No takers? Perhaps if I post my own answers (which mind you have changed over the years) it might spark discussion? I'm hoping to get answers from several perspectives.
While I grew up reading from most of the world's religions and philosophies, I was not raised within one, so to speak. My first real exposure to "churchgoin' folks" was in homeroom in high school--a student standing on a desk pointing down telling me I was going to hell. I naturally rolled my eyes back like the Undertaker, and in my best Freddy Krueger voice told her she was right and I was going to take her with me. Of course, they left me alone.
I told them I felt it was morally repugnant to do "good" out of hope for reward or fear of punishment. I did find out later that there are Baptists and then there are Baptists...
So, with my diverse background why would I become a Southern Baptist? I found some that were more about service than sin. My answers to these questions will still not be what they consider to be "mainstream" though.
1. Ontological (Greek ontos, to be) Who am I? What is basic human nature?
Basic human nature is to follow biological impulses. But Dr. Jeff Schwartz at UCLA has actually measured his patients rewiring their own brains to overcome OCD through directed therapy (measured by fMRI). His interpretation is that there is a Will outside of the wiring driving it. Personally I think that means that we are greater than our biological components. I am a force of Will, that seeks to coexist with like Wills.
2. Epistemological (Greek episteme, to know) What are the valid sources of knowledge? What makes something "real"?
Scientific, emotional and metaphysical. Even science has a form of "faith": If people did not believe in that for which no proof existed no hypotheses would ever be formulated. And we now know that to observe affects what is observed. Ask Heisenberg. For most things, trust science. But for the emotions I feel, and for the things I can sense beyond the traditional six senses, I need faith. (in case you were wondering why I say traditional six instead of five, the sixth would be the kinesthetic/somatosensory sense, the one where you know where your body parts are in rest and in motion -- a possible hallucination in that sense would be "phantom limb" syndrome).
3. Cosmological (Greek kosmos, order) Who or what is the source of ultimate order in the universe?
There are the laws of nature, then there is a force we call God, which I consider to be both the ultimate Will and the convergence of separate Wills of sentient beings. It is part of nature just like matter, energy, space and time. That ultimate Will can be tapped into, be a force of guidance, if we shut ourselves up and can listen.
4. Soteriological (Greek soterion, deliverance) What is my purpose in life?
Our purpose is what we make it to be. No one's "meant" to do anything. We do what we can with the gifts we have and our measure is in the connections we make.
5. Eschatological (Greek eschata, first or farthest) What does it mean for me to die?
If our Wills have been one with each others in this world they will be one when we leave it. Nature really doesn't have too many islands.
Do your answers to these motivate you to set rules for your daily life, and if so, what are they?
They all pretty much derive from "Do unto others....", helping others when I can, and realizing I ain't special--see Kant's categorical imperative, and throw in humility.
Other answers?
tim :eek
