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Viewing life as an experience, in which we are to aid one another toward a pleasant and enjoyable conclusion, would better suit us as a religious people.

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Both 1/2 full and 1/2 empty.

"Men are that they might have joy."

"If you think of this world as a place simply intended for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place for training and correction and it's not so bad." -CS Lewis

I don't buy the whole life as a test thing. The real question is why would God want or need to test us?

Boanerges wrote:I don't buy the whole life as a test thing. The real question is why would God want or need to test us?

Clearly you've never read scripture or you would know.

Further, why do "tests" even exist in this life? To demonstrate proficiency, worthiness, competence, skill, etc.
That's why. One doesn't inherit all the Father has, and live with him on his Right Hand, unless they are worthy to do so.

Boanerges wrote:I don't buy the whole life as a test thing. The real question is why would God want or need to test us?

As always, it depends how you define God.
If you consider God to be the most dysfunctional but most common picked definition, "tyrannical grandpa in the sky" then yes, it seems silly to think of our grandpa sitting up in the clouds with a clipboard and taking notes on everything we say and do.

However, if you think of God as in "God is love" or "the kingdom (realm/experience) of God is within you," then it makes sense that every one of us are testing ourselves, to see how much of our potential we will realize, or how we will find meaning and hope even in seemingly hopeless situations (ie Frankl's Mans Search For Meaning).

Amore wrote:
However, if you think of God as in "God is love" or "the kingdom (realm/experience) of God is within you," then it makes sense that every one of us are testing ourselves, to see how much of our potential we will realize, or how we will find meaning and hope even in seemingly hopeless situations (ie Frankl's Mans Search For Meaning).

To that end, wouldn't the ultimate test be enacting the saying from the old Humanist Manifesto of creating Heaven right here on Earth? To do so would show we have mastered our tendency to create a short, nasty, brutish, poor and solitary existence for one another.

Moksha,
the notion of "the kingdom of God within you" could be taken as self centered narcissism, but that's not how I see it.
I see it as striving for what's ideal, through trial and error (progress by both doubt and faith).
When really honest, we realize we're all connected so it's ideal to love others as well as ourselves.

Letting go of the "Life as Test" view was one of the best things I ever did.

Life is more meaningful as a common experience we all share.

just me wrote:Letting go of the "Life as Test" view was one of the best things I ever did.

Life is more meaningful as a common experience we all share.

And where will this "common experience" lead us to? Maybe into the Nirvana...? And what means "we all share" that common experience? What makes you sure we all share the same?

Without any higher challenges, without any detailled knowledge of a religious concept, we will stay stagnated, and stagnation means no hope, and no hope means the spiritial death - undoubtly the real death.

Okay - come on. No proof against it.

passenger wrote:

just me wrote:Letting go of the "Life as Test" view was one of the best things I ever did.

Life is more meaningful as a common experience we all share.

And where will this "common experience" lead us to? Maybe into the Nirvana...? And what means "we all share" that common experience? What makes you sure we all share the same?

Without any higher challenges, without any detailled knowledge of a religious concept, we will stay stagnated, and stagnation means no hope, and no hope means the spiritial death - undoubtly the real death.

Okay - come on. No proof against it.

I'm writing to you first because you're from Germany (on the slight chance you may be one of my German friends) and 2nd because I'm curious about this discussion. :)

I don't see how "life is a test" is NOT a common experience.
Our bodies alone, are up against a lot of odds from the beginning.
Human experience is a common experience.
Spiritual experience may also be as quantum entanglement and Leibniz's monadology & other theories suggest.

I think we need some group thought as a base.
I use Mormon teachings as a spring board - but a lot of stubborn members use it as cement walls with barbed wire on top.