Purpose of life.

[Ezzedean]

If just ONE person came back from heaven and told us it does exist, then I'd believe.

Jesus? Moses? Mohammed? Noah? Abraham? Aren't these people proof? I doubt you see them as such but I do, particularily because Mohammed came at a time where History can prove he was here, and he did some amazing things and confirmed all the other prophets, so I believe.

I hate to repeat myself but you HATE all these sorts of sins such as rape, murder and abuse, well like I said before if you are a follower of God then no such things would be happening. It's not Gods fault that some people have decided not to follow his way and go on to do disgusting things. God gave us free will. Free will is a gift, some of us are using it for good, and some of us use it for bad... but in the end, we're nothing without it. Like I said before, it is possible for us to take care of the needy as a whole, and if we all were true followers then murder,rape,abuse,theft, and torture wouldn't exist in the world... so how can you blame God?

Here is a question for you. You teach your son to do good at all times, and he is a good person. Then suddenly something horrible happens to your son, does this mean that you do not love him anymore because something bad has happened to him? I doubt it. Your gonna be there for your son and do everything you can to try and help, and God would do the same don't you think? Pain is a part of life my friend... every person experiences it, it's how we deal with it that's important. If a person is ill for months and feels the most excruciating pain for months, and during that time there belief in God goes away due to how much pain they are going through, then suddenly the pain goes away and in due time they are fine but they still don't believe in God after, do you think this is ok? A small portion of your life you experience hard times and you suddenly stop believing in God, but half way across the world people are starving and hurting everyday and there faith isn't going anywhere.

This life is interesting. It's soo important in one way, but it's so not important in another. It's nothing compared to an eternity, but at the same time it's what we do here that decides our fate during that eternity.

Peace and Blessings
Ezzedean

 

[jeffrey]

There will always be suffering when good people choose inaction.

Even in heaven?

 

[jeffrey]

Ezz, it is not proof. They are stories. Fables. And if they were true, why do they not come back today? And not God's fault? He created us, created us that way, and if he is whom you think he is, he could stop it. Let's run with that. I see a man raping a child. Not my fault. So I do nothing... Just like God.

 

[jeffrey]

How did the murder of millions by the Nazi's make those millions stronger or spiritually richer or somehow better? The problem of human suffering is a difficult one and I'm not convinced it can be easily dismissed.

I totally agree.

 

[Ezzedean]

Give me proof that they ARE fables. What makes you think that our time right now is more important than the times back then? God has sent prophets to us, over and over again, and he said he would send no more until the day. The people who witness these prophets became believers. I know it's not proof to you, but Mohammed was a part of history, and from his words alone (which he claimed were from God) sprouted off the fastest and soon to be majority religion of the world. Now I'm not advertising Islam right now, I'm trying to show you that God is here. What makes you think God is just sitting back and watching this and loving life? There is a judgment, no man will get away with what he did. So the people who did wrong WONT GET AWAY WITH IT, just because God isn't doing anything right this moment, it doesn't mean he isn't gonna do something later. Patience my friend... it was a great attribute of Noah and something we should have learned off of. I know these horrible things suck, but there will be a time when wrongs will be made right.

I have work at 3 Jeffrey, so I couldn't start reciting verses (fom a book you don't believe, so i guess its better that I didnt) but I would love to talk some more about this, because I do see where you are coming from with these questions, and in a way I agree, but I don't at the same time. Inshu'Allah(God Willing) we'll talk later.

Peace and Blessings

 

[Bishka]

Ezz, it is not proof. They are stories. Fables. And if they were true, why do they not come back today? And not God's fault? He created us, created us that way, and if he is whom you think he is, he could stop it. Let's run with that. I see a man raping a child. Not my fault. So I do nothing... Just like God.

Jeff, you want proof. I see that by reading all your posts. What the religious people on the forums are saying(the ones who beieve in deties) is that you have to have faith.

I have no proof that Joseph Smith was a prophet except for my own experiences, my own faith and my belief.

I think that everybody glossed over my post, because I posted an answer. Why does God do nothing? He does something, He gave us our free will. He gave us agency. He is not going to stop someobody and take away their free will and agency to protect another person. This is part ofhis plan, we all get that free will. He gave us this so that we could choose for ourselves instead of being forced.

I'm not sure if any of this makes sense, but apparently no one read over my last post. Yes, it may be hard, and yes we have those crappy times in our lives where we ask "Why God? Why me?", but it's going to happen. Everyone has their free agency, and some may keep the law and some may break the law, but God is not going to step in every time to make the people keep the law.

In my belief, Lucifer was the one that was going to FORCE everyone to believe, FORCE everyone to do what He wanted and FORCE everyone to return. God didn't want that, He knew that some of His children would not return to Him, and said as that may be God won't force us to do anything. He won't force us to believe in Him, He won't force us to keep His law and the laws of the land. Why? Free agency, but like I mentioned in my previous post, this free agency and choice, comes with the responsibility of accountablitiy. For every choice we make, their has to be a consequence, whether good or bad, whether in this life or in the next, their is accoutanbility for ALL choices.

We many not see the big picture right now, we may not understand why on earth all these things are happening, but we just need to have faith. I know many of you don't believe as I do, but this belief has defintley given me comfort in the hard times of my life.

I know I haven't had it as hard as many of you, and I praise you all for being such wonderful people and being able to go on with your lives after what has happened. Some of the things you have gone through, I don't know if I could have. To me respect and admire you that you have gone through such a ****ty life and stil are here, still are plowing through life, trying to do what's right.

 

[jeffrey]

I'll be home tomorrow on a pc instead of my phone to reply in more depth. And Ezz, Prove to me that Tom Sawyer wasn't real.

