This I agree with and what I've already said here.

This I don't agree with.  Reminds me of Christ when he said about those who are heading for destruction (not preparing for their destination) "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we will die."   Meaning for some this is all there is, for others there's another whole world waiting for them. 

To me it's a sad state to think this is all there is.  Life is but a vapor and then we're gone. 

Actually, I can fathom it.  However, look at all the wars, and pain that has been caused, (for both religion, and other secular ideals) because of people's attempt at reaching a certain afterlife. 

Yes, the two can co-exist, however, in our world today, (and in the world's history) they haven't.

The reason why I posted it is becasue the main gist of what she is saying refutes the notion that life is an absurdity.

To me, yes, spending life preparing for death is an absurdity.

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.  

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.

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? 

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. 

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. 

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.

not to me it doesn't. 

Nope. 

It's not about incentive.  It's about whom am I living for.  Myself?  God? 

If I'm living for myself than I'm motivated by self.  If I'm living for God, then I'm motivated by God.   It's like Paul said.... when we live for God we die to self.  To live for God means that I know I will be held accountable by him but more than that I know what he's done for me so I'm eternally grateful.  To show that gratefulness I do my best to love Him by loving my neighbor. 

God includes us in his plan if we so wish.  First we walk with God then we work for God and all we do should bring glory to Him, not ourselves. 

I'm much more willing to do things for God than I ever would be for myself.  If it wern't for Him, I doubt I would do much that wouldn't benefit myself. 

It could be argued (endlessly, I am sure) that by doing things for God, you are doing them for yourself.  You want to be considered good/moral by God, and spend eternity in heaven, so you obey God.

yes they can.  I'm not debating that.  I'm debating motivation.  Who do you do it for?  

Most people do for others because it makes them feel better.  Some do it out of guilt.  Some do it for monetary gain.  Some do it for attention.  Some do it only when the cameras are rolling. 

As a Christian I do it for the glory of God.  If I, on occasion, do it for one of the reasons listed above, scripture says that my works will be burned up.  At the end of time we will pass by the bema seat of Christ and our works will be judged (for crowns sake).  Those who do their works for the glory of God (not praise of men) is said to have built this on a foundation of gold and silver and the fire will not destroy these works.  But those who did their works built on hay, wood or stubble will find their works burned up.  They will make it into the kingdom of God as if scorched but they will have no works to follow them in.  As a Christian that will be an embarrasing moment. 

Yes it would.  But it's not like we're just sitting here waiting for the afterlife to happen either.  We're going about our busy days and making decisions in the light of eternity. 

to some extent yes, but it's not like we don't live in this one either.  We shouldn't be so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good.  It's just that we don't want to be so earthyly minded that we're not heavenly good. 

I'm glad to hear that.   I didn't know you did.  I thought this was all about your not believing in the afterlife. 

It is very thought provoking.  And something we should think about.  Everyday we're dying more and more physically.  As a Christian everyday I'm living more and more spiritually.  I'm exchanging my physical life for the spiritual and it pays dividends even now.  There is no comparison. 

In a way and from a human standpoint I can see what you're saying.  As a Christian we long to hear "well done good and faithful servant."  It's like a child who wants to honor his father so obedience comes easy because it flows from love.  Love is at the crux of the whole matter.  I do what I do because I love God.  He showed us by example what it was like to live a selfless life.  As a Christian we are to follow him in all his ways.  He's our example.