What's The Purpose Of Life

[erandall]

Haven't we had enough of this yet? My head hurts, my feet stink, and I don't love Jesus.

[squids]

I dunno, there's always the option of, say, not opening the thread. Save yourself!! ROFL cuz I'm guessin' from what I'm reading up above, Jesus probably won't.

[stephen]

I'm kinda tired had a busy last few days so I'll jump in again later and respond to you too Viki

[kurtkreimier]

Feb 14, 2009, 11:44am, hummingbird wrote:Then why does God create human beings who live in places where they will never hear about Christ, who will be born & raised in other belief systems? Doesn't He love them too?Vikki,Fortunately this is not a new question and the Bible does address it. In Paul's letter to the church in Rome he starts out by saying that all men are without excuse when it comes to belief in God. Since you included some scripture passages in your post I'm going to go ahead and paste in some text from The Message Bible translation.Romans Chapter 1 Verse 16"It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God's way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along, the person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives. But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse."Paul then goes on in the 2nd chapter of Romans to discuss how men will be judged based on the knowledge and insight God has given them. I think this passage also speaks to the truth of God's existence based on the fact that we all have a moral compass and a sense of right and wrong. Romans Chapter 2 Verse 14"When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong. Their response to God's yes and no will become public knowledge on the day God makes his final decision about every man and woman. The Message from God that I proclaim through Jesus Christ takes into account all these differences."The Bible also deals with the question of reincarnation. And by reincarnation I mean the belief that we live many different lives over the course of history as opposed to a one time bodily resurrection as experienced by Christ.Hebrews Chapter 9 Verse 27"Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ's death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation."Christ did say he was the only way. However, I have no idea who he will or will not let through. I can only know that I will be one of them.I hope you all understand that my intention was not to preach but only to try and answer some of the questions that have come up throughout this thread with what the Bible has to say. I figured the best way to do that was to quote the scriptures. If anybody wants to read more there is a great online site that allows you to search keywords and passages. http://www.biblegateway.comPeace,Kurt

[squids]

I have a question.....I was raised in a two-religion household but the whole Jesus was an amazing teen rebel thing....first off, I can't worship a human being because he's, well, human. So is everyone here. Wouldn't we also be the sons/daughters of God? And I don't believe in the worship of a human being (unless it's behind closed doors ) But I will ask this:'"how can we truly know or even understand God's intentions?" We're talking about a massive intellect, presence, everywhere, in everyone. How can any human claim to know what's in God's heart? Visions are nice but borderlines personalities have those too, so they don't count.

[mojobone]

Feb 14, 2009, 6:14pm, erandall wrote:My head hurts, my feet stink, and I don't love Jesus. I used to have that song on a 45, don't remember what was on the "B" side. I also had "Drop Kick Me, Jesus, Through the Goal Posts Of Life. (wish it was that easy) Just got in from the Valentine's gig; we slayed, but it wasn't as heavenly as that gig with Squidsy's gonna be. (next time I'm down your neck o' the woods, it's on, girl, we gone juke jumpin' ) Really enjoyed Devin's latest post, too, I was hangin' with you pretty good up 'til 'bout bullet point #6. It's true enough that religion(s) fill a basic human need or two, but for those with eyes to see, there's more to this life than the material; Sting wasn't just whistlin' dixie when he wrote that we're spirits in the material world, a world that's ephemeral while our spirits are eternal. It's logically possible to arrive at ethical behavior through reason alone, but if you do that, it just means you're smart, it doesn't make you a mensch.

[hummingbird]

"How can any human claim to know what's in God's heart? " - Squids, I'm with ya on that one. Too much wrong done in the world (now & in the past) by those claiming to know 'the truth' & insisting everyone else know it the same way too... "Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion." ~Mohandas Gandhi

[feaker]

This is the first verse and pre-chorusof a song I posted a few weeks ago called "show me a sign"Do you believeIn something you can not seeHow do you knowThat there is someone aboveWith everlasting love for youHelp me to seeI want to believeWhy am I hereWhere am I goingDoes my life have meaningAll of these questions surround me in fearI need some direction, but nothing is clearShow me a signYup, this one's about me.http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... 242219Paul

[llama]

Feb 15, 2009, 3:06am, hummingbird wrote:"How can any human claim to know what's in God's heart? " - Squids, I'm with ya on that one. Too much wrong done in the world (now & in the past) by those claiming to know 'the truth' & insisting everyone else know it the same way too... "Gentleness, self-sacrifice and generosity are the exclusive possession of no one race or religion." ~Mohandas Gandhi For me the Bible is God's revelation to us. I agree a lot of wrong has been done today and in the past by people who have "the truth" and insist that we live their truth too. Happens all the time in religion, politics and any other sphere of live. Dunno that any one here is saying that they have the truth and everyone must live that way. In my case and so it seems in everyone elses case, we're having a discussion and putting forward humbly what we think is true. It's up to the others to accept or reject it as truth. If they don't agree with me it doesn't mean I like them or respect them less and hopefully its the same for them in respect to me. Squids point on worshiping another human. I agree, I certainly wouldn't worship any other human either. In the case of Jesus Christian's believes that He came to Earth as God incarnate and is part of the trinity. We can only weigh the evidence and make our choices. But we will all find out one day for sure!!!!! Right now we're looking through a glass darkly.Derek

[allends]

Our perception of the world is created by our perception of the world. This link takes you to a very long, very entertaining movie that expresses my views beautifully:A Very Enlightening MovieI am particularly impresses by the presenters in this film who explain to us just how abstract this world really is when seen through the eyes of a quantum physicist. Although the world is proven to not be solid, one need not jump straight into the lap of organized religion as we know it today to find the answers to life's basic questions. Much of these are known and demonstrable by brilliant minds such as those in the film. Like beauty, truth is in the eye of the beholder.AllenThe Purpose of Life