I don’t think survival was on the minds of those that fell on grenades, or those that risked their own lives to save others, not at all. Love was more powerful than fear of death to them.
“Greater love has no man than one who lays down his life for another.”
Do Muslims believe in nonsense? Or is it just Christians that believe in the good stuff. Japan is Buddhist and Shinto and has lower crime rates than the US. So does it matter if you believe in the true religion or is just believing in “something” OK. If the latter, and if atheism is really a religion as some claim, than is believing in atheism just as good as being a Christian?
The meaning of life is to live as one with each other and God, and to stop being a individual. To be totally intimate with everyone, to rejoice in children and to mentor them in the ways of the Lord, and to be mentored as we never stop being children of God, to explore the universe that God has created for His children and never stop being amazed in who we meet and what He has created for us. Adam and Eve accepted a form of death, which is separation from God and each other - the reason why so much pain is in the world, Jesus came to restore us to Him as one, this is what life truly is.
And what about the men that fragged their officers?
The OP hasn’t posted since wednesday. I don’t think he’s coming back.
Jesus? Allah? Buddha? Are we talking any Lord, or just your Lord?
Religion impels its followers to act morally, it does not compel them to do anything.
Everyone has free will, exercises his/her own choice on religious matters as well as other things.
OK, what about them? Different subject.
All religions teach good works, to love one another, doesn’t matter what you believe in, or not believe in, what matters is what you do. Learning to love one another is the goal, but the paths are many.
If you are asking me, I don’t have a Lord.
Not quite, there is no death, no original sin, we will not be punished for the sins of Adam and Eve. The ways of the Creator are the ways of love. We are to learn about them and try to do them. We grow spiritually as we do.
Too bad. I will have to just have a guess as to what he meant by:
He may well think that life on this earth is transient and short, compared with the everlasting afterlife that awaits. He may further think that afterlife can only be reached by faith alone, not deeds. (some denominations do think this way). Also, we know that he thinks that “Being ‘nice’, is not pleasurable” (direct quote).
I infer that he thinks the meaning of life is that we can do pretty much whatever we want here on earth. This would include any acts classified as “not being nice”, as that would seem to bring him pleasure. At some point in his life, he would need to accept Jesus as his personal saviour, and this will ensure him entry to an everlasting afterlife that is perfection itself.
So the meaning of life here in your temporary corporeal body is to have fun by being mean, and then repent at the last minute to get a reprieve so you can spend eternity in heaven.
At that time you will know - so no need to worry about it, which reminds me of this scripture:
Saul may not have known His name, but when it is the proper time they will all know their Lord.
Give him the full three days.
O.k., but I’ve got a pocket full of garlic and a wooden stake in hand, just in case.
Good call, Christian’s are all about the ‘back from the dead’, after all.
Saving others is about allowing those others to survive. How is that difficult for you to comprehend?
Yeah, but love is survival. A group of 50 organisms working together will have better protection from predators, better hunting/gathering skills, division of labor, better chances against competitors than a solitary individual.
And slightly increasing your own risk of dying does pay off because others return the favor. If you are predisposed to jump on a grenade to save your friends, then your friends are predisposed to jump on a grenade to save you too.
So it is fundamentally just collective survival. The drawbacks to the individual by love (pain, putting yourself at risk for others, etc) are smaller than the benefits (division of labor, better protection, better chances against competitors).
Thought we were talking about personal survival. How difficult is that for you to comprehend.
Why would you think someone would return a favor you gave them. We are talking about individuals not a bunch of robots. All individuals are unique, their behavior is unique, their thoughts are unique. You can’t assume how anyone would act under any circumstances.