The “Big Questions” of Life

Eric Tegelberg

Description

Have you ever considered what are the most important questions you will need to have answered before you leave this life? Herein are those answers, the answer I am counting upon!
This book is an investigation into one man’s look into the greatest questions of life. It begins with the idea of how we can know if there is a God. If there is a God then several of the next big questions will be answered by what that God is like and how He has disclosed himself to humanity.

Sujets

• Religion
• Philosophie et théologie
• Inspirational
• Christian Living

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 27 juillet 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664262881
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

The “Big Questions” of Life
 
One man’s lifetime search for Big Answers
 
 
 
 
 
ERIC TEGELBERG
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2022 Eric Tegelberg.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Unless otherwise noted, scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
 
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-6289-8 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-6288-1 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022906586
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date:  06/29/2022
 
This book is dedicated to my immediate family and to anyone who is thinking about the puzzling questions in life.
I want to thank Laurie Gillespie & George Jackson for their diligence in reviewing my manuscript and their helpful ideas.
I want to thank Pastor Jerry Rueb, Pastor Steve Bryant, Bob & Ann Paul and Michael Green all who first opened up the scriptures to me in a way that shone the eternal light into my life.

Boundary Bay Dike
Why Did I author this Book?
FOREWORD
Someone asked me two questions when I talked about this book on which I was working. The first question they asked was “What makes you think these questions are the Ten Biggest Questions of Life?” My answer to him was that they are the most important questions because they go to the central purpose of “Why am I here?” When you examine the many alternate questions like:
“Who should I marry?”
“What work should I do?”
“Am I being effective in my life?”
“How will I know what to do?”
“What school should I go to?”
Each of these are secondary to the reason of why I am here. The starting point of that question is “Does God Exist.” This is the start point, because if God exists then there are significant contingencies and accountabilities for all of life. If God does not exist, then everything is without purpose and ultimately pointless. “Drink & be merry for tomorrow we die.”
If that is so, then to live as a true atheist or a true materialist leads to a life exempt from morals, that is destined for oblivion. Now some people think that would be good because I could do whatever I want. I want to live free without the constraints of “laws and morals”. However, you will fall into the hands of “might is right” crowd and that is not a world order that bodes well for the masses. As such, why would anyone want to continue to live life, as there is no purpose. Why would you have children if we all are destined for oblivion.
There is also one basic flaw in humanity with which everyone of us needs to come to grip - Death. This fact is evident that the outcome is one per person. Death being irrevocable makes these “Big Questions” Urgent and Pressing for each of us, regardless of how much we procrastinate. I invite you to write out your own thoughts on my answers to the Ten Great Questions of Life. If God exists which I believe He must exist, then He has an effect on each of these questions.
The second question they asked me was “why you?” What makes you think you might have the answer to these questions? I have had a trust in God from an early age, but I spent my years at university examining many of these ideas then drifted along getting my business and personal life underway. It was not until I was forty that I began the research to validate the truth to decide for myself what the answers to these questions must be. I am now over seventy so I have had a long time to consider these questions.
I have also investigated all the main line religions of the world, to see how they approach these ten questions. I have chosen to tackle each question from the point of view of the Judeo-Christian viewpoint, versus the atheist viewpoint. In an attached Addendum I deal with most of the ten Questions based on the eastern world religions. For answers to their approach visit Addendum 1, 2 & 3.

Boundary Bay Coast, Delta Canada
CONTENTS
Foreword
 
1       Does God Exist?
2       Has God Said Anything?
3       What must God be like?
4       Who is Jesus of Nazareth?
5       What does Jesus offer us today?
6       What happens when we die?
7       Why Is there Evil in the World?
8       Are All religions the same idea just expressed differently?
9       How Can I be sure where I will spend Life after Death?
10     Are Humans unique or just another Specie Among a cast of Thousands.
 
Conclusion
Addendum 1: Islam
Addendum 2: Eastern Religions
Addendum 3 : Atheist
Bibliography
Biblical References: Page (S)
 
THE BIG QUESTIONS OF LIFE
PART 1
Does God Exist?
The starting point of each of these questions must be “Does God Exist.” I have done a lot of reading on both sides of this question. After a lot of thought and research on this question I have concluded that God does exist. There are several factual propositions that lead me to this conclusion:
The Cosmos starting by chance, is unworkable!
Nothing caused the cosmos, is a violation of the law of causality!
If the cosmos had a beginning, it cannot be infinite.
The fine tuning of the universe speaks to an intelligent designer.
Human DNA is a programing language of men & beasts that speaks of a designer.
The cross-cultural idea of human morality demands a law giver.
The starting point of each of these “Big Questions” is “Does God exists? If He does, then there are significant contingencies for all of life. If God does not exist, then everything is without purpose. If you do not know where you are going then any road will get you there. However, I think there is more than enough evidence to convince every thinking person that God does exist.
Is there a God of order and magnitude that exceeds all we know in this world?
The universe is governed by laws and has such mathematical precision that it can only point to a personal designer and creator, who has left imprints of His supernatural existence. He has created man as a significant pinnacle in the created order. Our DNA, our intellect, our self-awareness and existential thought, all point to the fact that there is a designer of the cosmos as well as of the laws of physics and the constants that appear in the cosmos. Let us look now at some of the objections to this idea and the results of significant research into those listed above.
A. The Cosmos is started & created by Chance!
The Starting point of everything then is who made man and the cosmos. It may be that you think that it is “ All Chance ” but that answer is a copout. Here is why. Normally “Chance” is defined by “possibility, probability or happening which can be predicted.” When you define the chance that a coin will turn up heads or that two dice will turn up seven, they are dependent or defined by the coins or dies’ design AND the person casting them out. So, if you say that the beginning of the cosmos and man was chance, your logic is circular. In order for, “chance” to be the origin of everything, then there must be an intelligent existence that is both the source and concept of matter and energy. That is unless you think that all this cosmos is just an illusion as some eastern religions profess. Chance must be dependent upon a designer who is both the “ builder ” of the cosmos and the “ originator of the design ” of the event of the cosmos, for it to exist.
Those who are afraid to accept the possibility of a designer would rather define “Chance” as “the absence of any cause of events that can be predicted, understood or controlled.” They are then stating that…“no thing caused it”.
B. Nothing Caused the Cosmos?
So where are we with the beginning of everything? Some say that the cosmos came from nothing. Something that comes from nothing is contradiction of the “Law of Causality” which states that:
“Every effect must have a (necessary) cause greater than its effect to exist”.
So, for the cosmos to exists, it must have an “uncaused first cause” which is greater than what we know exists today.