Essay About Meaning Of Life And Point Of Humans

The Meaning of Life Opinion
Essay Preview: The Meaning of Life Opinion
Report this essay
The Meaning of Life -Opinion
My beliefs on the meaning of life in religion and interpretation of such things.
In approaching the question of the meaning of life we have to examine the
nature of meaning itself. Meaning, is by definition the point, or the intended
goal. Consider the point of humans and the universe as seen from monotheistic
religion. If life and the universe is some sort of toy or form of entertainment for
some greater being, his point, his own entertainment, would then be the
meaning of humans and the universe.
Consider the goals of the deities of various cultures. Some strive for a balance
between the forces of good and evil. This balance seems to simply be a
choice of the deity, the way he thinks it ought to be. The concept of a greater
being as a source of the meaning of life is flawed, because in talking about an
actual point to absolutely everything, we are simply considering the goals of a
being more powerful than ourselves who has chosen one of many possible goals
that humans can conceive. This is to say that, if a god like this exists, his goal
for life and the universe is not necessarily valid as a meaning of life, the
universe, and himself.
For instance, the Bible claims that the Christian deity created the universe and
placed humans in it that they might be in awe of his power. If this is so, why is
worship the correct response? The meaning of the universe as created by God
is the entertainment of God, but what is the meaning of the larger system
containing God and his creations? We could conceive of an even greater being,
but that simply takes us all the way back into the wall of infinite regression.
When I first read the Bible, it struck me as neutral on the idea of worship. The
Bible flat out tells you that God created humans so that they would be in awe
of him, which amounts to saying God created us to inflate his ego. We are to
God as our pets are to ourselves, sources of unconditional love. In the book of
Job, God essentially makes a gentlemans bet with Satan that Jobs worship is
genuine and not inspired by Gods kindness. In other words, you throw a rock at
my dog and Ill swing my arm so it looks I threw it, and well see if he still comes
when I call him. In the end, Job is not simply the dog, because he questions
Gods throwing of the rock. Gods response is consistent with his goal of
inspiring awe. Even though the idea of a bet with Satan is well within Jobs
grasp, God claims that his purpose was inconceivable to Job. God is simply
fortifying the concept that is critical to the continuance of human worship: that
with inconceivable power comes incredible intelligence and unknowable purpose.
The narrator of the Bible, which is supposedly God himself, speaking through
humans, never directly says that he should be worshipped. This is merely the
interpretation of humans, who may be created in Gods image with one crucial
difference,