"It must be meant to be!"

[Stu]

I actually say "Everything (I would change it to "some") happens for a reason." lots of times, because I believe it does. Sometimes I need to learn a lesson, grow or just be blessed etc... etc...

I don't see the issue.

I would be more perturbed if someone said everything was meaningless and just random stuff happening.

Well a lot of stuff is just random occurrences. That's the effect of free-will.

What if you're travelling down the highway at 120km/h and you have a head-on collision with another vehicle and die. And it turns out that the other driver was drunk and veered into your lane because of this. He chose to drink and get behind the wheel of a car, as has been done so many times.

Can lessons be learned from such an incident, of course, but that doesn't mean it happened for a reason any more than that driver picked up the bottle and got behind the wheel of a car.

[jlay]

What is a thoughtful, apologetic response to people, when they say:

"It must be meant to be!"

or:

"Everything happens for a reason."

These are such common comments by unbelievers. I often wonder why they say such statements. It's as if they are recognizing that life isn't just a series of random experiences, but that it has a greater meaning, purpose and deliberate organization. And that, at least on some level, they also sense that there is some power that oversees, connects and guides life. But they often won't call it (Whatever it is) "God." It''s as if they DO know about God, even acknowledge Him in some mystical way or belief, but they want to keep this God, impersonal and remote.

What do you guys think? How do you respond?

It's a meaningless statement.
you can say, 'the reason i am expelling noxious fumes from my colon is because i ate Mexican for lunch. See, everything has a reason." This juvenile example is only to demonstrate the confusion people have with cause and effect and mystical fate, or Karma.
The real question is "Does everything have a PURPOSE?"

For example, Bob may get rich cheating other people. This may later backfire on him and he gets caught. Some say, "See, what goes around comes around." That is Karma, and implies that the universe is balancing out good and evil. In reality Bob put himself in a position to get caught by cheating others.
If you rob other people, there is a much better chance of something bad happening to you. It's not the force, but just a fact.

[Philip]

Some say, "See, what goes around comes around." That is Karma, and implies that the universe is balancing out good and evil. In reality Bob put himself in a position to get caught by cheating others.

Yes, it's rather incredible how many people believe in mystical things like karma. And those that do must believe there is some organizing power behind the mysticism or karma they believe to be the reality of the universe. Even a lot of Christians seem to believe in Karma. So many will choose to embrace some form of mysticism but absolutely refuse to acknowledge an all-powerful God who is in control and behind our very existence.

Hey, jlay, haven't seen you posting lately. Hope all is good.

[jlay]

Yes, all is well.
I check in periodically to see if any topics i need to chime in on.
I've spent more time on the Facebook private page, Christian Apologetics Alliance.

You have to be a believer and interested in apologetics. So, it avoids the arguing, which is nice.

[Philip]

I've spent more time on the Facebook private page, Christian Apologetics Alliance.

I'll have to check it out! I only have a disguised persona facebook account. And I don' endlessly blog about what I ate for lunch, etc.

[stuartcr]

What is a thoughtful, apologetic response to people, when they say:

"It must be meant to be!"

or:

"Everything happens for a reason."

These are such common comments by unbelievers. I often wonder why they say such statements. It's as if they are recognizing that life isn't just a series of random experiences, but that it has a greater meaning, purpose and deliberate organization. And that, at least on some level, they also sense that there is some power that oversees, connects and guides life. But they often won't call it (Whatever it is) "God." It''s as if they DO know about God, even acknowledge Him in some mystical way or belief, but they want to keep this God, impersonal and remote.

What do you guys think? How do you respond?

It's a meaningless statement.
you can say, 'the reason i am expelling noxious fumes from my colon is because i ate Mexican for lunch. See, everything has a reason." This juvenile example is only to demonstrate the confusion people have with cause and effect and mystical fate, or Karma.
The real question is "Does everything have a PURPOSE?"

