Well maybe that's because you're young?  When you get older, maybe it won't seem so absurd afterall? 

I remember when I was young and in school and the teacher would say that at the end of the semester we would have to pass in a lengthy report on a given subject.  She would then go on to give us the criteria that had to be met which involved quite a bit of research and resources.  I would get right on it and finish it well before it was due.  Some thought that was absurd.  They would wait until the last moment barely getting it in on time.  Since mine was done so early, I had much more time to relax (and enjoy life) and perfect it if I thought of or saw something that pertained to this report worth adding.  Needless to say I always got A's on my reports. 

Do you see where I'm heading here?  The physical world is a picture of the spiritual.  We are both physical and spiritual people.  Why do so many take care of the physical and emotional side of things but totally neglect the spiritual until too late?

but that's not why the wars and pain are caused.  They are caused by man's selfishness, pride and arrogance.  It really has nothing to do with the afterlife.  Some have caused war in the name of God disguising the real fact that it was power and greed that really drove them to this. 

kfc posts:

Exactly. We have a physical body and an eternal, immortal soul (spirit).

S&JT WRITES:

It's not an absurdity when you consider that our physical death happens just before our eternal life begins. The physical body remains in the grave while our spritual soul is immediately judged and sent to everlasting life in Heaven or Hell.  

So, it seems to me that spending our life preparing for our death is a prudent, most wise thing to do.  

double post...

Because it isn't true. It's foolish and nonsencical to accept something that isn't true. 

But there is a purpose for our existence....everything that is created has an end for which it was made.

Think about it. The end of a clock is to keep time and the end of a pen is to write. Then ask yourself, for what purpose was humankind made and if we discover that, we'll know his end. Look around, everything has a purpose or an end. What was man made for....anything in the world? The answer is clearly no.

We see all classes or beings were created for something higher than themselves. For example, the soil is made for plants to grow for animals and us to feed upon and from this we can easily see that everything in the world was made to serve something else. Plants are higher than soil because they have life and soil does not, animals are higher than plants because they have life and can feel and plants cannot. Man is higher than animals because he has reason and intelligence and an eternal soul  and can understand while animals cannot.

There must be something higher than man himself but there is nothing higher than him in the world so we must look beyond to find that for which he was made. And looking beyond and considering all things, we find man was made for Almighty God...to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this short life's journey to be with Him in the eternal next.

You ask

It's called happiness and the only way to be happy, I mean really happy is to serve the purpose or existence for which we are made...to serve our end...Who is God Almighty....live this short earthly life knowing, loving and serving God through faith, hope and charity, that is love of God and our neighbor for His sake, and we'll be happy .......simply enjoy being alive and then

SUPERNATURALLY HAPPY IN THE NEXT.

That's the ticket my dear.

My philosophy:

Live this life the very best you can as if it was your last, because no one can be unequivocally true that there is a life after death; essentially - Live, laugh, love, and make a difference.

and no one can be "unequivocally true" that there isn't a life after death.  So who's better prepared?  Hmmmmm?

It could be a matter of life and death.  Wouldn't it be better to err on the side of life than death? 

It's my belief that if your heart is true, then there is nothing to worry about. That beign said, my comment still stands:

but it's not YOUR belief that matters. 

God makes up the rules.  You don't. 

It's not about you.  It's all about Him. 

In your belief system that is so.

Neither is it yours, KFC. You're not getting it. Though I realize that you justifiably cannot approach most matters (topics) in an entirely different mindset since you have your set beliefs that govern your world - it would be nice to have you understand what I'm saying. '

You just flat out do not understand differences of belief sets.

oh yes  I do, because I went from you to me to some degree.  So I've been where you are. 

You're playing the game with your own made up rules.  I'm just telling you that it's not our rules that count.  You can use your own rules if you want.  But be warned, you will be thrown out of the game by the official sooner or later.  It doesn't matter if you point to your own rules or not.  It's not your rules (nor mine) that matter.

You didn't make up this game of life.  God did.  It's his game and his rules that count. 

"Since our world community is so very vast and diverse, it is important for us t orespect the entire range of religious and spiritual traditions, not setting ourselves up as 'opponents' of any other tradition. The way to accomplish happiness in the world is to do meaningful work in one's own life, with a positive motivation that sees all people and all traditions as equal"

(Seventeenth Karmapa, "Buddhadarma" magazine, Summer 2008)

I think he says it best.

Your philosophy on life is oversimplified as no one of us or a group of us is self sufficient. It would be an insult to the infinite wisdom of God to suggest that He would make man to live a few earthly years, die and end the same as a termite or tree. And Almighty God is not only wise but He is JUST. If there is no future life, what of justice? Good and evil are in this life.    

Whether we realize it or not we must admit immortality. Justice demands it.

Even apart from God's revelation, we can know there is life after death by use of our reason as there is not a single argument against the existence of God, Heaven or Hell, which cannot be proved fallacious....including yours. If there is no future life, there is no true morality, for there is no sufficient sanction. Rob, lie, murder, etc. ---only be careful! If there is immortality we can understand God reserving His full manifestation of Supreme Justice for the next life. But if the be no immortality, as you suggest, then there be no God at all. For this doctrine that there is no immortality, the proofs should be strong...but where are they? There are none.   

Believe me, the human soul is made in the image and likeness of God and is therefore, immortal. We know that God, Heaven and Hell exist becasue Justice demands there be God, Heaven and Hell. The very sense of justice among us results in law, in courts....this supposes a Just God. We are not self sufficient...we didn't give ourselves a sense of justice. It comes from our Creator who made us...and no one can give what he does not possess himself. Yet justice cannot always be done by men in this world. Here the good often suffer and the wicked prosper. And even though human justice does not always succeed in balancing the scales, they will be balanced some day by a Just God, who most certainly does exist...as does eternal life in Heaven or Hell.

You know, you really are preaching to a brick wall Lula.

Uh, no lula, that is not necessarily true.

~Lula~

You're misinterperating my point; my motto simply comes down to the following:

We cannot prove or disporve God; whether it is through scientific or biblical fact. That being said, the best thing, in my opinion, is to just live life and make a difference through love, laughing, making a difference, etc.

Why not be good, loving, compassionate, honest, etc...for the sake of you and your fellow man. It comes across as selfish in thinking "Well, I want to get into heaven, so I must be xyz." Again, why not just be what I previously mentioned for the sake of it? It makes sense.

not to me it doesn't. 

So being good, etc. for the sake of it, and just out of genuine desire to have a life like that and help others....doesn't make sense? You would have to have some incentive or God?