The Meaning Of Life

[BobTheJanitor]

lets keep the religious chat to a minimum. not that there is anything wrong with what you said, i just don't want to see it go down that road, further. just for future reference. you can say, i'm buddhist, or christian, or whatever. but by gut instinct tells me we should keep religious discussion to a nice low key level

Dangit, there goes my 'argue your religion' thread RIGHT out the window. I'll just have to pick something nice and safe like 'defend your politics' instead!  

[lolfighter]

Bob loves the smell of napalm in the morning it seems...


Legionnaired, I partially agree with what you say. From what I understand, you're religious, which is where you get your purpose in life from. That's how it has worked for christians for the last two millenia. But the problem nowadays, and the reason why people are so actively looking for a reason for their life, is that religion is on the decline. Many people are not religious at all, and many people are only casually religious (half of which are just afraid to admit that they're not).

What I said was not meant for those that have found a reason, it was for those who are looking for one. Agonizing for one. And I'm saying that the realization that there doesn't have to be one is very enlightening.

Life is what you make it, is i think one of the best Emo killers - at least in my coincidence...Yes im emo at times..

In danish, the word "tilfælde" can mean both "case" and "coincidence", depending on context. Here, the correct translation is "case".
The sentence just struck me as odd, and I immediately noticed why you'd made that error, so... Yeah. Sorry.

[Black Mage]

your purpose is do die and feed a group of worms

until then, you exist to convert O2 into CO2 and help plants breathe

[Niteowl]

i used to be really religious, but then the logical fallacies kept on smacking me upside the head. so now i'm not. i'm just cynical and ebil. EEBIILL!

i'll state my case in pseudo-code, because.. well, i'm geeky.


Religion r = new Religion();
r.addReason(Reasons.SALVATION);
r.addReason(Reasons.KNOWLEDGEOFGOD);
r.addQuality(Qualities.FAIR);
r.addQuality(Qualities.COMPASSIONATE);

while(Time.goBackOneYear() && Time.getValue()>158,000 BC){
  if(r.allReasonsAndQualitiesConsistent()!=true){
     niteowl.adhereToReligion(false);
  }
}

[Legionnaired]

If I read that right, you are saying that it seems illogical that a fair and compassionate God would not allow certain people salvation?

If so, then I agree with you. Nobody, not even the wicked and ebil are denyed salvation, the only thing needed is to ask for forgiveness, through Christ's work.

People tried to follow God's rules for a perfect life for thousands of years before Christ's time. There's the ten commandments, certainly, but also another 603 that are defined in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In all that time, not a single person could keep those rules perfectly, could have the absolute moral perfection that God calls for. (God, being a morally perfect and just being, cannot, will not allow imperfection into his presence.)

It's for this reason that Christ came and was crucified, to present some other payment for the sins of the world. When people talk of "the savior" or "the messiah," they mean it in the sense that Jesus of his own free will, offered his own perfect self in the place of the world.

Salvation is available, but God isn't one to force it upon us, he gives it up to us as a choice. Why?

I, and apparently you, could write code that outputs "I love you." Thousands of times, and it would never mean anything. Yet, said once from a real human being, it means everything. Love, or hate, or indifference, out of a free choice to love or hate or be apathetic, is the only thing that matters. So it is with God.

God is fair in denying salvation, we all had the chance to live perfectly, and yet we all choose to rebel, and for that we don't deserve anything. Yet, He is also perfectly compassionate in offering up His own self in our place. Christianity isn't about abiding by a set of rules, nor completing an endless list of tasks, it's just accepting the fact that Jesus is in fact Lord, and asking him to make his sacrifice apply to you. The rest is all just applications of that radical message.

I hope that wasn't too heavy-handed for issue, well, at hand. If you don't like it, go ahead and nuke it, but since you brought up your thoughts on God, I figured I might as well follow suit.

[Niteowl]

no, a fair and compassionate god would not allow everyone to not KNOW him.

btw, you don't need to tell me the doctrine of christianity, i know it pretty well

naw, your post is fine. i got sucked into this discussion, i can't expect ppl to not reply in kind. this is, tbh, one of my more favorite topics of discussion.

[Legionnaired]

no, a fair and compassionate god would not allow everyone to not KNOW him.

btw, you don't need to tell me the doctrine of christianity, i know it pretty well

naw, your post is fine. i got sucked into this discussion, i can't expect ppl to not reply in kind. this is, tbh, one of my more favorite topics of discussion.

Ahh. I misread the code then .

If you look at early church history though, you really see how God has moved in amazing ways to see to it that everyone at least has the choice to know him, or at least, have knowledge that He is out there somewhere.

