God's own purpose

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What is God’s purpose? Not his purpose for us, but his own reason for being. When God asks himself “Why am I here?” what is his answer?
 
If God exists out of time “am” wouldn’t be asked. If God was the prime mover, “why” makes no sense to ask. He was, is and always will be. It’s the universe that was created from nothing.
 
TheTrueCentrist said:
What is God’s purpose? Not his purpose for us, but his own reason for being. When God asks himself “Why am I here?” what is his answer?
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The raison de etre is what explains a thing’s being. In God’s case, it is His perfection. He is all-perfect, which is why He is.
 
TheTrueCentrist said:
What is God’s purpose? Not his purpose for us, but his own reason for being. When God asks himself “Why am I here?” what is his answer?
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God’s has no reason to ask that question because by asking that question he would ask for what caused him to be there thus he would have been created and he would not be God. In our way of thinking God does not have a purpose he is purpose.
 
TheTrueCentrist said:
So God needed to create the earth in order to fulfill his purpose? What happens when the earth ends?
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Hopefully He will have perfected us, with our cooperation of course, and we’ll all enjoy heaven thereafter.

I know this conversation could go on forever. 🙂 And this Internet café is closing shortly.

2 Cor 1313
Eddy Barry
 
InJesusItrust said:
If God exists out of time “am” wouldn’t be asked. If God was the prime mover, “why” makes no sense to ask. He was, is and always will be. It’s the universe that was created from nothing.
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Exodus 3:14 (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition)
God said to Moses: I AM WHO AM. He said: Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: HE WHO IS, hath sent me to you.
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I am not asking “Why did God make the earth?” I am asking: what is God’s own purpose? You seem to be claiming that God has no purpose of his own.
 
Steady_Eddy said:
Hopefully He will have perfected us, with our cooperation of course, and we’ll all enjoy heaven thereafter.

I know this conversation could go on forever. 🙂 And this Internet café is closing shortly.

2 Cor 1313
Eddy Barry
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But does God run out of purpose at that point? After all, there is no more earth for him to fill with his glory.

However, it will likely be claimed that God is outside of time and therefore the earth is always present to him. Indeed, does that not mean that the earth is necessary for God to have made? If he failed to create the earth, he would be utterly without purpose.
 
In one sense God creates His own purpose, not that He needs one.

2 Cor 13:13
Eddy Barry
 
Cristiano said:
God’s has no reason to ask that question because by asking that question he would ask for what caused him to be there thus he would have been created and he would not be God. In our way of thinking God does not have a purpose he is purpose.
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People ask themselves “why am I here?” “what is my purpose?” “does my life have meaning?” Catholicism tells them that they are here because God created us and that our purpose and meaning in life is to love and serve God. In that sense, God is our purpose. However, shrewd people may ask: “What is God’s purpose?” If God himself has no purpose, then our service to God will ultimately be without purpose. We may live our lives trying to fulfill God’s plan for us, but if God ultimately has no purpose, then his plan is equally devoid of meaning and purpose.
 
Steady_Eddy said:
In one sense God creates His own purpose, not that He needs one.

2 Cor 13:13
Eddy Barry
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What attributes of God allow him to create his own purpose? Is it possible for things that are not God to also create their own purpose?
 
What is God’s purpose for being? Himself! He has no other purpose but Himself. In other words, He is the sufficient reason why He is, for if He is not what He is, then He will not have any reason to be.

God is above our understanding, so it is not easy to conceive how He is Himself the reason for His being. In a sense it is true to say that He has a reason, but He has a reason that our reason does not fully know (or understand).
 
TheTrueCentrist said:
What attributes of God allow him to create his own purpose? Is it possible for things that are not God to also create their own purpose?
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God doesn’t have to be allowed

His plan is love and His purpose therefore is love. I’m single myself, but I can imagine why a man and woman get together (marry) i.e. they want to create a family, and to love and nourish that family. We are made in the image and likeness of God, His children (spiritually) and as our physical bodies are ageing and wearing out our spiritual natures should be developing. Nobody has all the answers yet, and that’s where faith kicks in. Even the great St Paul didn’t have all the answers.

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known”

2 Cor 13:13
Eddy Barry
 
TheTrueCentrist said:
People ask themselves “why am I here?” “what is my purpose?” “does my life have meaning?” Catholicism tells them that they are here because God created us and that our purpose and meaning in life is to love and serve God. In that sense, God is our purpose. However, shrewd people may ask: “What is God’s purpose?” If God himself has no purpose, then our service to God will ultimately be without purpose. We may live our lives trying to fulfill God’s plan for us, but if God ultimately has no purpose, then his plan is equally devoid of meaning and purpose.
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How can you say that? God is not my purpose, relating to him is my purpose. My purpose is clear and it is not subordinate to God having a purpose. I do not see the case for such a subordination, the way you present the subordination seem to imply that God must be subject to a cause and I think that such path brings up to square one.
 
The question itself (while brilliant, and I applaud you for it) is flawed.

Our language is based on the world we live in. If God has an XXXXXXXX, I assume there would be no words we could use to explain or picture what it is refering to.

I use the “XXXXXXXX” denotation because “purpose” itself is flawed when speaking about God. “purpose” is a function of sequentiality. That one there is a “before” and an “after”, and that the purpose serves to take a given “before” into a desired “after.”
God exists outside linear time, ergo the whole concept of sequentiality ceases to apply.
The other explanation, if you prefer, is that God did it because He was commanded to. God is just one of many Gods, all of whom have created their own completely independant universes. All these gods were created by one godgod, with the purpose of obeying godgod, who ordered them to create universes. The godgod is just one of many godgods that were all created by a godgodgod, who ordered all the godgods he created to make a bunch of gods…

This is the inverse of the “turtles all the way down” argument that it’s gods all the way up.
I don’t actually agree with it, but if you just want a purpose, it is technically a purpose.
 
TheTrueCentrist said:
What is God’s purpose? Not his purpose for us, but his own reason for being. When God asks himself “Why am I here?” what is his answer?
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Excellent question, my friend! I look forward to discussion with you.

What is God’s purpose? The same as ours: to fulfill wants. The purpose of fulfilling wants is to gain greater levels of happiness. However, since He eternally exists in a state of perfect happiness with unbreakable peace, the only level of happiness that surpasses perfect happiness is limitless happiness with unbreakable peace.

When He asks himself “Why am I here?” His response is: I am here because in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with me, and the Word was me. The following are two of the reasons I have come recognize this as His response to the question:
  1. Given a slight wording interpretation, this is the Wisdom of anything that comes into existence: Prior to something existing, in the beginning were rules, and the rules acted with a single source, and the rules were the single source for a following creation.
    Consider the example of yourself: Prior to you existing as a full human, there were rules (such as a woman, who had a single egg which would become you, and a man, who would mate with the woman), the rules acted with you as an egg, and you were one with rules for following creations.
  2. To recognize how this displays God’s Purpose, consider the interpretation: In the beginning was Love, where love is being and spreading the means to being perfectly patient and kind and motivated with all the body, spirit, thoughts, and will equally towards others and the self, God understood Love, God was Love.
Thoughts?
 
What’s your purpose in asking this very interesting question, and do you have an answer yourself? 🙂

2 Cor 13:13
Eddy Barry
 
Steady_Eddy said:
What’s your purpose in asking this very interesting question, and do you have an answer yourself? 🙂

2 Cor 13:13
Eddy Barry
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It seemed like an interesting question to which I did not have a ready answer.
 
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