Is there any meaning to us???

larchielads

just watched nicolas cage film "knowing". In it he poses a question to his class why and what are we here? He offers a couple of answers like are we here cos of some huge explosion, the big bang, or is it God or someone or something else made us. Are we just an accident that happened and there is no god or whatever. is there no meaning to our existence cos we're just an accident. do we even matter in the greater scheme of things. why is there no life, well none that we know of, any where else?maybe this topic belongs in the religious section but just want to see what people think.

Dennis the Stone

I think, in a way, we're all here to become more like Nicolas Cage. Bald and annoying.

Fromvert

Evolution

Insect Overlord

42

JimmyFloyd

Of course there's life elsewhere

And we have no meaning

PLUS.......... when you find you're leaving a Nic Cage movie and asking philosophical questions, it's time to give up the cinema and pick up a book

Pride Fighter

JimmyFloyd wrote: »

Of course there's life elsewhere

And we have no meaning

PLUS.......... when you find you're leaving a Nic Cage movie and asking philosophical questions, it's time to give up the cinema and pick up a book

BLASPHEMY!!!!

Nic Cage is the greatest actor of our generation:)

Dennis the Stone

JimmyFloyd wrote: »

Of course there's life elsewhere

And we have no meaning

PLUS.......... when you find you're leaving a Nic Cage movie and asking philosophical questions, it's time to give up the cinema and pick up a book

Perhaps Chopper, or Chopper 3: Hell Hath No Fury Like a Mate Shot in the Arse.

admiralofthefleet

Pride Fighter wrote: »

BLASPHEMY!!!!

Nic Cage is the greatest actor of our generation:)

oh the ironing

JimmyFloyd

Pride Fighter wrote: »

BLASPHEMY!!!!

Nic Cage is the greatest actor of our generation:)

I'm assuming by your name that you almost had **** for dinner when you heard Cage was involved in an upcoming MMA movie like me?

Please no!

Pride Fighter

JimmyFloyd wrote: »

I'm assuming by your name that you almost had **** for dinner when you heard Cage was involved in an upcoming MMA movie like me?

Please no!

He might be able to pull of Stephan Bonnar. Samuel L Jackson will be Rampage Jackson, Van Damme as GSP.

Man that is a film I'd watch:D:D

JimmyFloyd

Pride Fighter wrote: »

He might be able to pull of Stephan Bonnar. Samuel L Jackson will be Rampage Jackson, Van Damme as GSP.

Man that is a film I'd watch:D:D

Stephan Bonnar you say??

Check THIS out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaaO9wvwLOM

Peyton Manning

http://www.inquisitr.com/wp-content/nicolas-cage-movie-plot-generator.jpg

Terry

1. Nicholas Cage has not been in a good film since Raising Arizona.
2. We're just here. There's nothing more to our existence.

philologos

larchielads wrote: »

just watched nicolas cage film "knowing". In it he poses a question to his class why and what are we here? He offers a couple of answers like are we here cos of some huge explosion, the big bang, or is it God or someone or something else made us. Are we just an accident that happened and there is no god or whatever. is there no meaning to our existence cos we're just an accident. do we even matter in the greater scheme of things. why is there no life, well none that we know of, any where else?maybe this topic belongs in the religious section but just want to see what people think.

OP: God created the world with all it's wonder and has given man dominion over it. I personally, don't see the idea that the earth came from nothing to be a very solid hypothesis in comparison to a Creator, creating the laws of science and then creating us under those laws.

Why are we here is a different question - My answer is simply this. We are here to serve others, and to serve God, and to make this place a better place by the time we left than the time we came in. The ultimate goal in this life, and I agree with Thomas Aquinas on this is to be in communication and a relationship with God through Jesus Christ after that how you operate and how you live will be transformed forever so as to be beneficial in your relationships and interactions with other people. This is a relationship that anyone can enter into, it isn't reserved for the religious or people with a religious mindset, only those who are curious about finding out why things are.

As for why isn't there life anywhere else - I don't think this is a defence for religion if life isn't outside earth, or an attack on it if it is. I personally think that God's revelation to man is just that, God's revelation to mankind. If other intelligent species exist in the universe, it would be very interesting to see if God had revealed Himself to them in another revelation. Personally I would be even more fascinated at God's creation.

JimmyFloyd

Jakkass wrote: »

OP: God created the world with all it's wonder and has given man dominion over it. I personally, don't see the idea that the earth came from nothing to be a very solid hypothesis in comparison to a Creator, creating the laws of science and then creating us under those laws.

