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The Purpose of Life

The purpose of life

  • There is none

    Votes: 7 25.0%
  • There is a purpose, and its . . . . .

    Votes: 21 75.0%

  • Total voters
    28

sealchan

Well-Known Member
I just came across a blurb for a new book by Leo Severino titled, GOING DEEPER, which is said to address, in part, the purpose of life. Not able to read it, and I most likely never will, it got me thinking about RF folk here and what they thought, hence, my question, which can be answered as.

There is no purpose to life​
or
There is, and it's ________________________________________________ .

.

Yes.

Just replace the "or" with and and read the first sentence as an objective perspective and the second as the equally valid and complimentary subjective perspective which must be filled in by the individual as they make their way through the ups and downs of life.

Both are true.
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
If you've had any children, the survival of your DNA. From procreation to death, whatever you've been able to do to support the continuation of your family, future generations, your species and life in general.
And if I never have children?

.
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
"What if earth was launched by God for observing and investigating what beyond his universe ?

Millions of years traveling through space which expanding in rapid speed and life is continuous
as we are programmed to love life and to breed."
Neat I guess, but what would be the purpose in all this observing and investigating? Heck, so far we don't even know if there is a "beyond this universe" to investigate, and billions of lives have come and gone. So I don't think your "what if" holds much promise as an explanation.

.
 

Nakosis

Non-Binary Physicalist
Premium Member
And if I never have children?
.

You can still support the survival of your species.

If someone chooses not to, then they're pretty much an evolutionary aberration whose death will resolve the issue.
 

syo

Well-Known Member
the purpose of life is to live our lives to the fullest in virtue, which means with good heart and good intentions.
 

osgart

Nothing my eye, Something for sure
Are you speaking of each individual existing forever on earth or just mankind in general?



If I understand you, we are put on earth to grow to the point where we can eventually merge with the "divine Beloved," where we can finally come to realize this merger as a fact that god is infinite love. In short, we are put on earth to recognize that god is infinite love. If this is it, then I have to ask, "So what?" What's the big deal about coming to such a recognition? Where does the benefit lie?



So our purpose is to be who we truly are, and follow after our truest love. To what end? Say I become what I truly am, however that works, and follow my true love until my feet bleed. Then what?



That's why YOU were asked. Depending on you, what is the purpose of life?



Why should anyone else care what your purpose is?



To what end? Why should I learn everything I can?

.
It maximizes happiness to live your truest love. What would you suggest?
 

Cobol

Code Jockey
People can lead purposeful lives, if they are sufficiently fortunate. Anyone who has enough to eat, who lives in a society that tolerates a modicum of personal freedom, who has educational and employment opportunities, who is not condemned to a life of thought-destroying labor, and so on, is in a position to lead a purposeful life.

There are two and only two kinds of purposes. One kind of purpose is biological. When we say that the purpose of the eye is to see, we are talking about its biological purpose. Although philosophers have theorized about the nature of biological purposes since at least the time of Aristotle, it was Charles Darwin who discovered the conditions under which such purposes arise. Biological purposes are products of evolution. Put crudely, the biological purpose of a thing is whatever things of that kind were naturally selected to do: Eyes have the purpose of seeing because seeing enhanced the reproductive success of animals with eyes, which caused eyes to proliferate down the generations.

Biological purposes are products of evolution. So, for life to have a biological purpose, it would have to be a product of evolution. But life isn't a product of evolution. For evolution to occur, life has to be on the scene already. Evolution presupposes life, and that's why it can't be the case that life has a biological purpose.

The other kind of purpose is instrumental. When we say that hammers have the purpose of driving in nails, we are talking about their instrumental purpose. This sort of purpose comes from the intentions of a thing's creator. The purpose of a hammer is to drive in nails because that's what the hammer's creator had in mind when he or she designed it.

This position has obvious attractions for religiously-minded people. If God exists, it can't be the case that life has a purpose. A god who performs acts of creation is an agent, and to be an agent one must, minimally, be alive. So, if God exists, he must be a living god (unsurprisingly, he is described as such in the scriptures of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). But if God is a living god, then we are confronted with the same kind of problem that we encountered when asking whether life has a biological purpose. God can't have created life, because God must already be alive in order to create anything at all. As it's conceptually impossible that God created life, it's impossible for a god to create life with a purpose in mind.

It can't be that life has a biological purpose, and it can't be that it has an instrumental purpose. Because these are the only two options, it can't be that life has a purpose.
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
the purpose of life is to live our lives to the fullest in virtue, which means with good heart and good intentions.
Say one does so, then what? What if you had never been born to live your life to the fullest, what difference would it make to the world?

.
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
It maximizes happiness to live your truest love. What would you suggest?
I suggest you're going off topic. The issue, to rephrase it a bit, is the purpose of living. Why live in the first place, not how one lives.

.
 