 

[Ori]

Jesus? Moses? Mohammed? Noah? Abraham? Aren't these people proof? I doubt you see them as such but I do, particularily because Mohammed came at a time where History can prove he was here, and he did some amazing things and confirmed all the other prophets, so I believe.

Ezzedean

I could think of a few underappreciated others, but thats not the point of this thread.

 

[EnhancedSpirit]

ES, wrong. I stated we try and protect our children. You say God lets us suffer. According to some beliefs of heaven, there is no suffering. No pain. Why there and not here? Is there nothing more to learn in heaven? Why do we need to go through it here, but not there?

If one of my children fell in with the wrong crowd and robbed a convenient store, I would not love my child any less if I let him sit in jail and 'suffer the consequences' of his actions.

Now what if I was in a position where one of my children caused great harm to the other, would I love the one who was victimized, and not love the one who caused harm? I'm talking about grown kids, adults. Now you have to realize that we are all God's children, so he has to deal with being proud of the 'good' ones as well as being heartbroken about the ones who stray. But never did God say he would interfere with our free will.

If we all remembered unconditional love, and did our part to create Heaven on Earth, the pain and suffering would cease.

 

[EnhancedSpirit]

ES, wrong. I stated we try and protect our children. You say God lets us suffer. According to some beliefs of heaven, there is no suffering. No pain. Why there and not here? Is there nothing more to learn in heaven? Why do we need to go through it here, but not there?

After posting I realized that I didn't really answer the question. Pain and suffering is a side effect of the material world. Our bodies go through a deterioration. Physical growth causes pain (remember the pains in your arms and legs when you were a child) And a wound itches and hurts as the body heals and repairs itself. Physical pain is like a 'check engine' light. It lets us know that something is wrong with the body. Emotional pain and suffering are indications that there is something wrong with the spirit.

In Heaven there is no body, there is no deterioration, there is no physical pain, because there is no physical body. There is no emotional pain, because there is only unconditional love.

 

[Evenstar]

In Heaven there is no body, there is no deterioration, there is no physical pain, because there is no physical body. There is no emotional pain, because there is only unconditional love.[/COLOR]

How do you know this you been there? Maybe had a post card from a person in Heaven?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

What is the purpose of life? Why are we here? Is it instinct to survive? What is happiness? Is that the only reason to want to live? What good does our individual life do? Some will make a difference, but most won't. People die every second, but does anybody really care, except for maybe 1 or 2 people that were close to that person, and that caring is selfish for their loss, not for who died.

To drink beer and make babies.

 

[Evenstar]

Rebecca, you may not realize, but that might be the life you chose for yourself.

Believing in re-incarnation, I believe that, at some stage, we have the ability to 'choose' the life we will have (almost as if you enroll for a University course), because you want to learn a specific subject.

Maybe your lesson in this lifetime was to endure sufferring............

There is a belief (to which I subscribe) that we can even 'arrange' to meet souls we have known for a long time during incarnations. You might well meet people in life with whom you feel a very strong 'bond' immediately.....that is an example (don't forget that you will, obviously change 'sex' during incarnations), so there is no reason why you couldn't meet a woman with whom you feel very close (for no apparent reason, the second you clap eyes on her).

In a way, the thought of this way of 'doing things' is a comforting one, if only because you know unless you 'mess up your life' you won't have to suffer all that at some time in the future. Pain is all around us; I am in no way belitelling yours, I am trying to let you see a possible reason why you have had to go through it, for your own eventual benefit.:hug:

Thats the one im looking for, well i feel much better now knowing that this here was all my fault I choose this path.

 

[Bishka]

How do you know this you been there? Maybe had a post card from a person in Heaven?

Like I said, many people are looking for pure physcial and tangiable evidence. We dont' have it, we have our faith and our beliefs.

Edit: How do you know what you believe is true?

 

[jeffrey]

Like I said, many people are looking for pure physcial and tangiable evidence. We dont' have it, we have our faith and our beliefs.

Edit: How do you know what you believe is true?

How do you know yours are true?

 

[Bishka]

How do you know yours are true?

How do I know mine are true? I think I answered this already, but I'll do it again, because maybe I didn't.

I know they are true for a variety of reasons.

1 ) Faith. I have faith that they are true.
2 ) Gut feeling. I don't know if this is any different then faith, but it's a feeling I have.
3 ) Experiences. I have experienced differnet things, I have tried different things and a variety of experiences and thing in my lifetime have led me to the conclusion that I know mine is true.

I have no physcial tangiable evidence to show you, I just know it is true. I did have doubts at one time, but they are gone now.

 

[jeffrey]

I'm glad they're gone for you. Faith does not make something true. There are hundreds of religions that all have the same faith that theirs is true. They all cannot be right. And if God was truely leading people to his religion, it would be very lopsided, which it is not.

 

[Quiddity]

To become God-like.

 

[Bishka]

I'm glad they're gone for you. Faith does not make something true. There are hundreds of religions that all have the same faith that theirs is true. They all cannot be right. And if God was truely leading people to his religion, it would be very lopsided, which it is not.

But parts of it can be right.

 

[Buttercup]

What is the purpose of life? Why are we here?

I have read through almost all of this thread and I'm sorry that so many bad things seem to have happened to you and Rebecca. Are you saying you no longer believe in the Christian God because of it?

My own thoughts on the purpose of life is to become more like Christ in our actions and thoughts, and to learn the meaning of compassion, hope, joy and dispair. Each of these things makes us grow however we learn the lesson. We might not like it but it is the experiences we are dealt to learn what we will from them..... and to help others I believe. I was in an abusive situation years ago and while I would not like to repeat it....I have more empathy for women who have gone through this and can help if needed.

Life is good. Far more wonderful events happen to us than bad. I am grateful for that.