What is the purpose in life?

Serenity595 said:
Christianity is an exception because the Jews were told a prophecy by God that He would send His Son.

Time isn't the only relevance, of course.

Your last sentence was unnecessary.

I know it is the only truth because I believe it is the only truth. There can only be one truth. And truth doesn't change. God doesn't change. Religions change. Christianity isn't a religion. It's a relationship with the God of the universe.

One thing that separates Christianity from every single other religion (that I am aware of) is this: in all the other religions, it's about glorifying man, and how man can redeem himself by his own efforts. In Christianity, it's about glorifying God, and how man is completely and utterly helpless without God's unending mercy.
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Something can't be defined as truth by a belief. That is what drives me nuts. If I believe that Unicorns were the creator of man and that is the only truth, does it make it true? For every christian believing that their belief is truth, there is someone of a different religion thinking the exact same way of their beliefs. Are christian's any more entitled to the truth? You certainly make them out to be that way.

One thing that separates Pastafarianism from all other religions is that they believe in a flying spaghetti monster. What does their uniqueness have anything to do with the truth about whether a god exists or not?
 
Truth transcends opinions. It is not subjective.

Everyone is entitled to learn the Truth.

I didn't say they were related. I just wanted you to know something interesting about Christianity.
 
Stratadon said:
Something can't be defined as truth by a belief. That is what drives me nuts. If I believe that Unicorns were the creator of man and that is the only truth, does it make it true? For every christian believing that their belief is truth, there is someone of a different religion thinking the exact same way of their beliefs. Are christian's any more entitled to the truth? You certainly make them out to be that way.

One thing that separates Pastafarianism from all other religions is that they believe in a flying spaghetti monster. What does their uniqueness have anything to do with the truth about whether a god exists or not?
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Do you believe there is an ultimate truth that is not subjective?
 
Serenity595 said:
Do you believe there is an ultimate truth that is not subjective?
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No I do not. As I said in previous posts before we got into the religious banter, there is meaning in life but it does not have to do with any higher power or truth.

It has to do with forming relationships with other people. Having meaningful contact with peers, rather than sitting in solitude in your room playing video games. There is nothing more meaningful than spending time with the people you know and love. You can go and find my first post in this thread which has it all explained out.
 
Admiral360 said:
The problem though is that some Roman Catholics believe in good works will get you to heaven. Which contradicts the Bible.
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Serenity595 said:
Yes, and this is unfortunate. :(
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Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hold the fuckin' phone!

I'm a Roman Catholic, and I find this unsettling.
Not because you believe that good works don't redeem yourself, but because you think that's bad.
That's quite pretentious of you too, and I'm seriously shocked.
 
Vorsprung said:
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Hold the fuckin' phone!

I'm a Roman Catholic, and I find this unsettling.
Not because you believe that good works don't redeem yourself, but because you think that's bad.
That's quite pretentious of you too, and I'm seriously shocked.
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finally someone else has caught on.
 
Direct experience flows closest to Truth, words imperfect to ferry us there.

Life/Death: dual aspects of one purpose, a perfect pattern reflected in chaos.

Perspectives steered by the river of Time; One seen as many, many as One.

Ends and beginnings ~ lines drawn in wet sand awaiting the tide.
 
TZM said:
Direct experience flows closest to Truth, words imperfect to ferry us there.

Life/Death: dual aspects of one purpose, a perfect pattern reflected in chaos.

Perspectives steered by the river of Time; One seen as many, many as One.

Ends and beginnings ~ lines drawn in wet sand awaiting the tide.
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lolwut.jpg
 
Looks like things are getting heated here. This might be due to some misunderstandings we have of one another.

If I may interject here, I want to shed some light on how people similar to my line of thinking rationalize things. This would be approximately the worldview of people trained in the scientific method. I notice from time to time in this thread that people of, for lack of a better term, devotion quote the Bible for evidence to their claims. I assume that they do this because of their fundamental belief in the infallibility of their scriptures. The thing I want to stress is that for those of us who think more scientifically, fallibility must be accounted for in every circumstance, be it in measurement or claim of theory. This is not simply a matter of choice, but rather the result of our own understanding of our limitations as creatures prone to error.

In effect, we view the Bible (and by extension all religious scriptures) as a set of theories. As such, we take into account evidence that supports it, and evidence that refutes it. But be careful, just because a theory has more or less evidence supporting or refuting it does not mean that the theory is all right or all wrong. Rather, it just makes the theory more or less probable that it has anything to do with "Truth" (to put in Serenity's terms). The great thing about this line of thinking is that there is always room for more evidence. When more evidence does come in, the probabilities shift. They continue to do so as more and more evidence keeps pouring in.

