N0003
Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living . . .” This is a meaning of life test. It is designed to help an earnest seeker of meaning and of purpose think about the “deep things” of life. If you have no care to understand the meaning of life, if you have no desire to think, then this test is not for you. I most regrettably must leave you in your mindlessness to face eternity by yourself. It is my deepest desire that you examine your beliefs. Are they consistent? Do they make sense? Are your beliefs universally true for all people, or do they only work for you? We hope this test will encourage you to seek the answer to these questions.
DIRECTIONS:
The Meaning of Life Test has four sections, each with ten questions. The sections are: 1) Why you believe what you believe, 2) What you believe about God and the universe, 3) What you believe about good, evil, and suffering, 4) What you believe about religion.
Think very carefully about the following statements. Take note of how each statement relates to the others. Write a “T” beside the following statements you believe are true, and an “F” beside those statements you believe are false. Some of the statements will seem very strange to you. If you do not understand a statement, think harder about it. If you still do not understand, move on to the next statement and return to the difficult one later. When you are finished with the test, place a question mark next to those statements that you did not understand (only after you are absolutely sure you do not understand the statement). You are free to go back and change any answer while taking the test. You are taking a test dealing with issues mankind has wrestled with since the beginning. Answer the questions for yourself, not what you think other people believe. Remember, “If you seek, you shall find . . . .”
ENJOY!
Tags: meaning of life; self-examination; beliefs and truth; rational inquiry; purpose
N0004
Section 1: Why You Believe What You Believe
1. Man does not live by bread alone (life is more than birth, food, sleep, work, reproduction, entertainment, and death).
2. Man’s deepest need in life is for meaning and purpose.
3. As rational beings, we must understand life in order to have meaning and purpose.
4. Beliefs about life cannot be justified as true through emotions, personal feelings, or intuition.
5. Faith should not be based on emotions or intuition.
6. A belief must have meaning if it is to be understood as true.
7. Reason is necessary to understand meaning.
8. One cannot have faith in a belief without using reason.
9. Meaning must be clear (all who seek can know).
10. If meaning is clear, then unbelief is without excuse.
Tags: belief and justification; reason and faith; meaning and truth; epistemology; clarity and unbelief
N0005
Section 2: What You Believe About God and the Universe
1. There are no uncaused events in the universe (being cannot come from non-being, existence cannot come from non-existence).
2. It is clear that at least something must be eternal (something has existed forever with no beginning).
3. What is eternal must be: self-explaining, self-maintaining, self-existing.
4. The universe is not: self-explaining, self-maintaining, self-existing.
5. It is clear that the universe is not eternal.
6. If my soul were eternal, it would be self-explaining, self-maintaining, self-existing.
7. It is clear that my soul is not eternal.
8. It is clear that God created what is not eternal.
9. If God created the universe, then nothing happens by chance (life did not evolve; everything created has been designed).
10. It is clear from what God has made and how he directs history that he is just, holy, and good.
Tags: eternality and causation; nature of God; creation and universe; necessity of being; design and providence
N0006
Section 3: What You Believe About God, Evil, and Suffering
1. Our feelings and actions come from our beliefs about what is good.
2. What is good is based on what is true (real/eternal).
3. What is good is the knowledge of God, our Creator.
4. What is not good is denying our nature as rational beings to avoid seeing and believing what is clear.
5. Denial of our rational nature leads to a meaningless life.
6. Moral evil is rooted in unbelief in God, our Creator.
7. Unbelief in God leads to immoral feelings and actions.
8. Natural evil (suffering from toil, strife, sickness, old age, and death) is caused and/or allowed by God.
9. God did not create the world with natural evil, but has imposed it on creation for a good purpose.
10. Suffering and death draw us to think about life.
Tags: moral evil and unbelief; natural evil and suffering; nature of the good; rational nature of man; problem of evil
N0007
Section 4: What You Believe About Religion
1. Natural evil is God’s call to us to turn from moral evil.
2. If God is just, he will punish moral evil.
3. God’s calling us to turn from moral evil shows he is merciful.
4. Only by special revelation can we know how God can be both just and merciful.
5. Special revelation (God’s revealing himself to man through special means) can originate only from God.
6. Special revelation must be consistent with what is known about God from his creation.
7. Of all the religious books, only the Bible is special revelation.
8. Only the Bible reveals how God can be both just and justifier (forgive us).
9. Only through faith in Jesus Christ’s death can God’s justice be satisfied and our moral evil forgiven.
10. There is no other way to approach God apart from Christ’s death.
Tags: special revelation; justice and mercy of God; authority of Scripture; salvation through Christ; exclusivity of Christ
Editor’s note: Papers N0003–N0007 are grouped together as part of “The Meaning of Life Test.” Copyright c. 1989.
For further reading, consult the list of other publications by Dr. Gangadean.
View the original papers: