Does believing in god or a higher power give your life meaning?

While meditating earlier for the first time in a few months I came across this idea. The idea was that by believing in god or a higher power it gives my life purpose and meaning that I have not been able to find in other ways. By believing in a supreme good and evil in the world I've been able to give more of myself to this higher cause.

This isn't dependent on a specific religion or cause. To me this isn't the point. The point is that by believing in a greater good it defines a purpose for me to apply myself to in a way that contributes to this greater good.

Article

"Close relationships provide human beings with a sense of meaning because (they) are fundamentally social creatures," Jung said, discussing relationships with family and friends. "That relationship can extend to relationships between humans and the Divine."

I personally seek a relationship with a higher order of intelligence. To me this divinity is not humanistic in nature but derived of pure love and intelligence. Something unimaginable and unrelatable to the human form and understanding.

This divine being intelligence is is a greater mind that we all exist within. We are and it is the mind. A mental construct capable of all potential possibilities and outcomes.

a reply to: toysforadults

I think for some it gives purpose, for others hope that their following of the book will reserve them a spot at the pearly gates, some may also find salvation during their darkest times.

But in my opinion most follow religion for hopes of a afterlife.

I don't see how believing in "Something unimaginable and unrelatable to the human form and understanding" would give my life more meaning. Look at the words you used there: "unimaginable" and "unrelatable" and therefore your life has more meaning? Sorry, but that has no meaning for me at all.

a reply to: toysforadults

For me it does. I consider myself a fragment of a higher soul. I'm here to experience, bringing that experience to the higher self/soul.

Having kids also brings a purpose to life, it's a different type of purpose but it hits you hard once you have kids.

a reply to: toysforadults

You might be interested in this book.
www.goodreads.com...

Its a hard read but if you can get through it,its pretty interesting.

I have read Man's Search For Meaning also when I was young man,and it was one of those books I have never forgot.

a reply to: toysforadults

publicly, I would consider myself as agnostic... But maybe if I was being honest and looked a little deeper, I'd probably consider myself as reasonably optimistic that a greater good & evil does in fact exist.

Either way though, I can't say that I feel it gives my existence more meaning one way or the other... At the end of the day.

I do believe there is a God, a higher power or whatever people wish to call the creator of all things. I find it strange that our existence wouldn't have a purpose or meaning. So many things to ponder and try to understand. There is far more to life than we could ever imagine here and now in this physical form.

a reply to: toysforadults

I would say that believing in a higher power reflects a human desire to be better than one is. We all make mistakes (some say that is the definition of "being human") and those who regret those mistakes might be prone to follow a higher intelligence to help prevent future mistakes.

None of that should be interpreted to indicate any lack of faith in the fact that we do serve a Creator who is real and present. I do not believe there is a God; I know there is a God.

However, there is also an "us." We do experience psychological affects which emanate from our humanity. In that context, your meditative insights appear to me to be quite accurate.

TheRedneck

originally posted by: DrumsRfun
a reply to: toysforadults

You might be interested in this book.
www.goodreads.com...

Its a hard read but if you can get through it,its pretty interesting.

I have read Man's Search For Meaning also when I was young man,and it was one of those books I have never forgot.

interesting going to check it out, thanks

originally posted by: Night Star
I do believe there is a God, a higher power or whatever people wish to call the creator of all things. I find it strange that our existence wouldn't have a purpose or meaning. So many things to ponder and try to understand. There is far more to life than we could ever imagine here and now in this physical form.

I really like the meme.

I also agree that not having meaning would be, meaningless.

a reply to: TheRedneck

I would say that believing in a higher power reflects a human desire to be better than one is.

Interesting way of putting it.

I know there is a God.

So do I. Still unsure of what it is.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

greater good & evil does in fact exist.

that's where I'm at as well, unsure. But juxtapose to most religions I think unsure is ok.

a reply to: bluesjr

Having kids also brings a purpose to life, it's a different type of purpose but it hits you hard once you have kids.

I've heard almost everyone I know with kids that having them has brought them closer to similar conclusions as well. Maybe I'll find out, maybe I won't.

a reply to: toysforadults
It does for my sobriety.

a reply to: toysforadults

Still unsure of what it is.