Why are we here is a different question - My answer is simply this. We are here to serve others, and to serve God, and to make this place a better place by the time we left than the time we came in. The ultimate goal in this life, and I agree with Thomas Aquinas on this is to be in communication and a relationship with God through Jesus Christ after that how you operate and how you live will be transformed forever so as to be beneficial in your relationships and interactions with other people. This is a relationship that anyone can enter into, it isn't reserved for the religious or people with a religious mindset, only those who are curious about finding out why things are.

As for why isn't there life anywhere else - I don't think this is a defence for religion if life isn't outside earth, or an attack on it if it is. I personally think that God's revelation to man is just that, God's revelation to mankind. If other intelligent species exist in the universe, it would be very interesting to see if God had revealed Himself to them in another revelation. Personally I would be even more fascinated at God's creation.

:rolleyes:

Pop's Diner

As the wise little frogdude Yoda once said "There is no why".

There's no reason for us to be here. It's just the way it worked out. If you think there's some 'greater meaning' to it all then you're just reading into it too deeply.

philologos

Pop's Diner wrote: »

As the wise little frogdude Yoda once said "There is no why".

There's no reason for us to be here. It's just the way it worked out. If you think there's some 'greater meaning' to it all then you're just reading into it too deeply.

That's fine, unless you happen to be philosophically minded. If so, that answer doesn't get anyone very far. The questioning cannot just stop and take the answer "It just is", they will forever enquire more and more until they do manage to discern what is behind the universe.

Your view is quite postmodern I must say. There are no absolutes, there are no answers concerning the whys of existence. Interesting though. Would you hold that people have to invent those whys?

Pop's Diner

I would. It is not enough for people to just 'be' and that is why we have all these artificial concepts to fill up our lives and make us feel like we are safe and special.

Das Kitty

larchielads wrote: »

just watched nicolas cage film "knowing". In it he poses a question to his class why and what are we here? He offers a couple of answers like are we here cos of some huge explosion, the big bang, or is it God or someone or something else made us. Are we just an accident that happened and there is no god or whatever. is there no meaning to our existence cos we're just an accident. do we even matter in the greater scheme of things. why is there no life, well none that we know of, any where else?maybe this topic belongs in the religious section but just want to see what people think.

It took a Nicolas Cage movie to get you wondering about the meaning of life?!

LOL

biko

No-one is going to miss us once we're gone.

philologos

Pop's Diner wrote: »

I would. It is not enough for people to just 'be' and that is why we have all these artificial concepts to fill up our lives and make us feel like we are safe and special.

You do realise that this concept that you hold is entirely based on the belief that people only hold artificial concepts. It automatically excludes the possibility that these concepts could not be true. We then get ourselves into the midst of another difficulty.

How can both your postmodern worldview and my Judeo-Christian worldview both be correct?

They can't. This explains why you call all other worldviews apart from your own to be "artificial concepts".

However, I contend to you that your postmodern worldview is just as likely to be an "artificial concept" as my Judeo-Christian worldview. Why is your worldview not artificial?

This is my main issue with secular - religious discourse. When the non-believer claims that the worldview we hold is artificial, they are also not willing to consider that their worldview could just be artificial also.

Canis Lupus

Jakkass wrote: »

stuff.

God schmod.


I *pray* that one day religion and all belief in a sky god finally gets ****ed out the door. I'm just sorry I won't be around to see it.

thelordofcheese

Jakkass wrote: »

This is my main issue with secular - religious discourse. When the non-believer claims that the worldview we hold is artificial, they are also not willing to consider that their worldview could just be artificial also.

Pot. Kettle. A complete lack of colour.

You know where i'm going with this.

Irishcrx

Jakkass wrote: »

OP: God created the world with all it's wonder and has given man dominion over it. I personally, don't see the idea that the earth came from nothing to be a very solid hypothesis in comparison to a Creator, creating the laws of science and then creating us under those laws.

Why are we here is a different question - My answer is simply this. We are here to serve others, and to serve God, and to make this place a better place by the time we left than the time we came in. The ultimate goal in this life, and I agree with Thomas Aquinas on this is to be in communication and a relationship with God through Jesus Christ after that how you operate and how you live will be transformed forever so as to be beneficial in your relationships and interactions with other people. This is a relationship that anyone can enter into, it isn't reserved for the religious or people with a religious mindset, only those who are curious about finding out why things are.


As for why isn't there life anywhere else - I don't think this is a defence for religion if life isn't outside earth, or an attack on it if it is. I personally think that God's revelation to man is just that, God's revelation to mankind. If other intelligent species exist in the universe, it would be very interesting to see if God had revealed Himself to them in another revelation. Personally I would be even more fascinated at God's creation.

