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Why Do People Seek Spirituality?

The question was posed on another site, "why do people seem to be seeking spirituality; why are they searching for fulfillment and satisfaction?"

Asked by someone who had a non-believing friend, who had asked the original question. The answer to this question is rather simple it seems to me. Here's what I posted in response:

"We are made in the image, the character of God.

Somewhere inside us is some God-stuff that tells us the world, the way it is, isn't the way it's supposed to be; that we, chasing after stuff that ultimately doesn't satisfy, aren't the way we're supposed to be.

As a result, we look to match that God-stuff with meaning and life. And so we seek, without knowing sometimes that it is the God-stuff that needs to be met.

Humans are all made in the image of God; and we all seek to live in that image (even if we don't know what that image is)."

If this is a correct answer to the question, it could help form the focus of our telling others the Good News. Rather than telling people they need to be saved from their sins, we could point people to the God that fulfills their longings and makes sense out of the world.


Comments

  1. Thank you very much for the recent advice that you left for me on the Christian forum. It was very helpful.

    And, I have subscribed to read your blog regularly. Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete

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