Does everything happen for a reason?
genareddog
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So I am in a class and the other day this topic came up. In the past I guess I always thought, yes everything does happen for a reason. Now I don't think so. I think a lot does but everything? I know God knows everything, God knows what is going to happen and allows it. But if everything happens for a reason, does that not take away our free will? Would love to hear some of your thoughts.
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If you are faith based, then believe that your god will guide you on the correct path, because without that belief, you can be lost and wander endlessly without purpose.
We have free will to choose which paths are presented to us. Each path is a test of sorts. When presented with tough choices, we often question faith and purpose.
When my sister died of cancer, I questioned the reasoning of it, but later realized that a greater power has a better purpose for her. She had been in pain a long time and the great spirit had taken that pain for her and taken her to a better place.
For those who don't have some faith in a higher power, they can become bitter with resentment and anger when things don't go the way they had planned or loved ones paas away. Often blaming someone or something for that loss.
Ok, that was way too deep. My apologies.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
Now, what we do as humans has caused changes in natural processes that might not have happened on their own or not as fast.
But when it comes to what humans themselves do, I do not believe believe that our actions or events are guided by a divine power--or at least one that's analogous to the thousands of deities in the pantheons of the world's religions.
We may think that we have a special place and purpose in the universe, but in reality we don't make a rat's patootie of difference, cosmologically speaking.
I also disagree with the statement that those who don't believe in a higher power are likely to become bitter or blame others when things don't go their way. On the contrary, I'd say these people recognize that fortune--misfortune--is either the cause of human actions or the pure randomness of life, and that it makes no sense to adopt a Job-like posture as to why a higher power would allow such things to happen. As the great Walt Kelly said, "We have seen the enemy, and he is us." Or as the great Anonymous said, "S**t happens."
Of course, that's just my opinion, and nothing more. I would never dream of questioning anyone's belief that God, Allah, Krishna, Vishnu, Zeus, Amaterasu, Isis, Gaia or any deity they believe in guides their actions of has reasons for allowing things to happen. There's so much going on this universe that will forever be beyond our limited ability to detect, let alone comprehend, that any attempt to make any kind of scientifically deterministic statement about "the meaning of life" is pure arrogance. These ideas rightly belong in the realm of philosophy and religion.
Now, that doesn't mean you see it. The bacterium in a whale's gut may not recognize the whale's purpose; but that micro-critter goes along for the annual ride from the Bering Sea to the Gulf of California nonetheless. You do not need to see a purpose for there to be one. We can stand back and recognize the whale and surmise it's purpose. We can burrow in and see the bacterium and surmise it's purpose. Because we have ways to observe both. It would be downright arrogant of us to assume there's nothing bigger than this narrow scope we can see. Something either bigger or smaller than we can see now will be seen as soon as we find a new way to see it. Something to which we might be as small as a bacterium is to a whale; or something so small that germ can't even see it. Science continually discovers new larger or smaller life forms... and where we never expected it to be. Fossilized life found on bits of asteroids that fell near the south pole, teeming colonies of life miles beneath the surface of sea or earth in complete darkness; life thriving in deep space. On the one hand, electron microscopes; on the other hand, proof of collective consciousness in the noosphere. Everything we once thought was void, soon as we find a way to get there, wait a minute, there's more to it than we thought.
It seems to me that those who deny purpose take too narrow a view. Don't stop at matter; mix in time. Time appears to be the crucial leaven which evokes life from mere matter and space.
... and Life ... Life implies purpose.
... and now, 0patience, you may stop apologizing for diving in too deep.
Now, you may conclude that "purpose" is merely a manifestation of cause and effect, and reject the spiritual and metaphysical as irrelevant. That position might be intellectually satisfying, but it rules out any moral standard, and without a moral standard society cannot function because each man's purpose becomes pleasing himself at the expense of others.
The historic Christian view is that God created the universe with a purpose. Mankind was created to reflect and pursue that purpose in the spiritual sphere. But mankind fell into rebellion and substituted the purpose of the creature for that of the Creator. From there, different theological camps differ as to the relationship between God's purpose/will and man's. Some see them as separate and competing - men are absolute free agents who may do whatever they choose, regardless of what God wants. Others, like myself, believe that God's purpose underlies, controls, and overrides man's purposes, while still preserving human responsibility and genuine choice. If it is possible for man's will to override God's, then God would not be all powerful, and therefore He would not be God.
Gotta stop there for now. Good topic, tho.
At any given time the urge to sing "In The Jungle" is just a whim away... A whim away... A whim away...
From the Westminster Catechism...
Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
Multiverse theory solves that.
That we "evolved".
If we evolved, then how is it that man is the only being on earth that "naturally" walks upright, has cognitive intelligence and speach?
Why is it that man evolved to be so inept at hearing, sight and smell and requires clothing?
