Why are you still here?

[Canuck]

I have often read and heard people asking non-believers how they can live in a world without a god. They ask: what purpose is there for living without a benevolent deity watching over us? I am not asking your opinion on this, but I did want to point this question out so that I can turn it on its head. I have often wondered, 'if Christians really, truly believe in a heaven, and they believe that they are going to be with their god and Jesus when they die, then what is preventing them from leaving this material world to be in heaven?' So, I am wondering what your thoughts are. Why are you still here? What is preventing you from joining your god in heaven? (For argument's sake, please do not use "suicide is a mortal sin" as an answer unless you can point to the passage in the Bible that expressly forbids this. And no, the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" does not apply because otherwise anybody who has ever killed anything [including bacteria or insects] would be damned to hell.)

I'm sorry if this question is offensive or too personal. It is not meant to be. I am truly curious as to what your answers will be because I have a feeling they will be similar to non-believers' answers about why we choose to remain living in a world without a deity. :)

 

[tomwebster]

I have often read and heard people asking non-believers how they can live in a world without a god. They ask: what purpose is there for living without a benevolent deity watching over us? I am not asking your opinion on this, but I did want to point this question out so that I can turn it on its head. I have often wondered, 'if Christians really, truly believe in a heaven, and they believe that they are going to be with their god and Jesus when they die, then what is preventing them from leaving this material world to be in heaven?' So, I am wondering what your thoughts are. Why are you still here? What is preventing you from joining your god in heaven? (For argument's sake, please do not use "suicide is a mortal sin" as an answer unless you can point to the passage in the Bible that expressly forbids this. And no, the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" does not apply because otherwise anybody who has ever killed anything [including bacteria or insects] would be damned to hell.)

I'm sorry if this question is offensive or too personal. It is not meant to be. I am truly curious as to what your answers will be because I have a feeling they will be similar to non-believers' answers about why we choose to remain living in a world without a deity. :)

You sound like you have read some portion of Scripture without understanding what you are reading. That is understandable because Scripture is more than a book or a novel. Scripture is the living Word of God and their needs to be a relationship with God to understand His Word. The commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" is a case in point. The word "kill" is murder, lying in wait to take someone’s life. The word is not "kill" like we use it in war, etc.

Suicide is self-murder. God has a plan for all of His children, you included, and we are not to short circuit His plan.

And it is totally your choice to live any way you want. We will both see how that works out for you.

 

[aspen]

Humanity was created to love. Despite the fact that we were created good, we sinned by deciding to take on the added responsibilities of determining good and evil - and our world has suffered greatly from our primitive, dualistic pattern of passing judgment and forming useless opinions about every thing that passes before our eyes, ever since A&E were kicked out of the Garden. I am still here because God is continuing to teach me how to become fully human once more, by re-learning how to love Him and other people fully. One of the added lessons we are learning is the highest form of love, forgiveness - a lesson we would have never learned if Christ did not forgive us first.

 

[th1b.taylor]

I have often read and heard people asking non-believers how they can live in a world without a god. They ask: what purpose is there for living without a benevolent deity watching over us? I am not asking your opinion on this, but I did want to point this question out so that I can turn it on its head. I have often wondered, 'if Christians really, truly believe in a heaven, and they believe that they are going to be with their god and Jesus when they die, then what is preventing them from leaving this material world to be in heaven?' So, I am wondering what your thoughts are. Why are you still here? What is preventing you from joining your god in heaven? (For argument's sake, please do not use "suicide is a mortal sin" as an answer unless you can point to the passage in the Bible that expressly forbids this. And no, the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" does not apply because otherwise anybody who has ever killed anything [including bacteria or insects] would be damned to hell.)

I'm sorry if this question is offensive or too personal. It is not meant to be. I am truly curious as to what your answers will be because I have a feeling they will be similar to non-believers' answers about why we choose to remain living in a world without a deity. :)

First of all there is nothing offensive about your question and it will not be offensive to any follower of the LORD! The very next thing is that if you really wish for honest dialog you do not tell anyone to play by your rules. Although you may not like this it is still true that the implication is that if we don play by your rules you´ll take you football and go home... bad form!

So lets go to the very thing that you have ¨ruled" out. The Commandment translated incorrectly for todays English was the correct translation for the 1611 English but with society changing the proper usage of so many words over the past 400 years, in English today it reads You will not Murder. That is exactly what it says in the Hebrew that it was originally written in and suicide is indeed the murder of self! So, as anyone can see that is a valid reason and if you are going to argue scripture you have a good deal of study to put in. At the present it has been twenty-one years in that endeavor as of the moment.

But let´s move on and give you my answer to your question. The passage from Exodus 20 reads 13 “You shall not murder.¨ in the WEB and although suicide is a forgivable sin you cannot repent of it before you go to Heaven. Repentance is to be completed before you go Home or a person does loose reward and position in Heaven. For myself that, however is not even an issue, I am a minor son of God, the King and that makes me a Minor Prince and there are expectations of Royalty. (You have no way of knowing this so Iĺl tell you here that I am in the final stage of MS and I am on Maintenance.)

So here I am a child of the King, by adoption, teaching and preaching from my wheelchair and my electric scooter. Now you know I´m adopted but I also was purchased with a price, the death of the Christ on the cross. That makes me a Bond Slave. As a bond slave it is my duty and my obligation to do my Master´s will and it is not His will that I die yet. Now that puts a degree of light on the matter but let´s go a little deeper. There is nothing I desire on this earth more than to go Home, you might say that I´m ready for what you call death and what I call transitioning. If the LORD punches my ticket before I finish this reply... thatś fine, I´m homesick even though I´ve never been there!

 

[goodshepard55]

Ahhh.....good question canuck...I am with my Father in heaven...I walk with Him daily...He is with me, in me and around me....I do not need to leave the earth to be in heaven...For heaven is within my heart....I already reside in the eternal with Him

 

[aspen]

Ahhh.....good question canuck...I am with my Father in heaven...I walk with Him daily...He is with me, in me and around me....I do not need to leave the earth to be in heaven...For heaven is within my heart....I already reside in the eternal with Him

This statement is orthodox.

 

[WhiteKnuckle]

I'm still here as many have pointed out, because God apparently wants me here. When I die it will be my appointed time. And that's when God decides.

I do actually believe that I will go to heaven to be with Jesus for eternity.

I did try to end my life many years ago, but I survived. I'm very glad I did too!

I've got a beautiful wife and 2 beautiful kids. I enjoy living my life. I enjoy the challenges, I enjoy the friendships, I enjoy the family, and all the other things life has to offer.

I view life as a gift and I'm greatful for it. Believing in God is a bonus. He provides all the things I need and enjoy and helps me through the things that I don't enjoy so much.

It seems like it would be better to just die and be in heaven. God would take care of my family I'm sure of that. But, I want to be with them in this life as long as possible. I believe God is with me and within me. So, Heaven is subjective, since we are already promised eternity when we die, why should it start only then?


The whole "thou shall not kill" deal, is not about insects or animals. God gave them for us to use. (I'll provide scripture if needed for that). Christians do not put animals and humans as the same. Human life is higher than animals. Look even Jesus killed fish and ate them. God demanded sacrifice of animals for sins in the past. Christians are supposed to be good stuards and care for their livestock and not treat animals badly.

Suicide,,,,some believe it will send you to hell, some believe it wont. But, Suicide is a cowards way out. Believe it or not though, there will be people who have murdered in heaven. Just like there will be preachers in hell.

 

[Prentis]

I have often read and heard people asking non-believers how they can live in a world without a god. They ask: what purpose is there for living without a benevolent deity watching over us? I am not asking your opinion on this, but I did want to point this question out so that I can turn it on its head. I have often wondered, 'if Christians really, truly believe in a heaven, and they believe that they are going to be with their god and Jesus when they die, then what is preventing them from leaving this material world to be in heaven?' So, I am wondering what your thoughts are. Why are you still here? What is preventing you from joining your god in heaven? (For argument's sake, please do not use "suicide is a mortal sin" as an answer unless you can point to the passage in the Bible that expressly forbids this. And no, the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" does not apply because otherwise anybody who has ever killed anything [including bacteria or insects] would be damned to hell.)

I'm sorry if this question is offensive or too personal. It is not meant to be. I am truly curious as to what your answers will be because I have a feeling they will be similar to non-believers' answers about why we choose to remain living in a world without a deity. :)

Hi Canuck, I'm new and I'm not sure what you believe and what the history is on this site... But I'll just throw my two cents in there anyways :)

I don't believe you can do what you want and end up in heaven and I don't believe just 'being christian' by beliefs gets you to heaven.

