What's our purpose in life? and How can we achieve it?
These are Common questions whose answers may be Obvious.
| Observations By Robert Fabio--- | Email Robert |
Here in the U.S.A., our industry, prosperity, and military prowess give many the impression that God is on our side. However, what we should consider is:
Are we on God's side?This country has been blessed by vast natural resources, industrious people and a Constitution granting us freedoms many of which are still not available elsewhere. In our brief 230 year history we've come a long way from a bankrupted confederation of 13 colonies to the richest world super power. It's no wonder some think we have God's blessing. But, let us not make the same mistake every world and/or super power in history has made, by neglecting history and the needs of its people each was weakened internally resulting in their eventual destruction. America, remember that although there's much for God to love, in many ways we disappoint God.
In his "Study of History" Arnold Toynbee writes that nations have followed simular patterns from their genesis, through growth, prosperity, prominence and eventual decline. The Roman empire with it's 1000 year cycle was one of the longest cycle, the Third Reich one of the shortest. Therefore, let us not ignore history, let's not allow history to repeat itself. There are two paths Humanity can follow, one uses its capacity for charity and benevolence, the other uses its capacity to destroy and thus making this humanity's last change for survival. This essay is intended to reaffirm the correct path, the one that our creator has repeatedly illuminated for us.
Anyone who follows current events has to conclude that we are on the road to destruction, we are faced with many problems each of which have strong opposing resolutions. In the past 40 years we have been united once, that was on Sept. 12, 2001, when we universally wanted revenge. Since then, we have lost focus, restored our petty divisiveness, and continued down the wrong path. We have consistently allowed our leadership to fail us because, we have lost control government. As a society we are incapable making decisions based on problem solving. We are in a process of self destruction, arguing over issues which should command obvious solutions.
As individuals we're not perfect, but even knowing our short comings, we still resist change. There's something in our psychic that prevents accepting or even considering alternate points of view. We are programmed to resist change. Living our lives based on faulty-mental programming, refusing to acknowledge the possibility of being wrong, we blindly continueon the wrong path, on the path to destruction.
An alien studying our society's problems would have difficulty understanding our failure to find solutions thus freeing our resources to handle the more critical issues. We are in the grips of a conspiracy of ignorance. That same alien may also assume from our rhetoric that our God approves of our lives, and to verify this that observer would study the basis or our beliefs, the holy Scriptures. After comparing the Scriptures to our lives, the observer would most likely conclude differently, our God couldn't possibly approve. We are fooling ourselves!
In reading the Bible, that alien would probably conclude it to be a guidebook, with the purpose to lead us to a better world. Simply put the Bible teaches us to "be fruitful and multiply," Ge 1:28. Then, if the scriptures are a guidebook to convert our world into a paradise for all, then we are definately failing.
During the five thousand years of recorded history, Scriptures show God made several attempts to guide humanity onto the right path and for several brief periods, humanity complied. However, human nature and memory being what they are, few managed to stay on that path. In fact, the Bible predicts that the "path to righteousness is narrow" and few will follow it, while most will find the path to "destruction is broad and easy to follow." Mat 7:13-14
Despite our knowledge of the scriptures, why is there still so much suffering and evil? The easy answer is to blame Satan as the leader of a conspiracy of evil. But what or who is Satan, or the Anti Christ. Was it Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden? Does Satan even exists? Was Satan man's invention, man's scapegoat? If the Anti Christ exist who is he? Obviously there are as many opinions on religion as there are people. There're even arguments questioning the very existence of God. These of Satan vs God questions will never be answered to everyone's satisfaction, but there's another approach. Let's avoid the debate whether God exists but instead let us debate a question we can answer: How should we live our lives? There are four basic possibilities or scenarios each having different outcomes. From these basic examples we can reasonably conclude that living our lives as if God exists, and following the scriptures, a paradise on earth is possible.
However the scriptures tend to be complex as is our society. Our lives, our work, science and politics are all complex, but the Scriptures should not be complex. By reading and extracting some Scriptural gems, one can generate a simpler understanding. For instance, when reading the Ten Commandments, Ex20, many assume their purpose is a key to Heaven or everlasting life. Another purpose can be derived by performing a mental exercise. Playing the Devil's advocate, imagine or invent a world based on ten-anti-commandments. In such a world we find lawlessness, violence, murder, greed, substance abuse, broken families, infidelity, pain and suffering. Obviously without a belief in God or the Ten Commandments the world would be evermore Evil. Then we must conclude that the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to help create a world of love and prosperity, societies living in harmony with nature, in peaceful coexistence or what is implied in the Bible Ge1:28 "be fruitful and become many."
However, even with knowledge of the Ten Commandments we haven't succeeded in our worldly purpose. With our growing ability to destroy lives and the environment, we may be approaching a point of no return, beyond which we can't undo the damage. Lets not be fooled, for although, we have become many, and many have become fruitful, many times more live oppressed lives in poverty. We are affecting our environment in ways not totally understood. We have not come close to achieving God's purpose for us.
Therefore, if knowledge the Ten Commandments haven't completely worked, why haven't they? Is something missing, are we missing something. Can't we see the forest for the trees? Just as parents gradually educate their young, history and the Scriptures show God has made repeated attempts to complete our education Even with these repeated attempts humanity still hasn't gotten it. Therefore, assuming missing Commandments, a study the Scriptures should disclose them. Let us take another broader look at what was written, and possibly a more complete list or The 15 Commandments.