What's the meaning to everything? what's our purpose?

[lemondiesel]

I appologize ahead of time for grammar mistakes or too broad of statements. Also I must tell you that I believe the Bible is a history of humanity, but most importantly, the developement of consciousness.

I recently stop and looked in the mirror, which i never do, and thought “why the f*** am I here?” I had no choice whether or not I was born; I was just given some lemons and told to make lemonade. Recent events in my life have brought me into a state of depression I think (not looking for sympathy, but for the sake of my argument) and have brought up the questions, “does anyone really even care? Is there really someone looking down upon me?”

People who don’t stop and smell the roses take life for granted, because if we had prior knowledge coming into this world of being judge when we die, people would be a lot nicer. When it comes down to it, I think people are just scared deep within. We are all insecure about our fates, but it diminishes over time with age. We realize we can’t live forever, and we become more at peace with the thought of death. That has to be our nature though, because in the end we all have to find out for ourselves. In my opinion, the realization of the finite body played a huge impact on the development of the conscious. Adam and Eve were promised happiness for the rest of their life! God gave us Earth, with one rule, and we disobeyed not knowing any better. God sent Man into the World with no protection, making us defend ourselves. He leaves it up to us to find him again, because humans are individualistic, so some break rules.

And here we are, in 2011, still lost from the garden, left to choose which way we dedicate our lives. I think the only way to get back is to look at everything objectively. Humanity and Life in general, is an atom that makes up a grain of sand that is on a huge sandy beach. That doesn’t mean we aren’t special though, because significant and magnificent doesn’t have to be big.

If you were an alien looking down on Earth you wouldn’t see individualism, you would see cancer spots wiping out life. But what if our purpose is to use the resources Earth provides? My mind is divided on two statements. That there just happens to be a universe randomly in existence, and we are here out of that same randomness, and we have the ability to recognize that randomness. Or, a Creator set in place a plan of events for every moment as physical reality progresses through time, which ultimately creates a conscious and rational being called humans. We are left with a set of rules and the ones who follow them will be rewarded.

So I ask for the thoughts of catholicforums. I am unhappy with answers like Love, Compassion, and Faith. God gave us the gift of life, which is a sec compared to the overall timeline of the universe. L, C, and F are so broad, they need explanations. They are abused in today’s society and placed in wrong ideologies.

 

[josephback]

To know God and believe in His Son. All else is window dressing.

 

[Julian0404]

www.thereasonforourhope.com is the web site for Fr Larry Richards. Click on the link in his page to CD,DVD etc. and purchase the one with the title TRUTH, and in that you will hear Fr. Larry Richards, ask and answer the question you have asked.

 

[catholic1seeks]

Well isn’t that the question!

I think that the entire (Catholic) Christian faith answers that.
We were not made for anything finite. Your desire for fulfillment in fact points to the innate purpose of our lives: to be happy with God.

 

[JRKH]

I’m sorry that you don’t want answers like Love, compassion and faith because, According to The Son of the Most High God, Love IS the purpose for our being here.
Mt 22:36-40 clearly dfines Love as the basis for all law and prophets, and 1 John 4:8 tells us that God IS Love.

I do agree that Love is misused today. The world wishes to only see love in the eros sense rather than the higher agape sense. However this distortion by the world does not negate the Truth.
All things born of Love are good. They uplift, are constructive and build up and unite.
All things not morn of, or ordered to Love, are bad, they tear down, and destroy and divide.
In Christianity we speak so highly of the need for faith, and faith is important, but even the foremost proponent of faith, St Paul, places Love above all the other virtues. (1 Cor 13:13)

Yes we are put here to know God. But to know God is to Love (Agape).

Peace
James

 

[Brendan_McCabe]

**Short answer: **

God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.

