I’d like to hear your answers to these questions:
Do things happen for a reason?
Or is the universe just random?
And if it’s random does that somehow undercut the moral beliefs and religious structures of people living on earth? Or not?
If it’s random, do humans have free will? Or are we making decisions based on random, uncontrollable circumstances?
But if it’s not random… THEN do we have free will? Or is everything already destined to happen?
:help:
What do you mean by “a reason”?
Oh, sorry, my bad.
For example, if something catastrophically bad happens to you, do you take comfort in the fact that there was some reason behind it? I.e. you did something bad at some point, and this is karma’s way of paying you back for it? Or is it because God/a god/some higher power is in charge of the universe and decided it had to happen that way, even though you’re not responsible for it in any way, and perhaps later you will come to understand Her reasons for doing it?
Or was it just a totally random chance, something that had no higher purpose, which is nevertheless still out of your control, and therefore it could be argued that there is no “reason” for it to happen, it simply happened?
Is there a point to why the world has evolved the way it has, up to this point, or has is just been a long series of coincidences?
Do you believe that coincidences can happen, or that there are no coincidences in this world?
Yes, things happen for a reason. Cause and effect.
You jump off a cliff, you plummet to your death. The reason for your death is that you jumped off a cliff and gravity pulled you to such a velocity that it destroyed your body upon impact with the ground.
OK, point taken. That’s what I tried to clarify in response to Tigerman.
In the example you cite of jumping off a cliff and falling to your death, was that your own choice you made freely? Or did a higher power have a reason for you to do that at this point in history?
Did you choose, of your own free will, to fling yourself off? Or was this action the natural result of an uncontrollable chain of events set in motion before you were born?
Sometimes you have to choose an empowering reason.
Some people see a reason for them having a certain affliction.
Intense pain and suffering is sometimes required to yield superior products or results.
Sand has to pass through fire before it becomes glass.
Wood has to be cut down, sawn, planed and sandpapered before it can be turned into a beautiful piece of furniture.
Clay has to go through the kiln before it becomes pottery.
The problem is that sometimes we give up before the process is done and we go through 90% of the trial without seeing the results.
I like Melvin Udall’s (Jack Nicklson) response to a cleaning woman who suggested it was “gods will” the flatmate had the crap beaten out of him (movie: as good as it gets).
“Where do they teach you to talk like this? In some Panama City “Sailor wanna hump-hump” bar, or is it getaway day and your last shot at his whiskey? Sell crazy someplace else, we’re all stocked up here.”
What Jack said. 
:bravo: 
Just remember, Newton’s third law.
Yes, things happen for a reason, but only because humans can discover a reason or apparent cause for just about any darn thing that happens to them or that they see happening.
You can make this entire question easier by just saying “Do you have a religion or superstition”.
I don’t. Therefore the reason my grandmother died is that she had grown very old and was lonely without my grandfather. The reason my grandfather died was that a blood vessle in his brain had grown weak with age. The reason my mother’s parents died is that they smoked for too many years. The reason I lost my last job is that they were able to find someone younger and cheaper. The reason I am getting fat is that I am getting older and not eating as well.
[quote=“FrankInTaipei”]Oh, sorry, my bad.
For example, if something catastrophically bad happens to you, do you take comfort in the fact that there was some reason behind it? I.e. you did something bad at some point, and this is karma’s way of paying you back for it? Or is it because God/a god/some higher power is in charge of the universe and decided it had to happen that way, even though you’re not responsible for it in any way, and perhaps later you will come to understand Her reasons for doing it? [/quote]
No.
Yes.
what could be the point? for any possible point you could imagine, it will be equally possible to ask what the point of that is.
It seems that quite a few people believe that “being religious” necessarily entails a simplistic view of a higher power controlling everything and actions not having results. I can understand why people who believe this aren’t keen on religion, though I feel that if they looked more deeply into the work of great thinkers from various religions they might be surprised.
For what it’s worth, I believe that actions have results, and that this is at the core of moral behaviour whether one is “religious” or not. We have the possibility as relatively privileged humans to make a difference. That might be on a very small, local scale (and I don’t necessarily mean the obvious stuff like charity work, great though that is of course), but it is still significant. It is up to us to what extent we make the most of this opportunity. I certainly haven’t made the most of all my opportunities in the past but I’m trying to do better and that’s all any of us can do. Trite but true.
As regards unhappy events and bad things happening: I think that religious practitioners should be careful in the extent to which they use their beliefs to try to comfort others in these situations. While deeply-considered beliefs on these issues can be helpful to practitioners of religion themselves, it is very easy for such beliefs to sound glib and uncaring to others. Perhaps it is better sometimes just to “be there”, and to offer what practical help is possible.