Are we here for a purpose, or are we just here? Well that's a question man has been asking himself since the dawn of time. I've always felt that we are here to accomplish something. I think it would have to be that way if you believe in God. God wouldn't create anything that didn't have a purpose. I've always felt like it was my job to do whatever that purpose is, whether I know what it is or not. I've never been certain that I could even have that knowledge. Seems a bit arrogant to know the mind of God. Of course I have heard of those that say God has spoken directly to them and they listened. That is not within my experience. I just go forth on faith. That is what I taught in the church I attended. You didn't demand proof, you didn't hear voices, or speak in tongues, none of that stuff. No, I was taught that faith was the key and obedience opened the gate. Your experience may be different. I can not say one teaching is better than another. Not when it comes to God and belief in that God.
But what if we are here without an assigned purpose? It is possible that we born completely by accident, that God doesn't intervene in that process. He just designed the mechanism that makes it all possible and leaves it to nature after that. That is the position of the deist. Thomas Aquinas was possibly the first to propose such. The beliefs of Deism are as varied as the Deist themselves. I can understand their position and even agree with some of what they propose. But, I can't dismiss the idea that God can and will intervene in the affairs of men when required. Of course that requires the belief that God has an ultimate plan for man. That goes back to the original thought, to what purpose? Yes, we tend to think of that on a personal level, what is my purpose, but what is the purpose of man as a whole? What is the function of humanity?
If man has no ultimate purpose, no ultimate accomplishment to achieve, there would be no reason for intervention simply because it wouldn't matter. So, setting aside any personal purpose or expectation, why would God create man? Would it be solely to worship him? That would surely make God the ultimate narcissist. It could be argued however that isn't so because God is deserving of all the praise and respect we can give. Can something that is right, be wrong? We all know the commandment, thou shall have no other gods before me. What is that saying? Is it implying there are other gods? No, I don't think that is what it means at all. I believe it means that you should obey what is right ( God ) before anything else. Wasn't that the purpose of the ten commandments? They are the laws of right and wrong. If we follow them, eternal happiness will be the result. All that is left for us to decide is, how long is eternity? That is to say, does eternity end, for us, when we die? The deists are concerned with that question and they all have different opinions on that.
As for me I believe that is shaped by what we want, not necessarily by what is. What do you want to believe? It has been my observation when our beliefs interfere with our wants, it is usually the belief that gets changed. The only way to control that is by controlling your wants. Sometimes called altruism, the concern is for what is right, not what you want. But everything we want is not necessarily wrong. How are we to differentiate between the two? The difference lies not in the want, but in the means it is obtained or satisfied. That alone is the guiding principle. That's why we say it has to be done in the right way.
So then that leaves this. We believe what we want to believe. Does that change what is? The big question is, do we know what is? Not just our purpose, but the purpose of man? The Bible tells us it is to glorify God. to spread his word, and in return we get to go to heaven. If we fail to do that we go to hell. Seems rather cut and dried to me. The older I get the more I tend to believe that there is a heaven. As to the concept of hell I'm not so sure, I find it hard to believe that a loving God, a benevolent God would condemn you for an eternity. My thinking being, God wouldn't make something for no reason, no purpose, just because he is God. As to whether what I do will make a difference in the big scheme of things I am not prepared to say. Seems a bit arrogant to believe I would but then again the smallest cog can stop the largest machine. I do tend to believe the designer of all this planned for that as well, there is a backup.
Now none of this is meant as any great thought, no philosophy of life, and I offer no answers. These are just the things I find myself thinking about. I find it happens more often these days than it used to. I am responding to the universe! I find it is beneficial to think about these things, talk about them and share those thoughts with others. If we say the same things long enough we will believe them whether they are the truth or not. For that reason we should speak our doubts. It is my feeling it is just as important to speak your doubts as it is to speak your truths. My biggest hope is one day I will have the answer. Thing is only one being has that answer. First I have to believe that I will get to ask that being the question. Did I have a purpose?
But what if we are here without an assigned purpose? It is possible that we born completely by accident, that God doesn't intervene in that process. He just designed the mechanism that makes it all possible and leaves it to nature after that. That is the position of the deist. Thomas Aquinas was possibly the first to propose such. The beliefs of Deism are as varied as the Deist themselves. I can understand their position and even agree with some of what they propose. But, I can't dismiss the idea that God can and will intervene in the affairs of men when required. Of course that requires the belief that God has an ultimate plan for man. That goes back to the original thought, to what purpose? Yes, we tend to think of that on a personal level, what is my purpose, but what is the purpose of man as a whole? What is the function of humanity?
If man has no ultimate purpose, no ultimate accomplishment to achieve, there would be no reason for intervention simply because it wouldn't matter. So, setting aside any personal purpose or expectation, why would God create man? Would it be solely to worship him? That would surely make God the ultimate narcissist. It could be argued however that isn't so because God is deserving of all the praise and respect we can give. Can something that is right, be wrong? We all know the commandment, thou shall have no other gods before me. What is that saying? Is it implying there are other gods? No, I don't think that is what it means at all. I believe it means that you should obey what is right ( God ) before anything else. Wasn't that the purpose of the ten commandments? They are the laws of right and wrong. If we follow them, eternal happiness will be the result. All that is left for us to decide is, how long is eternity? That is to say, does eternity end, for us, when we die? The deists are concerned with that question and they all have different opinions on that.
As for me I believe that is shaped by what we want, not necessarily by what is. What do you want to believe? It has been my observation when our beliefs interfere with our wants, it is usually the belief that gets changed. The only way to control that is by controlling your wants. Sometimes called altruism, the concern is for what is right, not what you want. But everything we want is not necessarily wrong. How are we to differentiate between the two? The difference lies not in the want, but in the means it is obtained or satisfied. That alone is the guiding principle. That's why we say it has to be done in the right way.
So then that leaves this. We believe what we want to believe. Does that change what is? The big question is, do we know what is? Not just our purpose, but the purpose of man? The Bible tells us it is to glorify God. to spread his word, and in return we get to go to heaven. If we fail to do that we go to hell. Seems rather cut and dried to me. The older I get the more I tend to believe that there is a heaven. As to the concept of hell I'm not so sure, I find it hard to believe that a loving God, a benevolent God would condemn you for an eternity. My thinking being, God wouldn't make something for no reason, no purpose, just because he is God. As to whether what I do will make a difference in the big scheme of things I am not prepared to say. Seems a bit arrogant to believe I would but then again the smallest cog can stop the largest machine. I do tend to believe the designer of all this planned for that as well, there is a backup.
Now none of this is meant as any great thought, no philosophy of life, and I offer no answers. These are just the things I find myself thinking about. I find it happens more often these days than it used to. I am responding to the universe! I find it is beneficial to think about these things, talk about them and share those thoughts with others. If we say the same things long enough we will believe them whether they are the truth or not. For that reason we should speak our doubts. It is my feeling it is just as important to speak your doubts as it is to speak your truths. My biggest hope is one day I will have the answer. Thing is only one being has that answer. First I have to believe that I will get to ask that being the question. Did I have a purpose?
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