Long Answer:

The end of a thing is the purpose for which it was made. The end of a watch is to keep time. The end of a pen is to write, etc. A thing is good only in proportion to the way it fulfills the end for which it was made. A watch may be very beautifully made, a very rare ornament, but if it will not keep time it is useless as a watch. The same may be said of the pen, or of anything else. Now for what purpose was man made? If we discover that, we know his end. When we look around us in the world, we see a purpose or end for everything. We see that the soil is made for the plants and trees to grow in; because if there was no need of things growing, it would be better to have a nice clean solid rock to walk upon, and then we would be spared the trouble of making roads, and paving streets. But things must grow, and so we must have soil. Again, the vegetables and plants are made for animals to feed upon; while the animals themselves are made for man, that they may help him in his work or serve him for food. Thus it is evident everything in the world was made to serve something else. What then was man made for? Was it for anything in the world? We see that all classes of beings are created for something higher than themselves. Thus plants are higher than soil, because they, have life and soil has not. Animals are higher than plants, because they not only have life, but they can feel and plants cannot. Man is higher than animals, because he not only has life and can feel, but he has also reason and intelligence, and can understand, while animals cannot. Therefore we must look for something higher than man himself, but there is nothing higher than man in this world, and so we must look beyond it to find that for which he was made. And looking beyond it and considering all things, we find that he was made for God-to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him both in this world and in the next. Again, we read in the Bible (Gen. 1) that at the creation of the world all things were made before man, and that he was created last. Therefore, if all these things could exist without man, we cannot say he was made for them. The world existed before him and can exist after him. The world goes along without any particular man, and the same may be said of all men. Neither was man made to stay here awhile to become rich, or learned, or powerful, because all do not become rich-some are very poor; all are not learned-some are very ignorant; all are not powerful-some are slaves. But since all men are alike and equal in this, that they have all bodies formed in the same way, and all souls that are immortal, they should all be made for the same end. For example, you could not make a pen like a watch if you want it to write. Although pens differ in size, shape, etc., they have all one general form which is essential to them. So, although men differ in many things, they are all alike in the essential thing, viz., that they are composed of body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of God. Hence, as pens are made only to write with, so all men must have only one and the same end, namely, to serve God.

 

[4Horsemen]

Man is a rational animal. That is Aristotle’s definition of a human being. Unfortunately, man does not always think rationally. He misuses his power of reason. One way to misuse reason is by not using it through laziness or foolishness. Another way is by becoming a slave to our desires. Also, man can misuse reason for the purpose of achieving evil ends. So he squanders his reasoning for the purpose of evil.

St. Thomas refers to “right reason with regard to making” in defining a work of art. Our selves are works of art as well. St. Thomas also speaks of morality as “right reason with regard to acting” or making a product. The product is virtuous people. That’s when we employ our reason correctly, when we guide our actions to the attainment of the greatest good. That good is our ultimate end – God Himself.

The French novelist, Leon Bloy, said that the only tragedy is not to become a saint. What lies at the heart of that tragedy? Man’s misuse of reason.

 

[john_aurelius]

There’s a wisdom book of the Bible called Ecclesiastes (or Qohelet) which seeks to find the answer “under the sun” that is in our world, what the reward is for all our labour and struggles.

In the end he can’t find anything and does what the above posts have done and explained mans end in the fear of the LORD. ie God is the reason and end to human existence and thus the answer will never be “under the sun”.

great book, especially for melancholics…:heaven:

 

[JDaniel]

I apologize ahead of time for grammar mistakes or too broad of statements. Also I must tell you that I believe the Bible is a history of humanity, but most importantly, the development of consciousness.

I recently stop and looked in the mirror, which i never do, and thought “why the f*** am I here?” I had no choice whether or not I was born; I was just given some lemons and told to make lemonade. Recent events in my life have brought me into a state of depression I think (not looking for sympathy, but for the sake of my argument) and have brought up the questions, “does anyone really even care? Is there really someone looking down upon me?”

LD:

What on earth are you talking about? You and I have spoken many times, in the not too distant past. It is a shame that we are limited by these keyboards and monitors! But, our conversations always made me think. Your questions, always tough ones. At times, I wanted to smack you around a bit. But, there was something disarming about your questions and your style. That’s when I knew that it would be far better if we could sit on a stoop, outside a school building, and just talk. You have made an impact on me.

People who don’t stop and smell the roses take life for granted, because if we had prior knowledge coming into this world of being judge when we die, people would be a lot nicer.

Grow a thicker skin. We’ve all had to do that. Do you think God commanded us to love each other as ourselves for nothing? Nevertheless, there will always be those who can persist in pinching just enough skin to make it hurt. That just makes the skin even thicker, though, doesn’t it?