If you start talking to missionaries, you really see how a lot of culture's local traditions and legends have something in them that mimics a biblical story, be it the flood, or in some cases, a god that has come to earth to die, only to raise again.

We're also told in the Great Commission, Mt 28:18-20, that He will be with us as we do go out and 'spread the word,' and He will act in some amazing ways to get his message out. Everywhere that a person would respond, someone is there to act upon them. (The eunich in Acts 8? for example.)

[BobTheJanitor]

So we ARE starting the religious debate eh... eeeeexcellent. Let me go get an alcoholic beverage and I'll be right with you. Half drunken religious discussion may be my second favorite thing in the world.

Well, actually I'm at work and don't have time to shatter you all with my stunning logic and debate tactics, but I'll get around to it later, fear not.

[Dirty Harry Potter]

Life is what you make it, is i think one of the best Emo killers - at least in my coincidence...Yes im emo at times..

In danish, the word "tilfælde" can mean both "case" and "coincidence", depending on context. Here, the correct translation is "case".
The sentence just struck me as odd, and I immediately noticed why you'd made that error, so... Yeah. Sorry.

its okay, you didnt like "OMG YOU SUCK AT SPELLZ00r!", but you told me what i did wrong, and how to fix it. And now that you're saying it, it makes perfectly sense XD

[Niteowl]

although that might be the case. the problem still arises that there are millions of ppl who do not get to 'know' whatever god you might adhere to due to spatial and or temporal limitations. seems unfair and uncompassionate to me.

but if religions brings joy and meaning to your life, all the better

[BobTheJanitor]

Oh I really shouldn't get into it now, but still: Just because Christ said that he was the only way to the good life, doesn't mean that actually KNOWING him is the only way to do it. Everyone seems to have this idea that you have to have heard of the man Jesus to be saved by his actions... I don't see that as being the case at all, and I'm fairly certain that readings of scriptures don't rule it out either.

Basically, I think the idea of some, say, perfectly nice african tribesman who never saw a missionary in his life dying and being told 'sorry, it's hell for you buddy, you don't even get the choice!' is just as repugnant to God as it is to you or me. Now those that are given the choice in life, and make their choice then are a different story, but I really don't have time right now, argh!

[Niteowl]

Oh I really shouldn't get into it now, but still: Just because Christ said that he was the only way to the good life, doesn't mean that actually KNOWING him is the only way to do it. Everyone seems to have this idea that you have to have heard of the man Jesus to be saved by his actions... I don't see that as being the case at all, and I'm fairly certain that readings of scriptures don't rule it out either.

Basically, I think the idea of some, say, perfectly nice african tribesman who never saw a missionary in his life dying and being told 'sorry, it's hell for you buddy, you don't even get the choice!' is just as repugnant to God as it is to you or me. Now those that are given the choice in life, and make their choice then are a different story, but I really don't have time right now, argh!

yes, i know the theology of how christ saves those who don't even know him. i know this. the problem is taht these ppl STILL don't know about whatever god you happen to believe in.

gah, just read my code again.

[Niteowl]

bump for bob!

[Evangelion_2]

Watch Monty Python's Meaning of Life..it will explain everything!  :ph34r:

[Fewlio]

What about satan? I mean if we're going to talk about religion and god, we have to include satan :p.

[That Annoying Kid]

My whole take on the meaning of life is that humans will continue on replicating until the purpose is discovered.

[fatty]

the meaning of life is to play ns.

[Grimm]

If the meaning of life is truly to play NS, I'd rather go swallow a bullet than spend my life suffering through the horror.

And why exactly did Niteowl bump this thread?

[Seth]

the meaning of life is to suffer, suffer at the hands of others, suffer of your own deeds and to ultimatly die someday which will be your only release from this prision that is your body... also the meaning of life is to inflict suffering upon others be it lower life forms or whatever tickles your sychotic funny bone...
be it a crule way to offer peace to other beings, death is a part of life, it is a part of us all. we can never excape it but we can choose how we will greet it, weather you go out fighting or as a old invilid man sleeping with his wife.

truely a bullet would seem so humain. it is our nature to destroy, and in the destruction springs new life and so the chain continue's.

[JHunz]

the meaning of life is to suffer, suffer at the hands of others, suffer of your own deeds and to ultimatly die someday which will be your only release from this prision that is your body... also the meaning of life is to inflict suffering upon others be it lower life forms or whatever tickles your sychotic funny bone...
be it a crule way to offer peace to other beings, death is a part of life, it is a part of us all. we can never excape it but we can choose how we will greet it, weather you go out fighting or as a old invilid man sleeping with his wife.

truely a bullet would seem so humain. it is our nature to destroy, and in the destruction springs new life and so the chain continue's.

I can't decide if that's goth or emo.  Someone help me out here