RE: Christian "purpose" and "meaning" in life.
May 10, 2014 at 7:19 am
(This post was last modified: May 10, 2014 at 7:29 am by Chas.)
(April 17, 2014 at 12:43 pm)ChadWooters Wrote: How can purely physical things and processes have any meaning at all? Ontological naturalism excludes both final and formal causes. Those exclusions make any form of intentionality impossible.
Secondly a life has meaning in the same way symbolic representations do. Words and pictures point to things other than themselves. Thus a person's life has meaning to the extent that it serves as a sign and symbol of something they value. The difference between atheists and believers is that atheists can only refer to proximate values whereas believers identify with transcendent or eternal values.
How does naturalism exclude formal cause? And we make our own purpose, so we are our own source for a final cause.
Besides, Aristotle is not the source of all truth.
(April 17, 2014 at 9:32 pm)professor Wrote: The purpose and meaning of a Christian's life is to be joined to, and part of the eternal God.
The closest we can come in this realm is marriage or family.
"That they may be one, even as you Father are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us; that the world may believe that you did send Me" John 17:21
We are not described as servants or slaves but sons and daughters.
We are described as co-heirs with Christ who is God.
"He that overcomes will sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne" Rev 3:21
This is the victory that overcomes the world (system)- our faith.
All that is in the world is- the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life and the lies of the System- these are what we are to overcome.
Have at it, but that is all made up. If you want to live that way, fine; but I don't follow others' fantasies.
(May 9, 2014 at 11:38 pm)Godschild Wrote:(May 9, 2014 at 11:23 pm)Kitanetos Wrote: The extent of your delusion truly is astounding.
I have no delusion, I know the God of creation is as real as you are.
GC
That's why it's called delusion and not fact, or knowledge, or thought, or idea, or concept, or even daydream.
You believe that for which there is no evidence.
Skepticism is not a position; it is an approach to claims.
Science is not a subject, but a method.
Science is not a subject, but a method.