When it comes down to it, I think people are just scared deep within. We are all insecure about our fates, but it diminishes over time with age.

Yep. No doubt.

We realize we can’t live forever, and we become more at peace with the thought of death. That has to be our nature though, because in the end we all have to find out for ourselves. In my opinion, the realization of the finite body played a huge impact on the development of the conscious. Adam and Eve were promised happiness for the rest of their life! God gave us Earth, with one rule, and we disobeyed not knowing any better. God sent Man into the World with no protection, making us defend ourselves. He leaves it up to us to find him again, because humans are individualistic, so some break rules.

One, lousy, stinkin’ rule; and, we couldn’t get it right. But, remember, Adam and Eve could not give God true filial love. The everyday love a parent gives a child and a child reciprocates. Thus, Jesus was absolutely necessary. He showed us how.

And here we are, in 2011, still lost from the garden, left to choose which way we dedicate our lives. I think the only way to get back is to look at everything objectively. Humanity and Life in general, is an atom that makes up a grain of sand that is on a huge sandy beach. That doesn’t mean we aren’t special though, because significant and magnificent doesn’t have to be big.

You got that right.

If you were an alien looking down on Earth you wouldn’t see individualism, you would see cancer spots wiping out life.

Actually, I think they’d see a blur of motion - helter-skelter.

But what if our purpose is to use the resources Earth provides?

And, if it was? Does not the Earth inexorably re-new? Certainly some animals and some plants have gone away. But, their matter was re-ordered.

My mind is divided on two statements. That there just happens to be a universe randomly in existence, and we are here out of that same randomness, and we have the ability to recognize that randomness.

Well, it can’t be ‘randomness’. “Randomness” means homogeneity. It means that there is an astounding order. Rather, I think you mean pure chance. But ‘chance’ puts all of this into the realm of the implausible, which is far worse than the impossible.

Or, a Creator set in place a plan of events for every moment as physical reality progresses through time, which ultimately creates a conscious and rational being called humans. We are left with a set of rules and the ones who follow them will be rewarded.

Really: the Creator left us us one rule (all of the others inexorably follow from it). That rule is to love your neighbor (friends, spouse, mom, dad, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, nephews, girl friends, those who hate us, those who mistreat us, those who disregard us) as you love yourself. He makes it (Y)OUR responsibility to love. Sometimes that means you have to step away. Every single one of us has had to “step away” sometimes. But, that’s not the negative thing it is perceived to be. It is a positive. It is the granting of “to be” to another being.

Steven Wright has a joke that goes like this: He dials a phone number. A lady answers. He asks, “Is Johnny there?” She answers, “Yes. He is.” He asks, “May I speak to him, please?” She answers, “No. Johnny’s only a month old!” He answers, “That’s OK. I’ll wait.”
What I am suggesting, in my last paragraph, is the antithesis of this.

So I ask for the thoughts of catholicforums. I am unhappy with answers like Love, Compassion, and Faith. God gave us the gift of life, which is a sec compared to the overall timeline of the universe. L, C, and F are so broad, they need explanations. They are abused in today’s society and placed in wrong ideologies.

One key thing: God doesn’t say that you or I should be loved. Instead, He says we are to love. That is what makes all the difference.

God bless,
jd

 

[Little_One0307]

Morning all,

I am surprised that this did not come up, so I submit it.

Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 1

God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man TO MAKE HIM SHARE IN HIS OWN BLESSED LIFE. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to knowhim, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heir of his blessed life.

In short Union with God.

God Bless.

 

[tonyrey]

I apologize ahead of time for grammar mistakes or too broad of statements. Also I must tell you that I believe the Bible is a history of humanity, but most importantly, the development of consciousness.

I had no choice whether or not I was born; I was just given some lemons and told to make lemonade. Recent events in my life have brought me into a state of depression I think (not looking for sympathy, but for the sake of my argument) and have brought up the questions, “does anyone really even care? Is there really someone looking down upon me?”

God gave us Earth, with one rule, and we disobeyed not knowing any better. God sent Man into the World with no protection, making us defend ourselves. He leaves it up to us to find him again, because humans are individualistic, so some break rules.

