Cyberiad

For those who believe in a particular religion, and those who don't subscribe to one, yet maintain a belief in God, it seems the end is the same...Heaven. And what is the point of this Heaven?
According to the Bible, the meaning of Heaven is to cast your crowns to the feet of Jesus and praise His name throughout eternity.
This doesn't particularly sound too interesting to me. However, for those that simply believe that Heaven is a place to exsist after death; a place to live in peace forever with God, I must say this does not sound reasonable either.
If the entire point of existence is simply to live forever in God's presence, what point is this?
It seems no matter what religion, or simply a belief in God, most if not all people believe in some afterlife that mirrors this existence of total peace.
But is this really a reasonable point of existence? Is that what it's all about?
If so, why bother?
One cannot say it would be better to exist in peace than not exsist at all. These cannot be compared. And if the underlying reason for existence is to live in peace with God forever, why create us in the first place?
It seems the atheistic existential philosophy of meaninglessness of existence hits the mark over and above all religious and/or God-dependent reasons.
In other words, why do we suffer? Why do we feel pain? Why do we travel through this life in the first place if the only point is to live forever elsewhere?

eh

This is an age old question of what the meaning of existence is. So far, no human being has been able to provide an answer, and this includes all major religions. Maybe that is because there is no point to existence at all?

Amos

The short answer here is "To be is not to be" and if you disagree with this you are here for the wrong purpose, for to be of no purpose is really to be of purpose (I am that I am).

It is also for this reason that there cannot be a human answer to your question and if the answer is provided by the Church the human mind cannot comprehend it. So you are correct that the question remains unanswered for human understanding.

tommyc

I think you've only got three options for the meaning of existence:

1) There is no meaning, it just is.

2) There is a simple/humanised meaning: i.e. to be happy, to colonise planets, to advance the human race, to transcend.

3) There is an ultimate meaning, something outside of the universe, such as the will of "God".


I'd go for 1), as the other two just complicate matters.

DVF

Who cares?

I need my life to have value, not meaning.

Keith Russell

Greetings:

Heaven is exactly like where you are right now, only much, much better.
--Laurie Anderson.

Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.
--David Byrne.

Keith.

dostf

Cyberiad:

This life is for the human being to live the truth that they are....