.....Right , Well I think alot of people just hide behind religion as an answer because there afraid to actually think for themselfs and see how many holes is in the whole theory of it or actual proof. Whole thing drives me crazy but people believe what they believe.

I'm on the evolution side, I think too much in this world is perfect and by perfect I mean the way our emotions work, our bodys, our funtions, our food and water supply, air from the tree's , day, night, the sun , animals that have their own instincts and purpose I mean come on think about it.

But the idea that a God created all this and sits up in heaven judging people and watching down on us, sending the sinners to hell (Even though he's forgiving), having eternal space in heaven for everyone from every generation and all the animals, then we've got all the differant religions with completely differant believes each thinking that theres is the only one yet all pretty similar in alot of ways, abuse in the church, giving money to go to heaven in the older days....RIDICULAS!!

So I believe something or someone helped us along the way, but not a God even though the idea of it is nice, it's just not plausable.

conchubhar1

Canis Lupus wrote: »

God schmod.


I *pray* that one day religion and all belief in a sky god finally gets ****ed out the door. I'm just sorry I won't be around to see it.

yes, you will be burning in eternal agony!

philologos

Canis Lupus wrote: »

God schmod.


I *pray* that one day religion and all belief in a sky god finally gets ****ed out the door. I'm just sorry I won't be around to see it.

Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed in his Parable of the Madman (interesting read) that God was dead, and "we have killed Him, you and I". Although this expression might have seemed very empowering to the secular humanists / atheists of his day. God is still very much in peoples minds whether or not He is a fictional character. I can safely say that if I was an atheist, I wouldn't use the feeble work of Dawkins and Hitchens to argue my case. I would use the works of Nietzsche, Albert Camus and other great secular thinkers.

The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. "Whither is God?" he cried; "I will tell you. We have killed him---you and I. All of us are his murderers.

Do we hear nothing as yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we smell nothing as yet of the divine decomposition? Gods, too, decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.

^^ This in my opinion, as a Christian, is some of the best atheist literature that has ever been written. The only problem was that Nietzsche was living in fantasy. Only a few decades after this did religiosity spark off in the USA ushering in Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement which influenced belief across the world.

The word "delusional" often comes up in secular - religious discourse, but I'd have to say that it is well and truly delusional to expect that nobody will believe in God anymore. It's mere wishful thinking. Age to age, belief and disbelief rises and falls. Times of heightened secular thought, and times of religious revival (seriously, take a look at the twentieth century alone). While currently Europe seems to be going through a period of secular thought, the rest of the world seems to be adopting religious thought more and more. Particularly in Africa, America, the Islamic world, and the Far East.

So unfortunately for you and people like you, the end of religion doesn't look like it is coming any time soon.

thelordofcheese

conchubhar1 wrote: »

yes, you will be burning in eternal agony!

But, if we pretend that Jakkas is right about god and all that, then while Canis Lupis may be going to hell, so are all the best bands.

Basically, all the good bands and fun people go to hell, everyone else goes to heaven. I know which party I'd rather be at.

osnola ibax

Irishcrx wrote: »

.....Right , Well I think alot of people just hide behind religion as an answer because there afraid to actually think for themselfs and see how many holes is in the whole theory of it or actual proof. Whole thing drives me crazy but people believe what they believe.

I'm on the evolution side, I think too much in this world is perfect and by perfect I mean the way our emotions work, our bodys, our funtions, our food and water supply, air from the tree's , day, night, the sun , animals that have their own instincts and purpose I mean come on think about it.

But the idea that a God created all this and sits up in heaven judging people and watching down on us, sending the sinners to hell (Even though he's forgiving), having eternal space in heaven for everyone from every generation and all the animals, then we've got all the differant religions with completely differant believes each thinking that theres is the only one yet all pretty similar in alot of ways, abuse in the church, giving money to go to heaven in the older days....RIDICULAS!!

So I believe something or someone helped us along the way, but not a God even though the idea of it is nice, it's just not plausable.

Was it Neo?

Wertz

We are the ongoing result of the universe trying to figure out what it is...

dan719

Jakkass wrote: »

I can safely say that if I was an atheist, I wouldn't use the feeble work of Dawkins and Hitchens to argue my case. I would use the works of Nietzsche, Albert Camus and other great secular thinkers.

Funny how you expect atheists to use a certain standard of work, when your entire world view is based on a two thousand year old book containing as much reality as Harry Potter.:rolleyes:

Genghiz Cohen

thelordofcheese wrote: »

But, if we pretend that Jakkas is right about god and all that, then while Canis Lupis may be going to hell, so are all the best bands.

Basically, all the good bands and fun people go to hell, everyone else goes to heaven. I know which party I'd rather be at.

I'll bring the keg, you get some snacks.