Where are the "inbetween" evolution of man?
How is it that species of man take jumps between species?
Whether you are religious or not, these are questions that have caused some scientists to lose sleep at night.
Some of them would love to prove evolution of man, but the hard evidence is lacking.
I'm by no means a religious person.
I am native, so my beliefs are quite different than the norm.
But in reading many religious texts, there are a ton of similarities between several religions, which if one to were make a hypothesis on those religions, one "could" possibly make the argument that several religions may have one single point of origin, coming from one sentient being.
Forgive my random thoughts, I get like that sometimes. LOL!
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
I'm a Catholic but don't go to church, a lost soul, lol. I pray to God for thanks and for others that are suffering, but usually not for myself. If I manage to somehow overcome something I thank God for guiding me. If an accident is averted, I thank God for mine, and their, reflexes. No way I could have done that by myself. But I don't believe God made that car veer into my lane, probably texting did.
When you ask; "For a reason", are you implying predestination? Or, simply cause and effect?.
It's too early, like Peter, I'll need more coffee to respond adequately.
Briefly, though, I do believe in God, and that there is purpose to existence, and that we are here to work out much of that purpose. I do not believe that God's creation is completely predestined, that would be as meaningless as random chance.
Like Forrest Gump, for me the answer is "both" regarding the question of designed purpose and just happened. I think there is a designed purpose, that allows a LOT of things to just happen.
On a tangential but related note:
If you're interested in why people and societies and cultures do what they do, I'm reading a book titled "The Lucifer Principle" by Howard Bloom that does an excellent job of explaining the why behind most things in life. I recommend it to everyone, buy it, read it, pass it on, if people would do this it might save our country.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/20365/20160325/science-vs-religion-brain-neural-networks-faith-reason-religious-non-religious.htm
I've always liked the way it's stated in the Westminster Confession of Faith...
"God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established."
It's really impossible for human reasoning, from our finite and limited point of view, to reconcile how God can preordain everything that comes to pass while also preserving human choice and responsibility, but this is how the Bible talks about predestination. Of course, God can make these things work together without contradiction because, well, He is God.
*Takes off theologian hat and reaches into humidor for afternoon smoke.
If you've ever been in battle, been shot at or been close enough that you can hear the zip of the bullets through the air, or have stared death in the eye more times than you care to admit and told him to piss off, then you have to believe that there is something out there that has a reasoning for keeping you around.
Because quite frankly, if you survived and others didn't, you will hurt yourself trying to make sense of why you survived, while others did not.
Call it faith or realization that something held the strings or call it what you want, but if it carries you thru a disaster, war or a traumatic experience, that makes it real, no matter what anyone says.
It is my opinion that those folks who do not believe in such things have never experience what it is to stare death down and walk away after knocking the 4 horsemen out of their saddles.
Or they've never really experienced life to its fullest.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
But he's not there just for danger. I had lived alone nine years when I came to Dull-Aware. Valentine's day, a windy rain storm lifted the edge of my doormat to reveal a green heart shaped stone with veins like a leaf. My guardian told me it was an omen. I picked it up, kept it in my pocket. The first day of Spring, I met a redhead gal whose last name was Greenleaf. I gave the green heart to her. That's Bearswatter. You can say what you want, but you don't find a green heart shaped stone on your doorstep every day.
I was far more spiritual when I lived in solitude, nature, and danger. Holy men and sages, throughout the ages, always told us that wisdom is achieved in solitude and silence. These days, we drown out spirit with crowds, racket, and gizmos. No wonder the world is so full of folly.
Folly such as a conviction of purposelessness. Anomie is nurtured by racket. Spiritualism is nurtured by nature. You would be hard pressed to find an atheistic savage. He may not properly understand the higher power, at least by your lights; but he is rock solid certain there is one.
Science is not proof it is merely a theory. Sure scientists have all sorts of instruments and gizmos they claim prove their theories. Take dating instruments for example, they have no earthly way to prove accuracy of such instruments. Like say some claim to have found carbon gasses trapped in a glacier that was trapped thousands of years ago. There is no earthly way to prove the accuracy of that instrument.
Some scientists claim evolution and that Christianity is a hoax. If it's a hoax it's the best hoax ever.. And they seem to struggle explaining artifacts that suggest their theory is false.
1 day scientists say eggs are bad for you and next day they are good for you. Just like the global warming / climate change scientists want to ban any others arguing their science no matter the opposition results and data.
Sure science is benificial but is constantly under scrutiny for accuracy. I can argue evolution theory and Christianity. Truth is only the dead know for a fact. That is why it is faith.
Do I question my faith? You bet I do. I question why my brother had to die at 20. Why children are in St Jude with cancer, why there is so much evil.. But if we come from apes why is there still apes?
I'm sure there are some people that would think I'm crazy and need to be locked up.. But the feeling is mutual