> search of meaning or fulfillment---longings that can only be truly satisfied in communion with God
This always annoyed me about religion. Such a lazy cop out no answer to such important question.
This always annoyed me about religion. Such a lazy cop out no answer to such important question.
Religion, or at least Catholicism, recognizes four things that humans look to for happiness: wealth, honour, glory/fame/power, and pleasure.
* https://www.newadvent.org/summa/2002.htm
It concludes that these things can be good, they are not the highest good. The thing that will make humans most happy is love: love for one's neighbour, and love for God, who is Love:
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_caritas_est
Or if you want to get more philosophical and less theological, Aristotle goes over why those four things are not ends in themselves, but means to an end:
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicomachean_Ethics
There is a growing amount of evidence that the need for love (community), which other people are needed for, is central to human fulfillment:
* https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-8...
In the Christian tradition, love of neighbour is important:
> "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He [Jesus] said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Commandment
And how does one love both God and neighbour at the same time? By loving one's neighbour one loves God as well:
> Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?'
> The King will answer them, 'Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
That's a lot of leaps in logic. Knowing that people find community fulfilling can be observed in the people around you without any of that background, so surely it's the simpler concept?
We don’t need god to find meaning or fulfillment
And we definitely don’t need other people pretending to be the one true channel through which to connect with God either