Where Did It All Come From?
Cosmological Argument
The Grand Design
Teleological Argument
Nothing Greater Than
Ontological Argument
But Everyone Believes
Anthropological Argument
I Think, Therefore God Is
Cartesian Argument
An Amazing Thing Happened
Argument from Miracles
Goodbye Goodness
Moral Argument
What's Life All About?
Argument from Meaning
Did You Decide About Breakfast?
Argument from Free Will
The Argument from Meaning
Dear Andrea:
I have a simple question. What is life all about?
- Confused in Minot
Dear Confused:
Well, perhaps your question is not quite so simple.
What Andrea suspects you want to hear is that life is all about love, or truth or beauty, and while she finds no pleasure in sounding like an attorney, she feels compelled to point out to you that it depends.
While it is painful to state this so baldly, meaning in life depends upon whether you are willing to believe in God.
If you are not, Andrea fears you that while you may adopt love or truth or beauty as a personal statement about what your life is about, you will have to be content with realizing that your preference is no more meaningful than a preference for badminton, pistachio ice cream or, perhaps, crossword puzzles.
The reason for this is that what is meaningful to you may not be meaningful to someone else, and who will decide which preference represents true meaning?
If, however, you are willing to compose yourself and consider God, then you will find a kind of meaning that is not a mere personal preference.
While Andrea can sympathize with the democratic tone of her fellow countrymen, and while she hesitates to suggest that true meaning can only come from God, and not from the individual, it unfortunately cannot be otherwise.
For true meaning to exist, that meaning must be created by someone greater than yourself, your government, or even Andrea.
If this is the type of meaning you desire to find, we would suggest that this Sunday you dress properly but not ostentatiously, and present yourself at the appropriate hour at a godly church in your community. If you have chosen wisely, you will learn that, as you suspected, life truly is about love - love for God and then love for your fellow man.
Becoming a Christian
© Copyright 2002, Brad Haugaard.