The Purpose of Man's Existence upon the Earth

Have you ever wondered why you were put here on earth? The purpose of man's life on earth is a question which many have pondered about for thousands of years. We do not ask this question anymore because people seem to have given up on the possibility that an answer can ever be found. People have also relied on science to give the answer but with its one sided way of looking at things it does not look promising that an answer can ever be found in this way. 

The purpose of life according to our prevailing belief is to just live the best we can and accumulate material wealth, get married, have children and if possible have as many earthly honours as possible and if we are successful in these then our purpose has been achieved. We are then regarded as actualized human beings, successful human beings and so on. Some even believe in theories like Darwinism and the Big Bang.

DARWINISM

Darwinism is the theory of evolution. Meaning we declined from apes. Charles Darwin was the first person to submit that theory and therefore it is called Darwinism. This basically means there is no God. We all came from apes and the universe is a cosmic accident. This theory is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Suddenly, I'm craving for a banana. I wonder why.

"For by the power of my Spirit created I all things; yea, all things both spiritual and temporal - First spiritual, secondly temporal, which is the beginning of my work; and again, first temporal, and secondly spiritual, which is the last of my work - Speaking unto you that you may naturally understand; but unto myself my works have no end, neither beginning; but it is given unto you that ye may understand, because ye have asked it of me and are agreed" (D&C 29:31-33.)

BIG BANG THEORY

If God himself declares that his works have no end, neither beginning, what does that say about the "big bang" theory that declares that the universe started at a given moment of time? The scientists who propose this theory have impaled themselves on the horns of a dilemma. They state that matter can be neither created nor destroyed. It is accepted that matter can be converted to energy and vice versa, but the laws of conservation are not violated. Then what about the moment before the "big bang"? That question is not addressed by science.

Personally, I reject any theory that teaches there is no God. Why? Because it's just not good enough for me! Can you imagine if that is all there is of our existence? You might as well say we are born to die and that's all there is to it. What the heck is that? Are you kidding me? No! There has to be an answer to all these questions. Some say there is no answer. Excuse me? First of all - there is no such thing of a question without an answer.

So lets go back to the original topic - What is "the purpose of man's existence upon the earth"? 

The purpose of life is happiness. The plan of salvation breaks the purpose of life down into four main missions in mortality: receiving a physical body, obtaining personal perfection, acquiring prerequisite knowledge, and forming eternal family units. Mankind has struggled for millennia with uncertainty over the purpose of life. People have long sought to understand why they're here on earth and the destiny of their own souls. Some people have suggested that there is in fact no overall purpose to our existence and that God simply flipped humanity upon the earth, there to remain in sorrow and suffering.

The purpose of man's existence here upon the earth may be summed up as follows:

1. To be proved by God "to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them." (Abraham 3:25.)

2. To receive a body of flesh and bones, for the body and spirit when separated "cannot receive a fulness of joy." (D&C 93:33-34.)

3. To prove that they can keep their second estate, even as they have kept their first estate, that they may have "glory added upon their heads for ever and ever." (Abraham 3:26.)

4. To develop the gifts and talents to which they are born heirs, that they may be able to give proper accounting of their stewardship so that the Lord may be able to say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:21.)

5. To meet the requirements to become heirs of celestial glory, by becoming "priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek." (D&C 76:57.)

6. To be sealed to a companion for time and all eternity by one having authority of the Lord, through the Holy Priesthood, for "neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 11:11.) Without such sealing ordinance of marriage, one cannot obtain the highest degree of celestial glory (D&C 131:1-4), "which glory shall be a fulness and continuation of the seeds for ever and ever" (D&C 132:190).

7. To have children, for "lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward... Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them." (Psalm 127:3,5.)

"Again, we are indebted to the revelations of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the restoration of the gospel, in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times, to make plain the purpose of man's existence here upon this earth." (LeGrand Richards, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder)

The purpose of life is to learn and grow and become better. Surely, heaven will be filled not with those who never made mistakes but with those who recognized they were straying and made corrections to get back on course. And we have opportunities to do that throughout life. Amen

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