I say all this so that those of us of faith can better understand the, shall we say, less devoted of us.

Oh, and Serenity, I know you're going to ask me this question, so I'll just answer it now. :p
I prefer the term "universal constants" as opposed to "truth," and yes I believe they exist.

TL;DR
The overall message I'm trying to convey is to try to think about your words from your listener's point of view. Would your listeners think your argument makes sense?
 
Serenity595 said:
Christianity is an exception because the Jews were told a prophecy by God that He would send His Son.
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Never consider your faith the exception; or if you do, never state it in a debate. Instant public face loss.
Serenity595 said:
I know it is the only truth because I believe it is the only truth. There can only be one truth. And truth doesn't change. God doesn't change. Religions change. Christianity isn't a religion. It's a relationship with the God of the universe.
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You know because you believe? And if I stated that I believed the Earth is flat, gravity doesn't actually exist, and that slugs are more intelligent than humans?

Aside from that. Christianity is as much a religion as the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or the Cult of Google or the Order of Ozy (btw, the first two are officially recognized religions in Canada and the US).

Serenity595 said:
One thing that separates Christianity from every single other religion (that I am aware of) is this: in all the other religions, it's about glorifying man, and how man can redeem himself by his own efforts. In Christianity, it's about glorifying God, and how man is completely and utterly helpless without God's unending mercy.
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Islam? Judaism? Religio Romana? Hellenism? Bahai? Druze? Ayyavazhiva? Bhakti? Even Wicca teaches much of how we are tiny specks at the mercy of the universe. Do I really need to go on, or have I sufficiently demonstrated your (honestly quite impressive) lack of knowledge of the other faiths in the world?

I will reply to you regarding my walk one last time. You have just taken on the position of a "pushy Christian" in my mind, and I believe any further conversation on my part will lack the necessary restraint for me to keep with my Christian values. I have thought long and hard about 'straying from the path' as I'm sure you would call it. I have done this as a responsible, mature adult; long educated in Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Ukranian Orthodox faiths. This was not a simple rebellious choice I made as a wayward teenager; I have felt no stirring of the Spirit to tell me I have chosen wrong; whereas many a time when more strictly following the faith I felt many such doubts.

Your attempts at acting like the bigger and more knowledgeable person are, to be frank, extremely destructive to your own cause and make you seem like a particularly pretentious Bible-thumper. As such, I shall be ignoring your comments about my walk with God from this point forward, just as I would any other person who tried to quote a Book - that I have studied for years, mind you - to "bring me back to the fold."

I fully respect your opinion of the Bible, and while I disagree, should you choose to ignore everything I say in this post, I will consider it your decision to make and not push further. However, I will expect you to do the same.

The reason I don't believe much of the Bible has merit in today's society (or, in fact, at all)? For those of you actually interested, read on. If you are not interested in this, or are not firm in your walk with God, please, skip over this. I do not wish to cause 'young' Christians to falter in their faith; if you are a new believer I in fact suggest following the Scriptures as closely as you can until you and your shepherd (pastor, priest, etc) feel you are ready to begin trying to answer the tough questions.

To open this, I'd like to point out that this is only a very small portion of my full argument on this topic, I in fact have a 3 hour long speech that I have used on several occasions that quotes hundreds of passages in much more detail. I have not used any of it here, at least not directly. If anyone reading this would like more information, I would suggest spending a great deal of time studying the Scriptures; it will give you a firmer stance on your own faith. Now, on to the 'fun' stuff:

Thou shalt not kill.
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And yet, in several other places in the Scriptures it expressly states that the punishment for many different sins is to kill the offending person. If that much doesn't make you reconsider your belief that the Bible is perfect, I will ask you, have you read this open letter to Dr. Laura Schlessinger?

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them:

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
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For easy reference, here are the passages referenced; as written in the KJV Bible (generally regarded as the most accurate English translation).
Lev 18:22
Lev 1:9
Exo 21:7
Lev 15:19-24
Lev 25:44
Exo 35:2
Lev 11:10
Lev 21:20
Lev 19:27
Lev 11:6-8
Lev 19:19
Lev 24:10-16
Lev 20:14

Once again. I did not make this decision lightly, and I am fully confident that my decision allows me to commune more closely with Father. I am a happier person and a better witness because of my chosen path; I will not be returning to any of my previous paths in the future, and it is useless to try and convince me otherwise.

/debate, and may His Light guide your path now and forever.
 
To master Stratadon, I give you this gift of knowledge and understanding! Treat it well!
The Diamond Porkchop!
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Stratadon said:
Well now that we know 3vans has nothing substantive to add to the discussion, lets continue and disregard his trolling.
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Nah, the purpose in life is to make people happy. You know you've had a good life if people miss you when you leave them.
 
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