our relationship with God, then God Himself must have a higher purpose, otherwise humans have no purpose. So, what is the purpose of God?

Are we qualified to ask such a question? In other words, who are we as the created to question the purposes of the Creator?

 

[sanctus]

To be tourchered by Christians, doctors, friends and family. THATS the purpose of life.

To be "what"???

 

[gc]

Are we qualified to ask such a question? In other words, who are we as the created to question the purposes of the Creator?

Why not? What's wrong with philosophizing about the purpose of there being a God? I wonder if God knows what the purpose of him existing is?

It seems odd that God would have a higher purpose than himself. So, the logical conclusion that I would come to is that the original stament is false. That is to say, the purpose of humans is not God.

 

[s_lone]

The purpose of our lives may be to discover it...

 

[sanctus]

Why not? What's wrong with philosophizing about the purpose of there being a God? I wonder if God knows what the purpose of him existing is?

It seems odd that God would have a higher purpose than himself. So, the logical conclusion that I would come to is that the original stament is false. That is to say, the purpose of humans is not God.

Nothing wrong with it, as long as we realize the answer will always lie above and beyond our abilities to undertand an omnipotent God.

 

[L Gilbert]

I can't articulate "Faith" because if you don't have it you won't understand it.

Sorry, hun, but I keep hearing all kinds of people claiming to speak for their god and then a minute later say that god is unknowable or god moves in mysterious ways or some other such thing. I find a bit of contradiction there.
As far as I've been able to comprehend "faith" is simply confidence. Anyway, I'm glad that people have their "faith". I, too, have my needs, but they are a lot simpler and quite easy to understand.

 

[L Gilbert]

That is probably true. However, it contradicts the idea that the purpose of humans is to serve/love God. You can't say that the purpose of humans is to serve God and that the purpose of God is to serve humans, it's a cyclical argument.

And ........ ? BTW, I don't say the purpose of people is to seve god(s), I think they just think they need to. And they also think that their god is simply around just for them. (They're quite right in that, because they wouldn't have invented him otherwise). There are lots of contradictions involved with "god". For instance, he is supposed to be a god of love and other nifty things. Well, isn't he also a god of nasty things, too? A god of love who also commits mass murder just because he can't get his own way? Just like people, fulla components that contradict other components. Now there's a shocker, god seems to be like homo sapiens ........ or is it vice versa?

(Sorry, guys, I only use "he", "him", etc. because it's a lot easier than typing "he/she/it". )

 

[talloola]

I believe in "Live everlasting" and my faith is strong and can't be shaken. The meaning of life and it's purpose to me is kindness, goodness and helping my fellow man/gal. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all through my days. Sorry Sanctus if I quoted that wrong? I can't articulate "Faith" because if you don't have it you won't understand it.

I believe in faith too, but it has nothing to do with god/religion, but it is strong, and I believe and
have faith in those around me, and myself and my earth, it is a very religious feeling, but not in the
stereo typical way, I am far too realistic for "that", I would be dissapointed in myself if I began to
try to obey something that is mythical, that's for the movies and makebelieve.

 

[L Gilbert]

That is a standard response, but perhaps based somewhat on arrogance that We, as humans, are actually the centre of all. What if the tree falls and God hears it? Who are we to claim it is not heard because we did not actually hear it?

Right on, Sanctus.

Um, gc, if you're really curious, stick a tape deck on "record" out in the bush where you know there are no people around. You will notice a whole lotta noise on the tape when you go back and collect it.

 

[L Gilbert]

Are we qualified to ask such a question? In other words, who are we as the created to question the purposes of the Creator?

Perhaps we were "created" to do just that.

 

[L Gilbert]

The purpose of our lives may be to discover it...

I think I discovered me almost at the moment I popped out. Certainly in some really early age I discovered me.

 

[gc]

And ........ ? BTW, I don't say the purpose of people is to seve god(s),

....and my comments were related to the opening post, about the purpose of humans being to serve God. I was simply providing an argument against that.

 

[gc]

Um, gc, if you're really curious, stick a tape deck on "record" out in the bush where you know there are no people around. You will notice a whole lotta noise on the tape when you go back and collect it.

Simple. When the tree falls, it make sound waves. Those sound waves are recorded on tape. When you play that tape back, a replica of those sound waves enter your ears and are interpreted as sound. So, in that case it does make a sound (though I suppose it's not identical to the original sound).

 

[L Gilbert]

....and my comments were related to the opening post, about the purpose of humans being to serve God. I was simply providing an argument against that.

My apologies.

 

[gc]

My apologies.

No worries

 

[L Gilbert]

Simple. When the tree falls, it make sound waves. Those sound waves are recorded on tape. When you play that tape back, a replica of those sound waves enter your ears and are interpreted as sound. So, in that case it does make a sound (though I suppose it's not identical to the original sound).

No it wouldn't be a perfect recurrance although digital recording is damned close to original (the differences being imperceptible to the human ear).
It can also be proved by physics (it is essentially a disturbance of mechanical energy, or vibration, that moves through things in a wave), but I'm not going to do that. Um, all sound propagates as wave.
Here ya go - link

 

[gc]

No it wouldn't be a perfect recurrance although digital recording is damned close to original (the differences being imperceptible to the human ear).
It can also be proved by physics (it is essentially a disturbance of mechanical energy, or vibration, that moves through things in a wave), but I'm not going to do that. Um, all sound propagates as wave.
Here ya go - link

Yes, I understand how sound works.

It all comes down to how you define the term "sound". I think most people would define it as the brain's interpretation of sound waves, not the sound waves themselves. Thus, without a brain there is no sound (but there is still sound waves). I am using this definition "vibrations sensed by ear" Link , but I suppose there are other definitions as well.

 

[sanctus]

Sorry, hun, but I keep hearing all kinds of people claiming to speak for their god and then a minute later say that god is unknowable or god moves in mysterious ways or some other such thing. I find a bit of contradiction there.
As far as I've been able to comprehend "faith" is simply confidence. Anyway, I'm glad that people have their "faith". I, too, have my needs, but they are a lot simpler and quite easy to understand.

There is a world of difference between speaking on those things God has revelaed to us and to defining the God who has done so. If we have faith in the Creator, and assume His Traditons and Scriptures to be correct, for example, we obviously can speak based on that premise. But to go one step further and claim to actually "know" or "understand" God is beyond our grasp. Our minds cannot work around the concept of forever and/or eternal. We have an egocentric need to think everything around us must be understood by us in order to justify it's existence.

Try to understand the limitless universe and it fails us in doing so! That does not indicate the universe is not real because we cannot explain or understand its vastness.