And here we are, in 2011, still lost from the garden, left to choose which way we dedicate our lives. I think the only way to get back is to look at everything objectively. Humanity and Life in general, is an atom that makes up a grain of sand that is on a huge sandy beach. That doesn’t mean we aren’t special though, because significant and magnificent doesn’t have to be big.

… My mind is divided on two statements. That there just happens to be a universe randomly in existence, and we are here out of that same randomness, and we have the ability to recognize that randomness. Or, a Creator set in place a plan of events for every moment as physical reality progresses through time, which ultimately creates a conscious and rational being called humans. We are left with a set of rules and the ones who follow them will be rewarded.

I am unhappy with answers like Love, Compassion, and Faith. God gave us the gift of life, which is a sec compared to the overall timeline of the universe. L, C, and F are so broad, they need explanations. They are abused in today’s society and placed in wrong ideologies.

Welcome back, ld!

You are right! That is already one point in your favour. Many atheists deny that we have only two choices: God or no God - or they think it is simplistic, but it isn’t as you realise full well.

The gift of life seems to be a spark in the dark. So what? Significance doesn’t depend on size or longevity. John Keats died when he was 25 and he produced poetry that has inspired people ever since with its truth and beauty. I know him very well because I spent a year of my life writing a play about him…

His life and death and love for Fanny Brawne are themselves evidence for his belief that this life is “a vale of soul-making”. A belief that was almost destroyed by his “best” friend Charles Brown, an atheist who avoided going with him when he was gravely ill with consumption. Who accompanied him? Another friend, Joseph Severn, a Christian who lived with him, looked after him and consoled him regardless of the risks when he was coughing up blood and tissue. After he died the doctors couldn’t understand how he had lived for so long with so little of his lungs… (He might like that alliteration!)

You too have suffered. That is another one point in your favour. It helps you to see things in perspective. You don’t want answers with L, C, and F so I leave you one with B and T. You can reject B as subjective but if you reject T it amounts to cutting your intellectual throat! That is the meaning of Keats’s life and ours:

Ode on a Grecian Urn

THOU still unravish’d bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?**

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard **
Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear’d,
Pipe** to the spirit** ditties of no tone:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal—yet, do not grieve;
She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearièd,
For ever piping songs for ever new;
More happy love! more happy, happy love!
For ever warm and still to be enjoy’d,
For ever panting, and for ever young;
All breathing human passion far above,
That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy’d,
A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.

Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead’st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
What little town by river or sea-shore,
Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
Is emptied of its folk, this pious morn? *
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
Will silent be; and not a soul, to tell
Why thou art desolate, can e’er return;

O Attic shape! fair attitude! with brede
Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
Thou, silent form! dost tease us out of thought **
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!**
When old age shall this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,
’Beauty is truth, truth beauty,— that is all **
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.’

*** Keats died in Rome and that may refer to Pompei

 

[lemondiesel]

What on earth are you talking about?

I just think it’s crazy that there are billions of “first perspectives” out there, and I’m so confined to mine. I couldn’t even imagine being a starving kid in Africa, and not eating for days. My god, I have the luxury of driving down the street to a fast food restaurant and ordering premade food. There’s people that wonder if they are going to survive when they go out for the day, while I worry about am I dressed okay?

Actually, I think they’d see a blur of motion - helter-skelter.

They would slowly watch as mold eats away at the bread.

 

[fhansen]

We are left with a set of rules and the ones who follow them will be rewarded.

The rules are only a teacher-teaching us that we all break the rules. The reason for our breaking the rules is the important part. We break the rules because we’re separated and mistrustful of the only thing that can keep us in control, can keep us from breaking the rules-which is God, Himself. And this is why there’s so much talk about things like Faith in, Hope in, and Love for God. Because those are the very things man is born without. And those are the very things that constitute the right order of things-they are mans justice. Because, by having them, man achieves his integrity and along with it eternal life, and not only eternal life, but eternal happiness, which was Gods intention for us all along.

 

[Carlan]

I appologize ahead of time for grammar mistakes or too broad of statements. Also I must tell you that I believe the Bible is a history of humanity, but most importantly, the developement of consciousness.