For example, Bob may get rich cheating other people. This may later backfire on him and he gets caught. Some say, "See, what goes around comes around." That is Karma, and implies that the universe is balancing out good and evil. In reality Bob put himself in a position to get caught by cheating others.
If you rob other people, there is a much better chance of something bad happening to you. It's not the force, but just a fact.

Why do you believe the real question is "Does everything have a PURPOSE?" ?

[jlay]

What is a thoughtful, apologetic response to people, when they say:

"It must be meant to be!"

or:

"Everything happens for a reason."

These are such common comments by unbelievers. I often wonder why they say such statements. It's as if they are recognizing that life isn't just a series of random experiences, but that it has a greater meaning, purpose and deliberate organization. And that, at least on some level, they also sense that there is some power that oversees, connects and guides life. But they often won't call it (Whatever it is) "God." It''s as if they DO know about God, even acknowledge Him in some mystical way or belief, but they want to keep this God, impersonal and remote.

What do you guys think? How do you respond?

It's a meaningless statement.
you can say, 'the reason i am expelling noxious fumes from my colon is because i ate Mexican for lunch. See, everything has a reason." This juvenile example is only to demonstrate the confusion people have with cause and effect and mystical fate, or Karma.
The real question is "Does everything have a PURPOSE?"

For example, Bob may get rich cheating other people. This may later backfire on him and he gets caught. Some say, "See, what goes around comes around." That is Karma, and implies that the universe is balancing out good and evil. In reality Bob put himself in a position to get caught by cheating others.
If you rob other people, there is a much better chance of something bad happening to you. It's not the force, but just a fact.

Why do you believe the real question is "Does everything have a PURPOSE?" ?

That is the question in response to "Does everything have a reason?" What people are implying by this statement is that if something has a 'reason' then there must be some mystical force driving the universe.
Yes, everything has a reason. There is a reason why a rock on a deserted island rolled down a hill. Gravity. It doesn't mean there was any purpose to it. I see a lot of fellow believers adopt this attitude which is rooted in pantheism and/or panentheistic thinking.
For example, we know that Christ dying on the cross had a purpose; a divine one in fact. However, uncle Bob, who got hit by bus while crossing the street likely has none, even if he did cheat on his taxes. So yes, everything has a reason, but not everything has a purpose.

[stuartcr]

Perhaps the purpose for uncle Bob getting hit by a bus, was because it is part of God's plan. Just because we cannot understand or recognize a purpose behind things, doesn't mean there is no purpose, dies it? Are we expected to know or understand the reason why God does everything He does?

[Lonewolf]

What is a thoughtful, apologetic response to people, when they say:

"It must be meant to be!"

or:

"Everything happens for a reason."

These are such common comments by unbelievers. I often wonder why they say such statements. It's as if they are recognizing that life isn't just a series of random experiences, but that it has a greater meaning, purpose and deliberate organization. And that, at least on some level, they also sense that there is some power that oversees, connects and guides life. But they often won't call it (Whatever it is) "God." It''s as if they DO know about God, even acknowledge Him in some mystical way or belief, but they want to keep this God, impersonal and remote.

What do you guys think? How do you respond?

The pagan world of Christianity thinks, and makes such comments as well., it is not just relegated to "unbelievers" ., for there are many of a Christian faith upbringing that think and even believe in such a way., karma per say., que sera sera., whatever will be, will be ~> goes the saying., for some whom I have partaken with in this family and friends communal life, it is simply understood and taken as "uneducated" faith ~> that God is Lord and controls everything., that there is nothing that goes past Him., that there is nothing that He won't "repay" .. It is as you wrote, "(Whatever it is)" , yet I can attest, that for some folks, it is far more real and powerful, than for a lot of the tithing and faith workers among us., for it is, that some of those of a simple faith ~> can sometimes be the most real in their faith of things to come.,

^ ^ IMO & in my careful observation of those around me.

Peace Be With You,

SOLOxLOBO