Let me give you some thoughts on what I think is the purpose of human life: There is no reason why we are on planet Earth. Religion is a personal choice, and if you want to be religious, that's your choice. Everything else is secondary. It upholds certain ideals and values. Every religion seems to have a different answer. Since God created man in His image (Genesis 1:26–27), man’s purpose cannot be fulfilled apart from Him. Quality human connections are still a primary and enduring source of purpose in life.” “Further, we compared individuals who were high vs. low in religiosity. The universe was born (perhaps created by GOD), and through randomness and chaos, life was created. Common religious beliefs or faith also provide natural boundaries for communities … Yet, the answer to this question from a biblical and Catholic perspective provides us with a testimony of God’s love for us. It's not that they fail to try. Religion is important to not only guide people through life but necessary for people to reflect on the meaning of life and what they really want out of life. Those are very big questions. Thankfully, believers can rest in the fact that their lives do have purpose. Religion gave people a meaning and purpose of life and created their history. It remains unclear how people who do not strongly believe in God can alternately compensate for lost purpose when they feel socially disconnected by using other non-religious belief systems,” Chan told PsyPost. The Buddha taught that humans suffer because we continually strive after things that do not give lasting happiness. This resulted in performing rituals (some of them barbaric) and keeping traditions or laws to earn goodness and/or everlasting life. Bibliography Works Cited. These questions concerned the nature and purpose of life and death and the relationship of humanity to superhuman powers or a divine creator. What is the purpose of our existence? Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.” –Pastor Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life. As human beings, we evolved to have consciousness and a sense of ‘self’ in order to interact and … When coupled with humanity's ability to harness language for symbolic representation of ideas and objects, imagination gives birth to the understanding of causality, the crux of religious and spiritual beliefs. While this ability is not unique to humans - chimpanzees, for example, commonly use primitive tools - it is one which humans have honed into an exact and intricate science. What is life? “One of the things people get most meaning from is taking part in something collective, i.e. We desperately try to hold on to things - friends, health, material things - that do not last, and this causes sorrow. Adherents of this religion have built chapels of Humanity in France and Brazil. Every society has some form of religion. But, unfortunately, most people never quite seem to figure it out. The point of view that Islam gives refers to human existence is quite different from other religions wherein some there is no purpose for human existence, or if there is any, it is beyond human intelligence. The current finding does slightly clash with a global Gallup survey from 2007 which featured 1,000 respondents each from 84 countries. It is a theme in any stage of life, largely because our specific purposes may change – or at least be carried out differently – in different seasons of life. To the contrary -- most people spend the greater part of their lives being told, and so believing, that they must figure out what it is God put them on this earth to do. 2) That he can know the purpose of life on this earth and what is expected of every person during this life 3) That he becomes aware of the consequences of his attitudes and his behavior 4) How he should relate to all things - to Allah by worship and obedience, to his fellow man by justice to all, and to the universe in general by putting those things under his control to good use. The vast majority of the world’s 7 billion people practice some kind of religion, ranging from massive worldwide churches to obscure spiritual traditions and local sects. And, this becomes their greatest aim. For what both the Church and scripture tells us, the reason why any of us exists is because God wanted to share with us His very nature. Allah Almighty created man to serve Him, meaning that men should believe in the One Lord and do well. Your social network is your life support system. working with other people to achieve something together. Finding purpose in life is perhaps the greatest human quest. But what else could religion mean for humans? I do believe there's a higher being, but I'm not churchgoing — I don't think that listening to a minister or following a church's rules will save anyone from hell.' Affolter, J., 2007, “Human Nature as God's Purpose”, Religious Studies, 43: 443–55. Second, religious leaders must continually remind themselves of the supreme purpose of their religion -- to bring followers into a meaningful relationship with the Divine -- and stick to this purpose. Jesus is our life. Death is not the end, it is the start for life either in heaven or in hill fire depending on what a human giving during his/her short period of life. It is the value that answers the question “What for?”—the value that motivates us to think, strive, and thrive—the value by reference to which we focus our minds, direct our actions, and pursue our goals. True Happiness has only existed for the afterlife. Purpose is one of the most important values in human life. Following are seven ways to view life from a Christian perspective. And it is under assault by advocates of religion. In Buddhism, the primary purpose of life is to end suffering. Only when human beings worship their God by submitting to His religious law can they have peace and harmony in their lives and the hope for heaven, just like the universe runs in harmony by submitting to the physical laws set by its Lord. (5) Religion is the agency of social control. We are social animals so that’s not really surprising. This is probably the question asked the most in philosophy. Therefore, generally speaking religion gives humans purpose in life. With the guidance provide by religion, people get to know their limitations and boundaries and therefore they restrain themselves from indulging in wrong or unethical activities like robberies, crimes, extra marital affairs, drugs, etc. We fulfill our purpose of glorifying God also by living our lives in relationship and faithful service to Him (1 Samuel 12:24; John 17:4). We see life as an opportunity to love others and to serve God faithfully. Sadhguru answers a question about the purpose of life and explains why having a "god-given" purpose will only restrict life. Religions may contain symbolic stories, which are sometimes said by followers to be true, that have the side purpose of explaining the origin of life… Therefore, after you yourself have devoted time to Connecting, then invite others to Connect as well. Is the purpose and goal of life about success and wealth? Christianity has always stressed a personal relationship with God as the touchstone of religion. The purpose of life is to prepare for life after life. A Christian’s perspective about life is very different from our culture. His religion consisted of trying to appease and get favors from the supreme being he feared. Religion of Humanity is a secular religion created by Auguste Comte, the founder of positivist philosophy. This is the main objective of human life. This will give the confidence and courage in learning our eternal reality beyond this life and attain the purpose for which we have been glorified to live in the human form. I find that Christianity, Islam, and Judaism seem to be generally concerned with having their followers live a moral and ethical life that God would approve of. Purpose of life in Hinduism - Hinduism way of lifeIf you believe that everything happens for a purpose, then God too had a purpose in creating this universe. It's part of my life, but in my own specific way. Hinduism is in many ways a profoundly structured religion that presents what sometimes appears to be a highly rigid understanding of human existence. The purpose of your life and mine? Historically, philosophy originated in religious questions. Religion provides a model for living. When asked the question "Do you feel your life has important meaning or purpose?" Through all this messiness, human beings were created. The purpose of ANY human life is to Connect with God. Nobody really knows how many religions there are on the planet, but whatever the number, there are at least that many theories about why we have religion at all. Religion has served humanity through spreading of education and also creating the habit of charity among the people who open many charitable institutions like hospitals, rest houses, temples and to help the poor. Does it offer a way to make sense of our lives? God created human beings in the divine image, enabling humans to have some understanding of God and of God's vast and complex design. The main purpose of life, according to Jainism, is to free mankind from all suffering and pain. A religion is a system of beliefs, collective ideas, traditions, and rituals that serve the purpose of gathering, unifying, educating, and enlightening a group of people by influencing and guiding their insights, thoughts, and ways of life. People pursue happiness in this life but no human reach absolute happiness in this life. When you remove the hope of heaven, you remove the ultimate value and purpose of life. Philosophy and Religion. Religion has been highly influential through the course of human history as a source of influence. Or is there more meaning to life when we focus on actions, relationships and faith? 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