I recently stop and looked in the mirror, which i never do, and thought “why the f*** am I here?” I had no choice whether or not I was born; I was just given some lemons and told to make lemonade. Recent events in my life have brought me into a state of depression I think (not looking for sympathy, but for the sake of my argument) and have brought up the questions, “does anyone really even care? Is there really someone looking down upon me?”

People who don’t stop and smell the roses take life for granted, because if we had prior knowledge coming into this world of being judge when we die, people would be a lot nicer. When it comes down to it, I think people are just scared deep within. We are all insecure about our fates, but it diminishes over time with age. We realize we can’t live forever, and we become more at peace with the thought of death. That has to be our nature though, because in the end we all have to find out for ourselves. In my opinion, the realization of the finite body played a huge impact on the development of the conscious. Adam and Eve were promised happiness for the rest of their life! God gave us Earth, with one rule, and we disobeyed not knowing any better. God sent Man into the World with no protection, making us defend ourselves. He leaves it up to us to find him again, because humans are individualistic, so some break rules.

And here we are, in 2011, still lost from the garden, left to choose which way we dedicate our lives. I think the only way to get back is to look at everything objectively. Humanity and Life in general, is an atom that makes up a grain of sand that is on a huge sandy beach. That doesn’t mean we aren’t special though, because significant and magnificent doesn’t have to be big.

If you were an alien looking down on Earth you wouldn’t see individualism, you would see cancer spots wiping out life. But what if our purpose is to use the resources Earth provides? My mind is divided on two statements. That there just happens to be a universe randomly in existence, and we are here out of that same randomness, and we have the ability to recognize that randomness. Or, a Creator set in place a plan of events for every moment as physical reality progresses through time, which ultimately creates a conscious and rational being called humans. We are left with a set of rules and the ones who follow them will be rewarded.

So I ask for the thoughts of catholicforums. I am unhappy with answers like Love, Compassion, and Faith. God gave us the gift of life, which is a sec compared to the overall timeline of the universe. L, C, and F are so broad, they need explanations. They are abused in today’s society and placed in wrong ideologies.

We will all catch up with it sooner or later,Lemondiesil…not to worry, and yes , you just have to keep in mind what the old Baltimore Catechism taught…we are here to know ,love, and serve our God now so as to be happy with Him forever more after this vail of tears is over.Can’t hope for and receive any better than that. Peace, Carlan

 

[lemondiesel]

You are right! That is already one point in your favour. Many atheists deny that we have only two choices: God or no God - or they think it is simplistic, but it isn’t as you realise full well.

Is that incredible though? That everything reduced by explanation utterly leads to God…to the very core. It seems to me more though that God exists no matter what, He could never not exist for his very definition is to exist. A ‘personal, loving, merciful’ God that is commonly believed, seems too much cry for help from human. Its crazy though that the human body mirrors the universe. In a way it has its own consciousness, because in the beginning everything was chaos, but eventual obtained its own pattern. It matured…

So then tonyrey, I ask you to help me. I am stuck on whether “I” exist out of complete randomness, so why should i not go take advantage of life. Or “I” am here to express love and share it with others. You can’t rip people off if you have compasion, it just won’t let you.

It all boils down to whether He exists or not.

I heard a quote the other day, can’t remember who by, “we are stuck in history.” How right. I think our purpose is to just live, because everything constantly keeps advancing through time, so we are just one section. God’s already in the future, so he knows how everything will turn out. What if our Minds are only a section as well? Like maybe we aren’t rational enough yet to truly understand God but we get closer and closer to hopefully pass on to the next generation.

Life is crazy guys:coffeeread:

 

[lemondiesel]

The rules are only a teacher-teaching us that we all break the rules. The reason for our breaking the rules is the important part. We break the rules because we’re separated and mistrustful of the only thing that can keep us in control, can keep us from breaking the rules-which is God, Himself. And this is why there’s so much talk about things like Faith in, Hope in, and Love for God. Because those are the very things man is born without. And those are the very things that constitute the right order of things-they are mans justice. Because, by having them, man achieves his integrity and along with it eternal life, and not only eternal life, but eternal happiness, which was Gods intention for us all along.

Okay, but God’s moral rules seem like really old intellegent people of their day, realized good morals were the only proper way to live to maintain civil peace.