What's The Purpose Of Life

[liamkelly]

Hmmm... the purpose of life... big question..So, here's a big answer...'I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don't have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal. I may have the gift to speak what God has revealed, and I may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. I may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if I don't have love, I am nothing. I may even give away all that I have and give up my body to be burned. But if I don't have love, none of these things will help me. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant. It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs. It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.'That's the big answer. The small answer is ...........that the purpose of life is to love.

[pitterpatter]

Feb 15, 2009, 5:01am, feaker wrote: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 ... 9PaulGreat song! Well....did God show you a sign? Because having a spiritual experience is much better than just having a discussion. And once you've had an experience or someone you know has had a supernatural experience, it changes everything. It can take you from wondering if there is an afterlife to knowing/believing there is something more. So, I hope you got/get an answer to the prayer in your song.

[llama]

Feb 15, 2009, 3:07pm, allends wrote: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 LifeThanks for posting the link Allen. Just finished watching it. I've been wanting to see this for a while.......Great movie. .Derek

[allends]

Feb 15, 2009, 3:21pm, liamkelly wrote:Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant. It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs. It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.'I love you Liam Kelly. Many of you might remember I spent a long time contemplating those beautiful lines of scripture when I made this video for Christmas:

[stephen]

Feb 15, 2009, 11:10am, llama wrote: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.DerekWell put not only the Bible but the same Bible declares that nature that is all around us reveals God's love and his heart and intentions as well. I agree that many a wrong has been done "in the name of religion" and not necessarily the name of God. However that doesn't mean God is wrong or bad and unloving as some seem to think. We are all here having a great discussion nobody is forcing anything down the others throat. When our life is over we all will see what is the truth, by then, it will definitely be too late for us. We weight what we read and hear and reject it or accept it, and that's our right and choice and with those choices come responsibility. The responsibility to accept the result of the choice and our actions. What's sad is when we face the negative consequences we blame someone else except ourselves and ask questions like, "if there is a God why does he allow?..." The fact is if we reject the truth we are now responsible for our life and destiny, We Are Responsible For What We Create; that's the principle. We are all free moral agents that's what sets us apart from all other creators on earth. God does not and will never force himself on someone and neither should any belief system that claims to represent him, they can present him as the truth and the way and leave the rest up to the individual to accept or reject. Der you put it nicely if you reject it or not doesn't mean you are more or less of a person or that I'd like you more or less.Cheers

[kurtkreimier]

Feb 14, 2009, 10:13pm, squids wrote: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. Squids,Good questions! For me I believe that Jesus is God. He made that claim himself, which is one of the reasons the religious leaders of the time wanted him executed. The disciples certainly believed this and were willing to go to their deaths rather than deny it. There are lots of scriptures that reference his divinity in both the old testament prophecies and the new testament. 1st John Chapter 1 Verse 1"From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we're telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!"I agree with you that we can't know God's heart. But does that mean we can't know anything at all? I believe the Bible is God's way of telling us a little bit about who he is. Granted, there is much more to him than we will ever know in this lifetime. But I do believe we can know a little about him based on what he has revealed to us through the Bible.And yes we are indeed Children of God. If you are a parent this will certainly give you some insight into the kind of love God has for all of us. That being the love of a father or mother towards their children.1st John Chapter 3 Verse 1"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."I do have to agree that there has been much wrong done in the name of religion throughout history and even today. However, I ultimately believe that the reason for this is based on human imperfection, not because of God.If you really are more curious about this the Gospel of John and the new testament book of 1st John are great for learning more about God's love for us, the divinity of Christ and our relationship to God as his children. I love the ending of the book of Revelation, especially the 21st chapter where eternity and God's city are described. He describes the city as being 1400 miles long, 1400 miles wide and 1400 miles high. The walls are 216 feet thick. Sounds like quite a high rise!Revelation Chapter 21 Verse 4"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”Now that you are all most likely convinced I am a fruitcake I can only say that this is what I believe. I have been a Christian for about 25 years now and I can only say that the longer I go on and the more I learn and see of the world, the more convinced I become of the truth in the claims of Christianity. If any of you would like to know more about what I base my beliefs on I invite you to visit some of the sites below. The first two are run by individuals who started out to debunk the claims of Christianity only to wind up becoming Christians through their own research.http://www.leestrobel.comhttp://www.jos ... tr.orgBack to my original post"The purpose of life? How about to be a reflection of and conduit for the Love of God here on this earth and to be a part of building God's Kingdom. I think this is it for me. Unfortunately, I'm not as good at it as I should or would like to be. Yes, I am a Christian and I truly believe that Christ was born to die, as the perfect atonement for all of our sins. In other words, His execution paid the penalty (our legal and just sentence) for our sin and lawlessness before a perfect God. He was God's justice for us. He was sent by God because God loves us and ultimately wants all of us to know Him and His Love."Who is God?God is perfect in power.God is perfect in love.God is perfect in purity.This will probably be my last post here but if anyone wants to continue the conversation feel free to send me a pm.Peace,Kurt

[hummingbird]

I have appreciated the fact that this discussion has remained very civilized & I commend everyone for their forbearance. Personally, I'd be glad if we moved on (and I say that knowing I contributed to this thread).

[mojobone]

Feb 15, 2009, 3:21pm, liamkelly wrote:Hmmm... the purpose of life... big question..So, here's a big answer...'I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don't have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal. I may have the gift to speak what God has revealed, and I may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. I may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if I don't have love, I am nothing. I may even give away all that I have and give up my body to be burned. But if I don't have love, none of these things will help me. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant. It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs. It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up.'That's the big answer. The small answer is ...........that the purpose of life is to love.Great post, Liam, and the last sentence sums up the matter before us rather neatly. It's funny how the things we do for love of others end up being to our own benefit, as well.

[squids]

In my work, too, that's how it is. They feel mo empowered and givin to others who are sufferin' mo than they are gives them a fresh perspective that I think is healthier fo them, rather than jes hanging out in hospice gettin instant gratification drug-wise.

[matthoggard]

This has been a very enlightening thread.Its nice to see so many peoples views of spirituality and religion.We are all one in the eyes of the Creator.M~