Evangelicalhumanist

"Truth" isn't a thing...
Premium Member
picture yourself as the First

Someone had to be First

then realize the extreme solitude confinement
the universe is large....but you're the only One............

and being in two places at once won't cut it
you would be talking to yourself

so.....here we are
I wonder if you can even visualize just how enormous the assumptions are that you've built into what you wrote -- entirely without justification of any sort whatsoever. Just for example:
  • what was first was a "someone," not a "something"
  • that it was conscious, and understood notions like solitude and confinement, without ever having experienced them before (remember, what you said, it was "first," not "always")
  • that it was conscious and had language (talking to yourself)! and knew that it was doing so and wanted it to be otherwise
  • and wanting it to be otherwise would be an entirely novel idea with no possible basis for its generation
  • and lots more...
 

sayak83

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
I just came across a blurb for a new book by Leo Severino titled, GOING DEEPER, which is said to address, in part, the purpose of life. Not able to read it, and I most likely never will, it got me thinking about RF folk here and what they thought, hence, my question, which can be answered as.

There is no purpose to life​
or
There is, and it's ________________________________________________ .

.
Enjoying the experience of living?
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
I wonder if you can even visualize just how enormous the assumptions are that you've built into what you wrote -- entirely without justification of any sort whatsoever. Just for example:
  • what was first was a "someone," not a "something"
  • that it was conscious, and understood notions like solitude and confinement, without ever having experienced them before (remember, what you said, it was "first," not "always")
  • that it was conscious and had language (talking to yourself)! and knew that it was doing so and wanted it to be otherwise
  • and wanting it to be otherwise would be an entirely novel idea with no possible basis for its generation
  • and lots more...
no assumptions
Someone HAD to be first
 

ThePainefulTruth

Romantic-Cynic
There is, and it's ________________________________________________ .
...the moral pursuit of the Truth...
...where morality is: honoring the equal rights of all to life, liberty, property and self-defense to be free from violation through force or fraud.
...and the aspects of Truth are, knowledge, justice, love and beauty.
 

BilliardsBall

Veteran Member
I just came across a blurb for a new book by Leo Severino titled, GOING DEEPER, which is said to address, in part, the purpose of life. Not able to read it, and I most likely never will, it got me thinking about RF folk here and what they thought, hence, my question, which can be answered as.

There is no purpose to life​
or
There is, and it's ________________________________________________ .

.

Life is an opportunity to play, grow, learn (via suffering or other ways) and life is a sorting device for the afterlife with Jesus Christ.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Are you speaking of each individual existing forever on earth or just mankind in general?
That's why YOU were asked. Depending on you, what is the purpose of life?
Why should anyone else care what your purpose is?
To what end? Why should I learn everything I can?
.

I am speaking about humble meek people inheriting the Earth. That means as Psalms 92:7 says the wicked will be destroyed forever. And as Jesus says the one committing the unforgivable sin will Not be forgiven as recorded at Matthew 12:32 besides Hebrews 6:4-6. The wicked will Not be around forever as per Psalms 37:9-11.

Acts of the Apostles 24:15 mentions a resurrection for the righteous and the unrighteous and does Not include the wicked. ALL the resurrections that Jesus performed were bringing people back to happy-and-healthy physical life on Earth. So, the majority of people (mankind) will live on Earth starting with the coming of Jesus' 1,000-year governmental rule over Earth. People like those of Luke 22:28-30 will have a heavenly resurrection, but most people will live here on Earth in harmony with God's purpose for Earth. We are purposed to take care of Earth to the praise of God's glory who gave us the Earth as per Psalms 115:16; Ephesians 1:12. Those who bring ruin to Earth will be brought to ruin according to Revelation 11:18 B. Thus leaving the meek or righteous to inherit the Earth forever after the wicked are gone - Proverbs 2:21-22. We are nearing the soon coming ' time of separation' to take place on Earth, and notice who are considered as righteous ones according to Matthew 25:37-40.
 

URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
Life is an opportunity to play, grow, learn (via suffering or other ways) and life is a sorting device for the afterlife with Jesus Christ.

I find Jesus taught ' resurrection ' whereas the afterlife teaching indicates a person is more alive after death then before death. Jesus taught the dead are in a sleep-like state until resurrected at John 11:11-14.
What Jesus taught I find in harmony with Psalms 115:17; Psalms 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:5 that the dead know nothing.
If the ' afterlife ' teaching was scriptural there would be No need for a coming future resurrection as mentioned at Acts of the Apostles 24:15 that there "IS GOING TO BE ' a resurrection......
That ' going to be ' resurrection will begin with Jesus' coming 1,000-year reign over Earth.
 
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URAVIP2ME

Veteran Member
The purpose of life is to live.

I agree with the ^ above ^ because as Psalms 115:17 says the ' dead ' do Not praise God.....
So, in order for God's purpose of Genesis 1:28 to be fulfilled we need to be alive.
Since we can Not resurrect oneself or another we need some who can do that for us.
Jesus can and will bring us back to live forever - Revelation 1:18.
Since both the righteous and unrighteous will be resurrected they will be alive and can continue to live.
Some people resurrected to heaven, but the majority of people to have a healthy physical resurrection on Earth.
It is only the wicked who will be destroyed forever as per Psalms 92:7. - Matthew 12:32; Hebrews 6:4-6.
For the rest, there will be ' healing' for earth's nations according to Revelation 22:2.
That is why we are all invited to pray the invitation of Revelation 22:20 for Jesus to come !
 
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