He. Not in the sense of masculine, but rather in the sense of sentient.

Neither do I, and to be honest, I am satisfied in that ignorance. That's kind of a strange statement coming from someone who has never shied from knowledge, but maybe I am simply subconsciously awed sufficiently to realize my intellectual limits in this case.

Really, think about it: a simple blade of grass is a self-contained, self-replicating, solar-powered chemical factory that helps stabilize the very climate it depends on for proper operation. And we walk on it! We cut it down with high-powered machines! And still it not only continues to exist, it operates even better than before! Any intellect that can create something like that, something so vastly superior to anything our science can even conceive, is so far beyond our understanding to be incomprehensive.

A funny (IMO) story on that point: I was visiting a church once that my children were attending (I am not a church-goer by any means). A very nice woman, not recognizing me, came up and asked "Do you know where you will go after you die?"

I replied, matter-of-factly, "No."

She looked a bit shocked, then I continued: "I'm not smart enough to figure out all those details, so I let my travel agent handle it. You may have heard of Him; His name is Jesus. I can introduce you if you want."

The look on her face was priceless! Of course, now you know why I am not much of a church-goer...

TheRedneck

a reply to: toysforadults

I see many people who harbor the concepts of god in order to keep themselves on “the right track”. They like to think something is watching everyone and keeping score.

a reply to: TheRedneck

Neither do I, and to be honest, I am satisfied in that ignorance. That's kind of a strange statement coming from someone who has never shied from knowledge, but maybe I am simply subconsciously awed sufficiently to realize my intellectual limits in this case.

I find that not knowing is better than knowing in most cases for your personal growth both spiritually and intellectually.

Really, think about it: a simple blade of grass is a self-contained, self-replicating, solar-powered chemical factory that helps stabilize the very climate it depends on for proper operation. And we walk on it! We cut it down with high-powered machines! And still it not only continues to exist, it operates even better than before! Any intellect that can create something like that, something so vastly superior to anything our science can even conceive, is so far beyond our understanding to be incomprehensive.

I agree that nature itself is the most evident source of validation of the idea of a superior form of intellect in the universe. nature itself is incredibly smart, therefor one can infer that there is a source of intelligence for nature as there us

I was raised in the church and have had several experiences involving Jesus and demons and things like this but I can't tell what's a mental construct and what's not.

I also believe in God without following a specific religious dogma. I find a belief in a higher power is instrumental to me feeling good about myself and life in general.

a reply to: TheRedneck

Exactly how I would explain my Faith in Jesus.

Everywhere I look in nature I see proof, and I am content knowing that I can not know it all.

I'm not a fan of organized religion either.

a reply to: toysforadults

I find that not knowing is better than knowing in most cases for your personal growth both spiritually and intellectually.

I am the kind of person who has always sought out knowledge in everything I approach in life. That said, in the context of this thread, I make the following comment and will drop it at that: "Be careful what you ask for; you might just get it."

I agree that nature itself is the most evident source of validation of the idea of a superior form of intellect in the universe. nature itself is incredibly smart, therefor one can infer that there is a source of intelligence for nature as there us

As an electrical research engineer, I can fully attest to that statement. The deeper one searches in nature, the more obvious a sentient Creator becomes.

I was raised in the church and have had several experiences involving Jesus and demons and things like this but I can't tell what's a mental construct and what's not.

Hahaha... they're all mental constructs. We are incapable of understanding the mind of God. Thus, everything we receive is in the form of a mental construct.

That does not make it any less 'real,' nor any less "of God" or "of the devil." Very little of what we think comes completely from us; it is the result of whisperings going on spiritually around us. We simply interpret those whisperings into our own mental language, via mental constructs. The best way I have personally found to determine which "side" things come from is to follow a basic premise: All good comes from God, and all bad comes from the devil. God may allow bad things to happen to those who have faith, but He will also turn that bad to greater good when He does so.

Example: one's car might break down... that's a bad thing. But when getting the car repaired, one might also avoid a fatal accident later on, or one might meet someone that helps them prosper in life. The breakdown came from the devil, allowed by God to create greater good for the recipient.

Works for me, anyway.

TheRedneck