Episode #6 is a conversation on purpose with Ellen Price, Assistant Director of the Office of Communications for the Baha’is of the United States.

 

 Is your purpose God-given or self-made?: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ellen became a Baha’i when she was 25 and feels her new-found religion gave her a clear purpose in life that motivates her profoundly. My life purpose is deeply centered in my faith life as a Christian Scientist, too. A prayer from Baha’u'llah, Founder of the Baha’i Faith, includes the basis for purpose: “I bear witness, O my God, that Thou has created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth…” Ellen and I agree that God has given purpose to all that God created.
But everyday living can appear to have either self-made purpose or no purpose at all. “What-are-you-going-to-do-when-you-grow-up?” can weigh heavily on adults who think they have no particular talents or calling. And even “Type A” people who are workaholics sometimes wonder whether their drive is self-made or God-given. Ellen and I try to sort out the distinction between God’s purpose and the human opinions about purpose. Some of our questions were, “What if you don’t feel any purpose?” or “What if your purpose isn’t the same as God’s?” or “How do you get to know God’s purpose if you don’t already?”

Ellen and I love interfaith conversations, and that’s one reason we’re both members of RCC (Religion Communicators Council). We’ve found that listening to people whose religions we don’t know well helps us know how we’re understood by others, and it strengthens our ability to love and understand all God’s creation in new ways. Join us in this discussion, and let us know what you think about purpose.

Some words and ideas mentioned in this podcast:

• Jesus’ parable of talents
• Baha’u'lla on God’s purpose for creation: to know and love God
• Website of the Baha’is of the United States
• eNewsletter of the Baha’is of the United States