This morning I finished the 11th day of our 42 day Bible Study and later today our small family group will get together to watch a video and then have a discussion of what we have been learning so far in our Bible Study. I've been a Christian for so long that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit has often become a "comfortable old shoe" to me (thanks @Michelle Anderson for that phrase) ...and I often just take my relationship with them for granted...or let them sit on the "back burner" of my life when things get hectic. Doing this Bible Study with my daughters and granddaughters has made me realize this. I agreed to do the study with my family but thought there wouldn't be much I would be learning that I didn't already know since I have known the Trinity of God for so long....but I was wrong. Not only am I learning new things but my spirit is being renewed with a passion to know and love God in all 3 persons even deeper than I ever have before. I love this Bible Study's simplicity in teaching how to renew and deepen my relationship with God my Father, Jesus my Savior, and the Holy Spirit, my guide and Counselor...which as a Christian is my my main purpose. It's so different and refreshing from many Studies I have done in the past. I know my purpose in this life is to know, love, and serve (with the gifts He has blessed me with) my heavenly Father. And so I pretty much thought there wouldn't be much new I could learn in these areas...but again I was wrong. I am learning there is still so much more than I knew before and with the new knowledge comes a fresh yearning to deepen these areas of my life with my Father. I have often let the fire burn down to embers but this study is helping me to throw more logs on those embers and get that fires blazing again. This spiritual growing time with my daughters and granddaughters has been a blessing for all of us too. As we deepen our love for God and our knowledge of Him...we are also receiving the blessing of deepening the love and knowledge of each other too. It's a beautiful thing and I'm really glad we're doing this together.
Yes, I'm bumping another old thread. This one needs further discussion. I think most of us has wondered about the meaning of life, or why we exist. Anyone who has sunk into depression has surely wondered, "is this all there is?" Very interesting, Ken. I no nothing about the Mennonites so this is goes in the "what I learned today" thread. I've known many Christians who believe that no matter what they do in life, as long as they believe they will be "saved." I find that paradoxical, but then many things about religion are a mystery to me.
Regarding your description of the Mennonite viewpoint, and the once saved-always saved, regardless of what they do in life, I am somewhere in between those two viewpoints. When I was a little girl, my mother told me that she would always love me, and that there was nothing that I could ever do in life that would stop her from loving me. Even so, I didn’t see this as a reason to be disobedient to our family rules, knowing that I would be forgiven and loved no matter what. Actually, it probably made me try even harder to please my parents and to show them how much I loved them, too. I see my relationship with God in about the same way. The Bible tells me that Jesus loves me, and i am sure that means that his love is as unconditional as my earthly parents’ love. So, I have always believed that , as part of God’s family, I would always be part of that family and I trust in his will for my life, and for Heaven. I don’t think that gives me license to just go out and live an ungodly life, and do anything I wanted to, even if it was against God’s teachings in the Bible. Rather, I think that it means that I need to show myself as a worthwhile member of God’s family, and do my best to follow the rules set forth in the Bible. The main requirement that I see is that we are to love God with all of our heart, and if we do that one thing, then doing our best to follow the rest of the requirements is what follows naturally. I am a long ways from being a perfect person, or Christian, but the Bible says that God looks at man’s heart, and when he looks at mine, he can see that I am doing my best, however fallible that might be.
Sounds reasonable... but why? What is the actual point of life? We're born, we struggle, we die, and hopefully enjoy part of the ride. I suppose people have been chasing this answer for centuries. I don't necessarily think this thread topic has to do with religion, though true believers will probably have a different view of why we exist than non-believers. (I realize Helene hasn't been to SOC in several years, but I'm responding to this post anyway.)
As a Christian, I have to believe that God has a purpose for us, which is not to say that I understand just what that is. If I were to believe that He created us in order to have fellowship with Him, then it seems that He'd want to spend more time hanging around with us and that our conversations with Him wouldn't have the appearance of being one-way, as everything we have from Him is more than a couple of thousand years old. I accept that He has a purpose for us, and I like to think that these plans function somewhat like a GPS. When we don't follow directions, the plans recalculate and a new plan is formulated, hopefully leading to the same ultimate destination. But I realize that this is just me trying to come up with something that makes sense to me. No, there is no reason why this thread would have to be religious in nature.
Richard, your question is a good one, but I'm amazed at some of the directionless views given here and can't imagine going through life without knowing the truth in this matter. While many will try at all costs to avoid religion, doing so is futile because religion is exactly what determines our belief system in where we come from, who we are, and what our purpose in life is. The question should be: which religion is right? Atheists who are consistent with their faith and logic must believe that there is no purpose to life, since Atheism holds that life originated by materialistic chance processes. With no supernatural creator, there's no rhyme or reason for our existence, no purpose in life to pursue, and certainly no soul or afterlife to ponder. This is a cold and sad position to take, but one that many hold onto. I see problems with this: First, it leaves the big questions in life unanswered, which most intelligent people would find unsettling. Second, it denies the overwhelming scientific evidence we see and have around us of our Creator. Third, it leads to a damning fate for one's eternal soul, and that outcome is tragic if it is in fact real. As someone who's studied Christian apologetics and other world religions for 24 years now, I will again declare that the historical, archaeological, scientific, prophetic, and textual criticism evidence for the Christian faith and it's Holy Bible scriptures validates it over all other religions. Once one studies this with an open heart and learns the truth, our purpose in life and eventual destiny becomes quite clear. God would not have created an entire universe and billions of human lives for no purpose. It's illogical to even consider that, just as it's illogical to think that the universe and life as we know it could defy all mathematical probabilities and known laws of science and pop into existence by itself. No, there's every reason to believe that the God of the Bible created the universe specifically for us, then created us - for a purpose which Jesus clearly stated in the Bible. We're here first and foremost to know and love God, and second, to love others. Many people hold to the second command, but miss the first. They reject what matters most in life.
Existence has two possibilities. One religious the other material, My existence falls to the material side. Once mentally & physically able to care for my needs like food & shelter, looking for female companionship came naturally. I feel profoundly lucky that I was born in America where capitalism makes the material side of existence possible. I don't post to offend anyone, I know this area is the dedicated to religion but since there are two possibilities, posting about what I feel works for me should be acceptable.
I don't feel that I exist for any particular purpose nor do I feel I need a purpose. I just live and exist as best I can.
We all appreciate your magnanimous, sweeping generalization that our comments are "directionless views, going through life without knowing the truth in this matter." I will submit that NO ONE knows "the truth." We can only know our own truth, which is shaped by our own experience. At any rate, this discussion is not so much about religion but more the meaning of life. Your explanation that we exist "to know and love God" doesn't work for me but I'm glad you feel you have the answers for yourself.
I believe that if God has a purpose for us, and I trust He has, that purpose is more for us than for Him. Otherwise, if it was something He needed done, I don't think He'd need us for it.
Bob, you certainly do not offend and as Ken stated above, this is not necessarily a religious discussion. Besides, this forum section is Faith and Religion, and since faith is defined as "complete trust or confidence in someone or something," secular discussion should not be excluded.