I am here because I have a race to run. To me, God has called me to leave my old life for his and become like him... And I haven't made it yet! I'm not like Jesus yet. I still have a king to attain and become like! I live here so that I can 'die' so to speak and take on HIS life. But that doesn't take a physical death.

The idea that as long as we are on this earth we can't be free from the power of the flesh and the grips of it is NOT christian, it's Neo-platonic.

We live here to serve the Lord and obey Him. If the Lord wants me here and I decide to leave, I am disobedient and can expect no reward.

 

[HammerStone]

Simple answer to this question, and it's summed up by saying: it's not about me.

I think the kill/murder topic has been covered. Another simple proof is this:

I Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

That's a pretty strong statement that I don't even think all Christians get all the time. You don't knock the temple of God down, and the destruction of something is never glorified, unless it be the ideal of self sacrifice, which is the pattern Jesus set for us. (And that is what goes back to the answer to your question.)

 

[Canuck]

Thanks for all the replies. I have not finished reading the Bible and I did not mean for this to be a scriptural debate. I only mentioned suicide because I wanted replies other than the commandment against killing. Like I stated in my original post, "For argument's sake...": i.e. let's just put that particular notion aside for the sake of this discussion. I just wanted to see what a Christian's perspective was on why believers choose to live because I have heard it asked of non-believers many times.

 

[Robbie]

I believe the most important thing about life is relationships... relationship with God... relationships with people... and relationship with nature... I believe this is what I was created for... and that's all here... and now what I really want is for those relationships to be on earth as they are in heaven... I know a lot of people want to just die and go to heaven... but I would love to experience living in God's Kingdom and Will on earth as it is in heaven... as Jesus told us to pray...

 

[aspen]

I believe the most important thing about life is relationships... relationship with God... relationships with people... and relationship with nature... I believe this is what I was created for... and that's all here... and now what I really want is for those relationships to be on earth as they are in heaven... I know a lot of people want to just die and go to heaven... but I would love to experience living in God's Kingdom and Will on earth as it is in heaven... as Jesus told us to pray...

The gospel, pure and simple! Awesome!

 

[Happy Forever]

Thanks for all the replies. I have not finished reading the Bible and I did not mean for this to be a scriptural debate. I only mentioned suicide because I wanted replies other than the commandment against killing. Like I stated in my original post, "For argument's sake...": i.e. let's just put that particular notion aside for the sake of this discussion. I just wanted to see what a Christian's perspective was on why believers choose to live because I have heard it asked of non-believers many times.

I feel you and understand your point.
You are right. If there is no god, why do we live? If there is a god and the other life is better than this, why do we live now or in more frank words "why are we still here?" exactly as you say!

I asked myself before you and found the answer.

What is god? Is there a god? Must there be a god?

Before answering this, there is a prior question:

Who is god?

To answer this there is a prior question:

How am I existed?

After answering these all, for sure you will have the answer of your hard question "Why are we still here?".

How am I existed?

Or in other words, who makes this organization and creation and grants me life? Not me or anyone on earth participated in creating me or in being alive now not even myself who orders my heart to beat then it beats or I order my eyes to see, then they see or order my ears to hear then they hear.

The must be The One Who created me and gives me life and grants me with countless graces surrounded me.

The must be The Creator........(this is the first step to the complete truth)

The Creator created my merciful, with mind, grateful, kind, just, all these traits are in side our heart by nature as a lion and eagle feed their babies out of natural mercy.
My natural sense of gratitude makes me thank my creator for His greatness and limitless mercy.

The Creator is The God......(the second step to the complete truth)

Who is The God?

The word "god" means "who is worshipped" and worshipping means to glorify and praise and thanking your creator is glorification and praise so naturally we know our creator and naturally we admit Him The God by naturally worshipping (thanking him).

The answer of your question now is changed to "why are we created"?

The One Who grants us mind is the creator of minds, The One Who grants us eyes, is the creator of sight. The One Who grants us ears, is the creator of hearing.
Can The One be mindless, blind or deaf?

Our minds stopped here and and our nature which is His made can do no more, so He shall tell us the answer of your question because He is Merciful (He actually told us).

This great universe is not in vain, WE ARE HERE FOR A PURPOSE.

 

[danicachristian]

Ahhh.....good question canuck...I am with my Father in heaven...I walk with Him daily...He is with me, in me and around me....I do not need to leave the earth to be in heaven...For heaven is within my heart....I already reside in the eternal with Him

You said it all. Totally righteous. :)